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Posted: Fri Dec 16, 2011 11:25 pm
by John Sturgess
From the Daily Telegraph p11, Thursday Dec 15th:
Wheelchair wife falls in Olympic rafting course
‘A pensioner had to be rescued after she fell into the 2012 Olympic white water rafting course in her wheelchair.
The 80-year-old woman and her husband had gone to look at the venue ane were on the towpath beside the course when the accident happened.
Firemen believe that as her husband read a sign, the brakes on her wheelchair failed and it careered into the water.’
Does that tell us anything we didn’t already know?
Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 1:41 pm
by Terryg
Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 2:59 pm
by Canadian Paddler
Or to put it another way, incorrect facts not at the Olympic site, corrected quite quickly in the media. Shame that we are perpetuating bad reporting on the chat line 
Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 9:39 pm
by John Sturgess
The point was not where they fell in, but that it was described as the Olympic white water rafting course not the Olympic Slalom course
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 11:06 am
by Canadian Paddler
Ah Understand now, sorry for being snappish.
Forever a battle as rafting makes the money - even though slalom caused the course to be built..
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 1:10 pm
by Neil H
Let's not the facts get in the way
Is it just me who thought that this might be disabled access gone mad.
I was only saying yesterday that the thought of and elderly woman trundling up the conveyor in wheel chair and helmet was worth a ponderance
I'm guessing you'd need special tyres and a dog snorkel
http://www.dogsforthedisabled.org/
I'm pretty sure it was just me though
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 2:09 pm
by bankside
and there was me thinking it was more publicity for assisted suicide......... ???
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 7:12 pm
by Neil H
Brave you going out with a suicide gag.
Bit harsh if they tried to take the dog with them though.
We've done disability and suicide what's next?
Posted: Sun Dec 18, 2011 7:13 pm
by Neil H
Religion - combined baptism and curing the lame - good old Jesus.
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 10:34 am
by boatmum
Actually feel the last couple of posts a bit over the top guys and I'm feeling brave enough to tell you!
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 1:15 pm
by Canadian Paddler
Back on the original topic (after I misunderstood)
How do we / can we address this focus on rafting for venues built for canoes/kayaks? I beleive that the Lee Valley team are trying to keep canoe/kayak up but make LOADS more from rafting.
I have heard (over the last six months) of the nene rafting centre, Cardiff Rafting centre, Getting worse - the TRYWERYN rafting centre. Anyone got good ideas on how to deal with this?
Glad to say this was the first time it was Lee Valley rafting centre, but then I did not spot that first time round.
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 2:34 pm
by boatmum
Think the main issue is profile leverage - ie they have a bigger budget to advertise. If you go to any of the main centre website
Cardiff - http://www.ciww.com/content.asp
LV http://www.leevalleypark.org.uk/en....g.aspx?
Teesdie http://www.tbiwwc.com/
Treweryn http://www.ukrafting.co.uk/
All of these website have images of rafts and folk rafting - the difficulty is slalom can not be commercialised in the same way as rafting can - so until we can find a way of making money out of slalom in a way that can involve the public then its a non starter really and I dont personally see this happening any time soon
Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 9:36 pm
by Neil H
boatmum wrote:Actually feel the last couple of posts a bit over the top guys and I'm feeling brave enough to tell you!
Suitably chastised.
Still stand by freedom of speech though and I can think of sicker things in our civilised society
Respect your opinion though
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 2:07 pm
by campbell
I've no issue with these venues being called rafting centres (although white water centre would be the most appropriate and caters for all users). But the words olympic and rafting should never be used together in describing a venue... Totally misleading.
Posted: Thu Dec 22, 2011 7:49 pm
by Mick h
Nice one John opening up old wounds. May be its time to rant again, has any progress been made about the possiblity of Div 1 paddlers RACING at the new Olympic Rafting facility or has it been brushed under carpet never to be mentioned again?
Good luck Campbell enjoy the course