- Allow the home side to shoot the weirs
- Allow home side to use different portages
- randomise the results.
Sunday 24 May 2009
Post-script to Reading Hasler Marathon
More to talk about? Clearly there are more ways to make a race less predictable than anyone bargained for.
Reading Assessment and Hasler Races
According to some, the reason football is the most popular sport in the world is down to it being unpredictable. There's the offside rule to start with and then as only a few points (aka goals) decide the winner, the team that wins isn't always the best team. Really, it’s true; Games Theorists who think about these things say so.
Perhaps Reading Canoe Club has come to the same conclusion. Contrast Saturday's assessment race with Sunday's Hasler race.
The assessment race was run with the new international circuits. The competitors can be seen by a stationery spectator and maybe this has some merit as round and round they go. But come on, be honest, isn't it just a little boring to watch? And counting the number of DNF's perhaps too tedious for many of the competitors.
And so how to add the element of unpredictability? DSQ those that don't pay attention to the briefing! Good try but apparently the selectors weren't looking for an ability to recall minor details. I'm not sure whether teams are allowed to bring along a pacer to international events either but that is another story.
In complete contrast, Sunday's divisional races were held over a there-and-back course. From the club house to a big buoy 2km upstream for the short and middle distance races and somewhat further for the longer course. Back down past the club to turn around the island to finish for the 7,8,9 paddlers. And this is where it started to get interesting for the 13 and 19 km races.
Unpredictable element number one: the race went behind Caversham Lock across a recreation ground on a mega-long portage. Bare feet? I would have stuck a pair of hiking boots in the back of the boat had I known!
The paddle continued on down to Kennet Mouth and up to a portage at Blakes Lock where we have unpredictable element number two: a jetty there to taunt us (as it was reserved for the return leg) while some struggled, others patiently waited to put in on the tiny piece of water 3 or 4 foot below. There followed a short loop with lots of potential to get lost while absorbing Reading's industrial heritage along the way. Back over Blakes Lock, back over Caversham Lock (puff puff puff) to finish outside the club.
Now I'm sure the best paddlers did win through and it was only those at the back of the race (like me) who got held up at the portages but it was a thoroughly enjoyable Sunday outing nevertheless. I have no doubt that Sunday's paddlers will have a lot more to talk about that those that raced on Saturday. Vive la difference!
Perhaps Reading Canoe Club has come to the same conclusion. Contrast Saturday's assessment race with Sunday's Hasler race.
The assessment race was run with the new international circuits. The competitors can be seen by a stationery spectator and maybe this has some merit as round and round they go. But come on, be honest, isn't it just a little boring to watch? And counting the number of DNF's perhaps too tedious for many of the competitors.
And so how to add the element of unpredictability? DSQ those that don't pay attention to the briefing! Good try but apparently the selectors weren't looking for an ability to recall minor details. I'm not sure whether teams are allowed to bring along a pacer to international events either but that is another story.
In complete contrast, Sunday's divisional races were held over a there-and-back course. From the club house to a big buoy 2km upstream for the short and middle distance races and somewhat further for the longer course. Back down past the club to turn around the island to finish for the 7,8,9 paddlers. And this is where it started to get interesting for the 13 and 19 km races.
Unpredictable element number one: the race went behind Caversham Lock across a recreation ground on a mega-long portage. Bare feet? I would have stuck a pair of hiking boots in the back of the boat had I known!
The paddle continued on down to Kennet Mouth and up to a portage at Blakes Lock where we have unpredictable element number two: a jetty there to taunt us (as it was reserved for the return leg) while some struggled, others patiently waited to put in on the tiny piece of water 3 or 4 foot below. There followed a short loop with lots of potential to get lost while absorbing Reading's industrial heritage along the way. Back over Blakes Lock, back over Caversham Lock (puff puff puff) to finish outside the club.
Now I'm sure the best paddlers did win through and it was only those at the back of the race (like me) who got held up at the portages but it was a thoroughly enjoyable Sunday outing nevertheless. I have no doubt that Sunday's paddlers will have a lot more to talk about that those that raced on Saturday. Vive la difference!
Tuesday 19 May 2009
Hastings 1066 Marathon
The 1066 Hastings Race was once again held at Tonbridge (does anyone remember the Rother?) After the usual daft start where there is only enough room for seven boats before funneling down after 100 metres or so to where there is only room for a group of four, the course continued with the usual long and short laps up and down the sides of the island. The long and middle distance races in the afternoon then visited the downstream leg on the Medway for the first time since 2005. Why can I remember this? Perhaps it’s because a young Mark and I beat Sage in 5/6 doubles! Since then I think the lock has been re-fitted and there is now a canoeist-friendly jetty rather than the long drop down over a metal walkway. So worth another visit Sage? Shame I got tipped in on the last leg of the island before the finish because (a) I wasn't doing too badly considering the poor start; (b) I was overtaken by none other than one of the Ealing Oiks. No for a change I'm not being rude, you just had to be at the Wey Regatta to understand and (c) I’ll get my revenge on Maidstone when they visit us on June 28!
Some results
Tom came 4th in Div 9 on first outing in his lovely new boat. Oscar, bravely racing up two divisions in Div 7 came 8th
Amanda in the pink Tor and now on the dizzy heights of Div 6 came 4th
Hazel came 3rd, Ed came 4th and Mike 9th in Div 5.
Jack on his first outing in div 4 came 3rd. OK he was disappointed as there were only two others in the race, but while the veterans still think he's cute and will give him a wash, in this race the gloves were off and he was left inspecting the bankside flora on more than one occasion.
Dean seamlessly integrating his sprint training with a 20km paddle once a week came 1st in Div 1.
Some results
Tom came 4th in Div 9 on first outing in his lovely new boat. Oscar, bravely racing up two divisions in Div 7 came 8th
Amanda in the pink Tor and now on the dizzy heights of Div 6 came 4th
Hazel came 3rd, Ed came 4th and Mike 9th in Div 5.
Jack on his first outing in div 4 came 3rd. OK he was disappointed as there were only two others in the race, but while the veterans still think he's cute and will give him a wash, in this race the gloves were off and he was left inspecting the bankside flora on more than one occasion.
Dean seamlessly integrating his sprint training with a 20km paddle once a week came 1st in Div 1.
Gent Sprints 2009
Last Friday, myself and 10 other U15 paddlers met at Elmbridge Canoe club to set off to this year's Gent Regatta in Belgium. We arrived in Gent on Friday afternoon, and the wind was fairly strong. This was not enough to put us off however, and we were soon on the water testing our crew boats, as well paddling our K1s. By this time many of us were tired and hungry, so we drove over to the hotel where we were staying. After a few room changes and broken keys, we soon settled into our rooms and headed over to the restaurant for a nice dinner.
The next morning (although a few of us had forgotten to set our alarms to Belgian time), we had a good breakfast and travelled over to the racecourse , in time for the boys' first race - the K1 1000m heats. 5 of them made it through to the Semi-final, and Marton, Matt, Guy and Albert made it through to the final later in the day. Their next race was the K2 heats, again there was another fantastic result with all 3 crews making the final. But before the finals of the K1s and K2s, they had the K4. This was a straight final, but the British crew won second place, just behind the strong Neerpelt boat. Next was their K2 final, all the crews raced really well again - with a silver for Marton and Matt, 4th position for Peter and Albert, and not far behind was Charlie and Guy in 8th. Shortly after was the K1 1000m final. It was a hard fought race, and Marton ended up with a bronze, although was very close to silver. The other three raced really well and finished 4th, 5th and 6th.
The final two races of the day were the 5ks. For the boys this was the last race of a very long day, for the girls on the other hand, it was our first race of the weekend! The boys' race was very close - less than two seconds between the first boat and the 11th! After a tiring day, the 5k was no doubt very hard but they pulled through and ended up with: 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th. The girls, however were far less exhausted, instead we were dying to get out and race. When the start eventually came, and the familiar "start within ten seconds" was announced, one British paddler was shocked by the loud starting gun and capsized. However, Rebeka and Amy stormed the race coming 1st and 2nd, and Isobel and Naomi also did brilliantly in 4th and 5th place. After recovering from my swim, I finished the race in 11th place - not a brilliant result, but I wasn't too upset.
On Sunday it was a busy day for all of us. The racing started early again, with the boys' K1 500m, with 4 of them making it into the semi-final. The girls had their K1 500m shortly after. There were two heats, with the first 4 going through into the final. All 5 of us made it into the final - making it nearly an all British race! Directly after was the boys' semi-final. These were two really quick races, and all four raced well, however the competition was strong and only Marton made it through into the final.
Unlike Nottingham, in Gent there is a lunch-break of a couple of hours. This left us all with a welcome break of a few hours! However soon we were back on the water and it was the girls' K2 final. Amy and Rebeka won, with myself and Naomi coming in 2nd place. The boys' were also doing well, with another silver medal in the K4. A little later was the girls' K1 final. This was a fierce race, with all of the British girls fighting hard. Rebeka, was on unbeatable form, and won - 4 seconds ahead of her Belgian rival! Amy came 3rd, Naomi 4th, myself 5th and Isobel 6th. Straight after was the boys' K2 final. Peter and Albert were really strong and came in 3rd, shortly followed by Marton and Matt in 5th.
Only two races were left, first was Marton's final - where he gave an excellent performance and won bronze. The last race for the GB team was our K4. Unbeknown to us, we had merged with the U18 race, so when we came second we were initially a little dissapointed. However, when we pulled up to receive our medals - we were very confused to find a gold around our necks... It turned out that we had beaten the other U16 crews, and won!
Overall this year's Gent regatta was fantastic. Everyone on the team won at least one medal! On behalf of the team I would like to thank Dyson Pendle, Sarah Hannon and Vicky Swallow for taking us over there, supporting us and putting up our general weirdness! It was a great trip, and I couldn't ask for a better introduction into international racing.
The next morning (although a few of us had forgotten to set our alarms to Belgian time), we had a good breakfast and travelled over to the racecourse , in time for the boys' first race - the K1 1000m heats. 5 of them made it through to the Semi-final, and Marton, Matt, Guy and Albert made it through to the final later in the day. Their next race was the K2 heats, again there was another fantastic result with all 3 crews making the final. But before the finals of the K1s and K2s, they had the K4. This was a straight final, but the British crew won second place, just behind the strong Neerpelt boat. Next was their K2 final, all the crews raced really well again - with a silver for Marton and Matt, 4th position for Peter and Albert, and not far behind was Charlie and Guy in 8th. Shortly after was the K1 1000m final. It was a hard fought race, and Marton ended up with a bronze, although was very close to silver. The other three raced really well and finished 4th, 5th and 6th.
The final two races of the day were the 5ks. For the boys this was the last race of a very long day, for the girls on the other hand, it was our first race of the weekend! The boys' race was very close - less than two seconds between the first boat and the 11th! After a tiring day, the 5k was no doubt very hard but they pulled through and ended up with: 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 11th. The girls, however were far less exhausted, instead we were dying to get out and race. When the start eventually came, and the familiar "start within ten seconds" was announced, one British paddler was shocked by the loud starting gun and capsized. However, Rebeka and Amy stormed the race coming 1st and 2nd, and Isobel and Naomi also did brilliantly in 4th and 5th place. After recovering from my swim, I finished the race in 11th place - not a brilliant result, but I wasn't too upset.
On Sunday it was a busy day for all of us. The racing started early again, with the boys' K1 500m, with 4 of them making it into the semi-final. The girls had their K1 500m shortly after. There were two heats, with the first 4 going through into the final. All 5 of us made it into the final - making it nearly an all British race! Directly after was the boys' semi-final. These were two really quick races, and all four raced well, however the competition was strong and only Marton made it through into the final.
Unlike Nottingham, in Gent there is a lunch-break of a couple of hours. This left us all with a welcome break of a few hours! However soon we were back on the water and it was the girls' K2 final. Amy and Rebeka won, with myself and Naomi coming in 2nd place. The boys' were also doing well, with another silver medal in the K4. A little later was the girls' K1 final. This was a fierce race, with all of the British girls fighting hard. Rebeka, was on unbeatable form, and won - 4 seconds ahead of her Belgian rival! Amy came 3rd, Naomi 4th, myself 5th and Isobel 6th. Straight after was the boys' K2 final. Peter and Albert were really strong and came in 3rd, shortly followed by Marton and Matt in 5th.
Only two races were left, first was Marton's final - where he gave an excellent performance and won bronze. The last race for the GB team was our K4. Unbeknown to us, we had merged with the U18 race, so when we came second we were initially a little dissapointed. However, when we pulled up to receive our medals - we were very confused to find a gold around our necks... It turned out that we had beaten the other U16 crews, and won!
Overall this year's Gent regatta was fantastic. Everyone on the team won at least one medal! On behalf of the team I would like to thank Dyson Pendle, Sarah Hannon and Vicky Swallow for taking us over there, supporting us and putting up our general weirdness! It was a great trip, and I couldn't ask for a better introduction into international racing.
Friday 1 May 2009
Weyside Rovers take to the water!
Yesterday saw the first paddle of the new Weyside Rovers group. And a very nice paddle it was too.
The idea is that the group (anyone who wants to come along) takes a gentle paddle in one direction or other and returns to the club in time for tea. No sprints, races, training plans or anysuch high drama.
Last night we had good weather, and decided to wander off to Bowers lock. Barely a ripple on the water (except when Mike C swept past ;). A perfect spring/summer evening. Nigel deserves an honorable mention for upping his "taking a swim" tally significantly during the evening. He reported that the water wasn't that warm!
There will be a paddle every Thursday evening at 6pm throughout the summer.
The idea is that the group (anyone who wants to come along) takes a gentle paddle in one direction or other and returns to the club in time for tea. No sprints, races, training plans or anysuch high drama.
Last night we had good weather, and decided to wander off to Bowers lock. Barely a ripple on the water (except when Mike C swept past ;). A perfect spring/summer evening. Nigel deserves an honorable mention for upping his "taking a swim" tally significantly during the evening. He reported that the water wasn't that warm!
There will be a paddle every Thursday evening at 6pm throughout the summer.
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