One area we have tried to tighten up on this year is our handling of rules to ensure our racing is fair and any infringement is dealt with consistently . Four paddlers received a two-minute penalty for cutting corners along the course at this year ’ s event . With such close racing across our fleets , these penalties can significantly affect the results . Another area we are working on is the judgement of incidents when paddlers have taken avoiding or support action . It ’ s tough to judge , but through clear communication and evidence from tracking devices , we were able to amend one paddler ’ s time after an unfortunate close call with a passing boat .
Sprint Championships
Being part of the British Canoeing National Regatta always offers a great opportunity to showcase SUP as a competitive sport to a broader audience . 2022 didn ’ t disappoint with some very exciting races and photo finish reviews by the judges . In the Men ’ s , the final went to Hector Jessel with Bruce Smith making it a photo finish as they battled for the lead in the final 50m . They had a little scare as yours truly decided to brush off the old sprint technique and give the inform guys a run up to halfway . In the end , the top four had just two seconds between them .
In the ladies ’ fleet , Natalie Cant was looking for top overall honours in our combined championship , but she had her work cut out as in came Ashley Allen and Verity Thomas , especially for the sprints . Natalie had to settle for fourth in the end as Ashley and Verity took the top spots , with local sprint specialist Lisa Grzeskowiak putting down a top performance to take third . The whole fleet was closely matched , with all the ladies finishing strong with just ten seconds covering second down to ninth , showing how close it was .
2023 Competition plans
2022 has allowed us to review firsthand the positives and negatives of the current model and where a modern approach can benefit the UK . For us , it ’ s a bigger picture , including grassroots events , Regionals and National levels of competition .
2023 will see us streamline our offering across our series disciplines and race fleets within our National Series and Championships . Please visit our website for details on our 2023 plans and season calendar .
Natalie Cant
Verity Thomas
Hector Jessel
Al Hughes
2022 Series Champions ( Overall )
Distance Series
Prone
• Female - Kezia Elliott
• Male - Mark Norton
NISCO
• Female - Helen Russell
• Male - Simon Day
12 ’ 6 Race
• Female - Natalie Cant
• Male - Alistair Huges
14 ’ Race
• Female - Holly Pye
• Male - Blue Ewer
Technical Series
Prone
• Male - Dave Bennett
NISCO
• Female - Rayne Easter-Robinson
• Male - Simon Day
12 ’ 6 Race
• Female - Emily King
• Male - Alistair Hughes
14 ’ Race
• Female - Ashley Allen
• Male - Blue Ewer
The Distance and Technical Series results are available on The GBSUP website .
2022 National Championships
Distance Series
• Female - Natalie Cant
• Male - Hector Jessel
Sprint Champions
• Female - Ashley Allen
• Male - Hector Jessel
Overall National Champions
• Female - Natalie Cant
• Male - Hector Jessel
s t a n d u p p a d d l e m a g u k
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