PADDLER 33
NORTHAMPTON ACTIVE
The first day I joined was event two of the Park Jam series at Northampton Active ( the Nene ). Park Jam had kicked off with a bang at Lee Valley in London the night before . My husband Tom was a photographer for the weekend , so I ’ d already seen lots of photos that morning of all the happy paddlers !
We arrived at midday and grabbed lunch from the cafe , allowing us to chat with a couple of the staff members . I ’ ve only been to the Nene a couple of times , but the staff there are just always the most lovely people ! Tom and I had both been involved in running one of the Youth Freestyle League events there a couple of months ago , so there were lots of familiar faces .
Once we ’ d finished lunch , we headed out to get ready , and the rest of the team began to arrive . Banners were put up , and paddlers were geared up . It was a beautifully sunny and warm day , so many people had even opted for shorts !
Little Luke Bermingham came over for a chat as I was finishing getting ready . At 13 years old , Luke is the youngest team member involved in the park jam . He and his two brothers recently joined the Pyranha team , and you only need to spend a little time with Luke to see why ! Luke is an absolute ball of enthusiasm , incredibly determined in his kayaking , and , above all , he is super friendly and encouraging to everyone he meets . It was great to see him leading the fun on the water . Luke is certainly a paddler , and I think you ’ ll see more of him in the future . He was also , like me , paddling a small Ozone , so obviously , he has good taste too !
If you ’ ve never paddled at the Nene before , it is a cool little course ! It ’ s set out in a loop , so when you get to the bottom , it ’ s not that far to get back up to the top , so that you can get plenty of laps in ! I proceeded to have a lovely couple of hours paddling and talking with people . So many cool things were happening , and it was great to see people having fun ! I loved seeing how inventive everyone was .
Shout out to a kid named Hamish , who was nailing his stern stalls at every opportunity , and to the Nene staff for their various shenanigans , including the use of canoes , duo kayaks , and SUPs ! Seven-year-old Theo making his way down the course in both a duo and then his own kayak was pretty cool ! A big well done to everyone who went for a surf in the pour-over or tried some fun moves ! It was very impressive to see so much creativity !
I met a lovely couple , Patrick and Anja , with whom I spent much time . Patrick had a bright yellow Firecracker , the same colour scheme as my Ozone , which started our conversation . Anja joined me for a couple of laps of fun in the sun . Anja had been a little nervous beforehand , but she smashed her laps and was getting stuck in with surfing and all sorts by the end ! I really enjoyed our paddle together , so thanks for that , Anja !
Once off the water , everyone changed and headed upstairs for the talks . Each event swaps around which team paddlers are giving the talks . This event featured a talk by Andy ’ Chips ’ Kettlewell and Oli Cooper about their trip to Iceland . Sal Montgomery gave a more general talk about lessons learned and her adventures . Adrian Mattern gave a talk about his journey to where he is now . Each talk was very different , and I thought they all spoke well . It ’ s not always easy to talk in front of a crowd , but they smashed it !
Luke being Luke ! Photo : Tom Clare
Youngest paddler on the course ! Photo : Tom Clare
Adrian showed a SEND video at the start of his talk to show their group ’ s adventures . There were , of course , lots of clips of Bren , who sadly passed away in May this year . Both Adrian and Andy mentioned Bren in their talks , and numerous paddlers mentioned his name many times over the day . Many paddlers who attended the Park Jam event had also participated the year before and had met Bren then . Whenever his name came up , there was always a feeling of sadness , but there was also a feeling that his legacy was being honoured . So many paddlers were brought together to share a good time on the water . Bren might not have been with us at Park Jam this year but he was very much there with us in spirit .
After the talks , there was an opportunity for people to meet any of the Team Paddlers that they wanted to , get posters signed and collect prizes for being spotted by one of the Team for having a great time on the water ! It ’ s a lovely way to end the day , and a huge thank you to the Nene staff for accommodating this and getting everyone sorted . Once the last poster had been signed and the banners taken back down , we headed to the pub for some dinner . It was nice to get a chance to catch up with friends after a fantastic but busy day .
Thanks , Northampton Active , for a great day !
Anja smashing her first lap down ! Photo : Tom Clare
PADDLER 33
NORTHAMPTON ACTIVE