PADDLER 95
It was time for a participant briefing after a quick chat with the coaches and event organisers . In a massive circle , the coaches were introduced , and a plan for the weekend was outlined . Then it was off into the groups and onto the water ! On Saturday , there were three workshop slots , each with two or three options for participants to sign onto . The sun was shining , and there was a lot of excitement as people got into their groups and onto the water .
For the first workshop , I opted to join Katy for her ‘ introducing games into paddlesports ’ session . Having recently completed my white water coach training , I am keen to observe as many coaches in action as I can , and I was not disappointed to observe Katy ! The idea behind getting paddlers to play games is so that they focus on the game and learn certain moves ( such as moving your craft sideways ) without overthinking it . Katy had a whole bunch of games , and I particularly enjoyed ‘ world domination ’, where you had to go around hitting other boats / boards with your paddle to try and tag them into your team . As a competitive person , this kind of session was right up my street !
After a quick break , it was onto workshop 2 . I swapped my Zone ( kayak ) for my stand up paddleboard ( SUP ) and jumped onto a session with Emma on how to move around the board . I only paddle my SUP on white water , and something that holds me back is my reluctance to move my feet around on the board while paddling . It was , therefore , advantageous to have a session practising this on the flat to apply it to the white water . I made progress throughout the session and had lots of fun ! Pivot turns and jumping around the board did lead to quite a few in-the-water experiences , but luckily , it was so warm I didn ’ t mind !
It was nice to have a lunch break after this session . The lovely Jake Boswell , owner of Flow Kayaks , had brought his van down to set up a little portable shop in the field for the day . Jake was extremely popular , and many paddlers went to browse between their sessions . Jake is a big advocate for growing the community in the sport he loves and was keen to offer support and advice where it was sought . Many paddlers appreciated the opportunity to talk with him about their kit needs , so thank you , Jake , for that !
The day ’ s final session focused on rescues and was split by craft . I went along to the kayak session being led by Sam . Seeing the perseverance and determination of the paddlers in this group was impressive . Rescuing a water-filled kayak from your boat and then getting the paddler back into it is challenging . It was an extraordinary session to see !
Ending the day was a mass paddle of the Barrow Loop – a 4km loop with two portages . Everyone seemed very happy as we paddled around , and I know lots of people appreciated the opportunity to chat with others about their day and experience . Although we paddled past multiple campsites that were cooking dinner , I am sure I am not the only one who was ready for my own dinner by the end ! Luckily , it was time for a group BBQ once we were all off the water . Yummy food and a chance to sit down was very appreciated by all .
SUNDAY
The day started with a sunrise paddle for those keen beans of the weekend . Whilst I do love a good sunrise , in this case , I opted for an extra couple of hours in bed , but I heard it was worth the early getup ! Another hot day meant people were keen to return to the water . Sunday followed a similar format to Saturday but with a few different workshops , including some freestyle kayaking workshops . These were led by the lovely Becky Green ( team GB and medallist at the last freestyle world championships ) and 13-year-old GB squad member Sophie Macken .
I swapped my kayak for a camera for the morning and saw many freestyle sessions . Becky is an outstanding coach , and it was great to see her introduce some basic moves and drills for everyone to practice before demonstrating how that would result in a freestyle
PADDLER 95