Unofficial UK Slalom BBS

Fabulous job, well done Dave

Would be interesting to know how nany rafts they had booked for this weekend if they are able to switch them to a 1-2 hour window at lunchtime!! Or was this a case of SERCO 'hedging' their bets !!

Remind me please why do we pay BCU fees each year if we have to 'fight' to gain access to courses originally designed for Canoe Slalom / Canoeing.

Or am i just nieve

Phil

I have updated the start lists. The division 1 event is full now - I have some entries yet to be processed though that won't appear on the start list as yet. There is still plenty of space in the division 2 race, get your entry in for the opportunity to race on some testing water. The division 2 course will be deliberately set to be technically easy as the water will be hard enough for most paddlers. This will not apply to the division 1 course

Saturday
Sunday

I should be able to produce a proper and almost final start list for the division 1 race on Friday.

The start list is updated again. The division 1 race is full as I have some entries awaiting clarification that are on hold for the moment. The waiting list for division 1 entries is very short after that, so it is possible that with a few people dropping out I may be able to take a few more entries. I am quite happy to do this up to the closing date for the race, after which I will be banking the cheques.

The division 2 race is far from full, and I would welcome more entries, and I will continue to take entries up to the entry limit.

The race order is far from finalised. As a result of the confusion over the course booking we have agreed that there will be rafting for two hours in the middle of the day and I will have to play around with the race order a bit to fit this in.

The waiting list for division 1 entries is very short after that, so it is possible that with a few people dropping out I may be able to take a few more entries. I am quite happy to do this up to the closing date for the race

... Presumably Dave, after adding the Div 1's from the Waiting List, you will then give priority for any such spare places to the Div 2 "Paddle-Ups" ?

If there are any spaces available I will allocate them to paddle ups to Nottingham the order they were received. I'll update the start list fairly frequently so that everyone can see where they stand

I have published a start list for Saturday. This is the most complicated start list I have ever had to do! To make things less tiresome I have decided to split the race in two, so that the K1M and C1W will race in the morning, and the rest of the classes in the afternoon. Unfortunately everybody will have to practice in the morning, I can't work a way around it

Please check your start times, I have been going around in circles with this and there is no guarantee that I haven't made any mistakes.

Saturday start list

I will try to get the division 2 start list done tonight.

Sunday's start list has now been updated

Hi Dave,

Small mistake, and it may be my inability to put the right dates on my cards, you seem to have me in as an official on Sunday when I am entered in div 2, but not on Saturday.

Important note

The course will be available to anyone for practice on Friday afternoon/evening from approximately 4.00pm, normal session fees will apply so you will have to first register at reception. There is a freestyle event taking place on the inlet wave on the Friday evening so please launch in the pool below.

Dave,

how much did they charge for the event to take place?

davebrads wrote:There is a freestyle event taking place on the inlet wave on the Friday evening so please launch in the pool below.

I spotted that, I'm putting my playboat in too

Hi all. I have updated the start lists again. I found that with some late entries for division 2 that I was having to bring forward the start of the race, so I brought it forward a bit more to allow for entries on the day, so we will now start at 8.30 on Sunday.

Saturday

Sunday

Thanks to Dave and Manchester CC for a really enjoyable, and as far as I can tell successful, event.

Having tried the Div 1 course on Saturday as an official, with lots of 50's, I can confirm that the Div 2 course on Sunday was much easier, whilst the power of the water and size of the features still provided quite enough challenge to us Div 2 paddlers. Despite arriving early and getting some free practice, the only gate I missed all day was in my first race run, but I went much faster in my second run and got my best ever Div 2 placing.

I know that the Div 2 paddlers I talked to all enjoyed the challenge, even some that elected to miss some gates. Were any freaked out or unhappy with it?

I hope quite a few of the Div 2's made it along on Saturday to see how much harder the course had been for the Div 1 (lots of upstream gates in micro eddies tight against the far wall, and the downstream gates much further across the stream requiring pinpoint turns and a lot of surfing of stoppers and waves to get position), I know some had been concerned that it would be a very similar course and way beyond them.

My observation was that the holes all looked much bigger when paddling the Div 1 course (crossing backwards and forwards on them) than they did on the Div 2 course (mostly punching straight through them)

I really hope more clubs take up the committee's offer and organise more Div 2 races on harder water next year - even if I never get any better or further up the divisions, I could be happy paddling courses like that for many years to come!

Lost Property

Left on the side of the course at the weekend:

• A cardigan

• A fleece

• A stainless steel flask

• A water bottle

PM me with a brief description and we'll try to reunite you