Canoe Focus Autumn 2016 | Page 48

Event Series Proves a Roaring Success British Canoeing has launched a new initiative to help raise the profile of canoeing competitions in the UK and to showcase the breadth and diversity of our sport. In its inaugural year, the British Canoeing Event Series has selected four key events from its 2016 calendar that demonstrate the high quality of competition that already exists in Marathon racing, as well as our Olympic disciplines of Canoe Sprint and Canoe Slalom. British Open, Lee Valley White Water Centre, Hertfordshire Image supplied by AE photos National Sprint Regatta, Nottingham Over the weekend of 4th-5th June, paddlers from all over the UK and further afield descended upon Nottingham for the National Sprint Regatta. The event featured more than 200 races over the two days, including the U23 Selections and the Paracanoe National Championships, with athletes competing for Paralympic Selection and National Titles. British Canoeing’s Olympic athletes will be back on home water for the first time since the Games at the Slalom British Open on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September. As well as two days of intense Slalom racing, the event will also showcase a whole host of other canoeing disciplines, including Canoe Polo, White Water Rafting and Boat X, making it a real festival of paddlesport. The event is free to attend and there will be plenty for spectators to see and do, including Go Canoeing and White Water Rafting ‘come and try’ sessions, canoeing trade stands and even the chance to meet some of our Olympic heroes, who will be signing autographs. For more information about the Paracanoe National Championships, click here. The four events are as follows: JUN National Sprint Regatta (Sprint) 04 Nottingham, 4th & 5th June JUL National Champs (Marathon) 23 SEP 17 SEP 25 Reading, 23rd & 24th July British Open (Slalom) LVWWC, 17th & 18th Sept Hasler Final (Marathon) Worcester, 25th Sept The events are organised by the individual British Canoeing Discipline Committees and have been run successfully over many years, but were selected to feature in the British Canoeing Event Series, providing organisers with additional support and resources from the central British Canoeing team. By providing this support, British Canoeing aims to help the Discipline Committees develop their events further and ensure our events calendar is full of premium quality sporting and spectator experiences. In June and July, the first two events were held and both proved to be a fantastic success with spectators treated to some top-class racing. And at the end of September, the Event Series wraps up with two more great events that promise even