Course Design.
Posted: Tue Oct 01, 2019 8:56 pm
Is it time to have some better guidelines on Slalom course design.
Having attended most Prem and all the Div 1 Slaloms so far this year I have made the following observations.
Nearly every Prem course has been technically and Physically demanding. The Lee Valley Prem at the start of the season was probably the best course I have ever seen, it had everything. Spin gates, Forward down in the eddy"s, Stopper moves and everything repeated on the Left and Right.
As for Div 1 Slaloms, its been nearly all fast easy courses with nearly No options on moves and predominantly Left or Right handed courses.
So you could say most C1 paddlers now switch, but everyone has a strongest side so the course still needs to be balanced.
If you look at results in K1 Men everyone in the middle of the results is within 10 seconds and there are often 6 paddlers on the same second. This is because everyone is paddling the course nearly the same way.
Quote - Rule 9.4.3 - The Course must be entirely navigable throughout its length and provide the same conditions for right- handed and left- handed C1 and C2 athletes. The ideal course should include.
Minimum one [1] Gate-combination, which offers the athlete several options.
Constant directional changes and flowing movements using the technical difficulty of the water.
So the question is should the course be set for those that are looking for Promotion to the next Division, or for the majority of the paddlers ability.
Do Div 4/3/2 Slalom coures get designed for the Div 2 paddlers or the Div 4 paddlers.
I personally would like to see a different course designer for the Sundays race from the Sat race. Someone that has not been running the event and is to tiered to change the course on a Sat evening.
Also a minimum number of Gates that need changing between Sat and Sundays race. Unless river levels change the course.
So for the future we could have trained course designers, but this would mean having a weekend away on training a course.
Remembering the Quote. 90% of coaching is setting a challenging course. So Slalom coaching and course design could be linked.
If we want to make any change for next season then it needs to be in for the ACM or are we just happy with it as it is.
I suppose for the younger paddlers they have not seen anything different. But I come from the days of Revers Gates, Merano's, S Gates, Pancake moves and yes we used to set a revers to the Right and the Left.
Having attended most Prem and all the Div 1 Slaloms so far this year I have made the following observations.
Nearly every Prem course has been technically and Physically demanding. The Lee Valley Prem at the start of the season was probably the best course I have ever seen, it had everything. Spin gates, Forward down in the eddy"s, Stopper moves and everything repeated on the Left and Right.
As for Div 1 Slaloms, its been nearly all fast easy courses with nearly No options on moves and predominantly Left or Right handed courses.
So you could say most C1 paddlers now switch, but everyone has a strongest side so the course still needs to be balanced.
If you look at results in K1 Men everyone in the middle of the results is within 10 seconds and there are often 6 paddlers on the same second. This is because everyone is paddling the course nearly the same way.
Quote - Rule 9.4.3 - The Course must be entirely navigable throughout its length and provide the same conditions for right- handed and left- handed C1 and C2 athletes. The ideal course should include.
Minimum one [1] Gate-combination, which offers the athlete several options.
Constant directional changes and flowing movements using the technical difficulty of the water.
So the question is should the course be set for those that are looking for Promotion to the next Division, or for the majority of the paddlers ability.
Do Div 4/3/2 Slalom coures get designed for the Div 2 paddlers or the Div 4 paddlers.
I personally would like to see a different course designer for the Sundays race from the Sat race. Someone that has not been running the event and is to tiered to change the course on a Sat evening.
Also a minimum number of Gates that need changing between Sat and Sundays race. Unless river levels change the course.
So for the future we could have trained course designers, but this would mean having a weekend away on training a course.
Remembering the Quote. 90% of coaching is setting a challenging course. So Slalom coaching and course design could be linked.
If we want to make any change for next season then it needs to be in for the ACM or are we just happy with it as it is.
I suppose for the younger paddlers they have not seen anything different. But I come from the days of Revers Gates, Merano's, S Gates, Pancake moves and yes we used to set a revers to the Right and the Left.