SteveNewton.me.uk

Archive for the ‘Canoeing/Kayaking’ Category

Over the weekend of 20^th/21^st March I helped run the regional paddlesports update weekend at Quorn, Leicestershire.

The weekend started with a key note address by Stuart Briggs from Canoe England before I formally launched the East Midlands Regional website (http://www.empaddlers.org).  After an open discussion forum we all broke for lunch, which involved a bellboat taxi service to Colin’s pub!

In the afternoon the attendees split into several workshops.  I led the Fundamentals workshop with Andy Oughton which was well received by all…hopefully they all learnt something!

On Sunday I assisted Andy running the unofficial 3* Coracle course at The Boat House pub in Barrow.  It was a fun session which was enjoyed by all…even if we did manage to get Jenny wet!!

After weeks of designing, testing and trailing empaddlers.org is finally live!

The aim of empaddlers.org is to bring together paddlers from all around the East Midlands.  It shows off paddlesports within the region and has a discussion forum for everyone to talk on!

If your interested in paddlesports then check it out!!!

On a nice warm Saturday I headed down to Rutland water to introduce David to Open Canoeing.

We managed to run through the 2 Star syllabus with ease as David seemed to master the basics of open canoeing with ease!  With the key skills achieved it was time for the “get wet” part of the course!

A thoroughly enjoyable morning on the water…and we even convinced Sam, David’s partner, to get in a boat!

On a cold, snowy day I headed up to Matlock to run a 3 Star kayak assessment.

I was asked to put on an improver’s kayaking weekend for a group from London who were interested in taking part in a charity kayaking trip on the Norwegian Fiords.

The group spent Friday evening in the pool practising rescue skills with most managing to learn how to roll during the hours session!

Saturday saw us head to Newark Town Weir where we would spend the morning on the canal practising flatwater paddle skills to 2 Star standard.  We concentrated on efficient paddling strokes which the group would need for their long distance trip.

After a warm pot noodle and cup of tea we moved over to the weir to introduce the group to white water paddling.  Initially we focussed on ferry gliding from one eddy to the next before looking at breaking in and out of the flow.

At the end of the session everyone was feeling confident enough to shoot the weir so we set up our safety boats and managed to successfully get everyone down the weir!

Sunday was a chance to relax and practice skills learnt the previous day.  We went to Rutland Water in the morning for a short journey to practice efficient paddling.  As everyone had turned up in dry suits we decided now would be a good time to test them out so we practiced an all in rescue as that would be a scenario the group could face in Norway.

At lunchtime we headed back to the pool for another hour of rolling and testing different boats and equipment.

The weekend was a very successful course with everyone passing their 1 star and working towards 2 star kayak skills.  Hopefully they have learnt enough skills to transfer these to their long distance charity paddle.

I headed over to Quorn Outdoor centre on Sunday to help on a UKCC Level 2 transfer course.  This course was a one day transfer course for existing ‘old scheme’ BCU coaches.

It was a full day as the theory from a 4 day Level 1 course and a 4 day Level 2 training course had to be compressed into just one day.

We concentrated on a lot of theory for most of the day but headed out onto the water for a session in kayaks and open canoes.

It was a good course to observe and assist on.  I’m looking forward to working with some of the coaches to mentor them through the training and get them ready for assessment.

Luckily it was a sunny day for a Foundation Safety and Rescue course in Lincoln.  Four local scout leaders needed re-training to enable them to take out scouts on the water on their own so I headed up to provide a one day course for them.

We concentrated on basic kayak and open canoe skills in the morning, mainly focusing on efficient paddling strokes.  Most of the candidates had never paddled an open canoe before so we spent a while teaching the basic canoe strokes.

After a short lunch break we moved into the ‘get wet’ rescue exercises, first in open canoes and then in kayaks.

As the sun was setting we completed the rescues before ending the day with some theory questions.  A successful course overall which will lead to skills being passed onto local scouts next time they are out on the water.

The following are courses available during November, let me know if your interested:

7th Nov
Level 2 Transfer
Quorn

8th Nov
Level 2 Transfer
Quorn

14-15 & 28-29 Nov
Coach One
Derbyshire

Also able to put on the following subject to demand:

• Foundation Safety & Rescue Course
• 3 Star White Water (Training and/or assessment)
• 3 Star Open Canoe (Training and/or assessment)
• 3 Star Touring (Training and/or assessment)