2018 8 newsletter

Newsletter

Frome Canoe Club

Volume 42 Issue 8 : August 2018

“Paddle .. Paddle .. Paddle.” We want you to go paddling.

A recent drive by British Canoeing is encouraging paddlers to get out there and paddle. In May’s edition of our newsletter we heard from John about other local places to paddle. So if you feel you are up to it, why not give it a go.

In the meantime, we are featuring over the next few months some thoughts from members about their favourite places to paddle along with some gems and sensible advice. See p8-9.

If you need to borrow club kit to do a trip, there are keyholders who can be called on, and with 24 hour notice, will come and open up the clubhouse. Local keyholders are Andy Vowell, Jack Smiles, Ben Nicol, Alan Carpenter and Pam Dixon. (See back page for contact details). Only adults can sign out kit.

Frome Canoe Club is affiliated to British Canoeing and is a Registered Charity 1 (Number 1104728)

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE President Graham Warnecke Vice Presidents Richard and Jane Arney Chairman Andy Vowell Vice Chairman Jack Smiles Treasurer John Kent

Secretary Pam Dixon 16 Blagdon Walk, Frome, BA11 2YH Committee Members Rich Carter Jonathan Howell Linz Kimber Gareth McGiveron George McGiveron Ben Nicol Emma Slevin Chris Wilde

In this issue CALENDAR 3 Calendar in brief 4 Weekly sessions 5 Surfing weekend Club BBQ Coach Update 6 Symonds Yat Tiverton Weekend SLALOM 10-12 HPP Div 1 slalom, by Chris W 19 Cardington 1/2nd Septemebr REPORTS 7 Fast and Furious Six, by Kath 8 Paddle Paddle Paddle - by Jaz 9 Get Paddling - Toby’s thoughts 13-14 Boater X 15-17 CIWW by Aicha 18 What a Wild Hour - by Chris 19 YPC - the Youth Voice 20 Back page bits and pieces

Send articles for the next issue to th pam@dixon.org.uk by 27 August 2

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Calendar 2018 Date

Event

Who for

Contact

3

Langham Farm Friday

Passport/One Star

Rich C

6

Slalom session CANCELLED

Slalomists

John K

13

Slalom at Market Yard (notice the new times, p4)

Slalomists

John K

17

Langham Farm Friday

Passport/One Star

Rich C

25-27

Surfing weekend

All

Gareth

August

September 9

BBQ

All

Pam D

12

LAST WEDNESDAY session

All

Pam

23

Symonds Yat rapids

Passport/One Star

Rich

28

FIRST POOL SESSION

All

Pam

13/14

Tiverton weekend

Passport/One Star

Pam

28

River Barle

Passport/One Star

Rich

October

November 10/11

Dart weekend

Passport/One Star

Pam

25

River Usk

Discover/Two Star

John

SmokefreeSports

Please help us to promote a smokefree club by refraining from smoking publicly at all our events.

3

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Calendar in detail MONDAY SLALOM

LANGHAM FARM FRIDAYS

NOTICE THE NEW TIMES

A chance to unwind after a week at work! Come to the session on a Friday evening: 7pm-9pm.

At Market Yard Starts 13th August 6pm for beginners and juniors 7pm for established paddlers Cost: £3

3rd August 17th August £2 per session.

Make your own way there.

TUESDAY ADULTS

The sessions are for people wanting to use the moving water to progress their skills. There will also be some slalom poles up for people to use. It is not a session for beginners. People need to be at One Star/ Passport standard.

At Market Yard, 7pm All through the summer Cost: £3 Whatever your skill level come and join in the Tuesday sessions.

Beginners can sign up to do One Star when ready.

There will be a sign-up -sheet for people to book the kayaks that are stored there. When those are taken, people will then be able to sign out kit in the preceding weekly sessions, as long as they can return it for use at the clubhouse by the following week.

People need to take responsibility for taking their own kit

WEDNESDAY FOR EVERY-ONE At Market Yard, from 6.30pm All through the summer holidays Cost: £3 Slalom, Fun and Games, Canoe Polo, Skills, Open boats and an Adult group.

For the different session times, please refer to the website.

As always, the normal procedure at Langham Farm needs to be observed: be prepared for livestock, leave gates as found, dogs on the lead, don’t park in front of the farmhouse.

4

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Calendar in detail SURFING WEEKEND

CLUB BBQ

25-27nd August Organiser Gareth/Jack

9th September Langham Farm 11.30am Cost £5, £4 for under 14s

A club trip where families are welcome to join in. We head for the sun, sea and surf !

This is one of our annual fun events and everyone is invited. So come on Mums and Dads, come and have a good time with us, and you can get in a boat if you fancy it!

We set up the marquee in case of rain and we set about making a grand meal. Everyone mucks in to prepare the food and then we eat about 1.30pm, or when the food is ready.

Everyone makes their own way to the campsite and camps in the same field, but everyone is self sufficient for the weekend.

After lunch there is plenty of time to mess about in the water! And we have a request to repeat the Boater X which was a big success earlier in the year. What do you say?

Gareth or Jack are joint organisers and can give you more details if you ask.

FOR COACHES: A Coaching Matters Event 8th September, Melksham Adventure Centre, King George V Park, Lowbourne. SN12 7ED. (Near River Mead School) Schedule Keynote Presentation: 9:00am to 10:00am - Coaching and Leadership Awards Overview – Daryl Shaw, English Coaching Manager.

Workshops (3 hours morning, and 3 hours afternoon) Stand Up Paddleboarding Introduction; Rescue Skills Update; Coaching Girls & Boys; Sprint Racing Support Module

5

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Calendar in detail PLAY ON THE RAPIDS AT SYMONDS YAT

TIVERTON WEEKEND 13th/14th October 8.30am at the Clubhouse Organiser Pam D Cost tbc

23rd September 8am at the Clubhouse Cost £15 Organiser Rich C

This is a weekend training for paddling on moving water.

A chance to return to that section of the River Wye where we based ourselves on the Biblins trip.

We paddle the river Exe on two days, and stay overnight in a youth centre at Tiverton. It is a fully catered weekend but you need to bring a sleeping bag and mat, (we sleep on the floor), overnight things and any personal paddling kit that you want to use.

The rapids there provide a very good opportunity to get ready for the white water season just around the corner.

You can break in and out, of the flow, practise ferry gliding and eddy hopping and generally get the feel of some properly moving water. There are playboating opportunities too and maybe some slalom poles to practise round. Endless action!

In small groups on the water, we help you to acquire the skills of paddling on white water: • Breaking in and out of the flow • Ferry gliding • Surfing waves • Eddy hopping • Staying safe

Bring a packed lunch and your kayaking kit. On the morning you can borrow club kit as per normal.

It’s a good weekend if you are just starting off, and it can also be good if you want to push yourself a bit more.

We plan the groups with your skill level in mind.

6

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Fast and Furious Six - a report from Kath

7

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Paddle, paddle, paddle… what Jaz says We hear from members about their favourite bits of the club, their successes and their favourite rivers. First up is Jasmine Wilde: What do you like about Frome Canoe Club? Is there anything you would change?

Jaz giggles and then says that it is always a good place to have fun and play with your friends. I would like there to be fewer spiders in the changing room and would like to go to more competitions as a team.

Which is your favourite river trip:

Jaz: Biblins, because it is fun and you can have a good time, while challenging yourself. I was proud of myself at Biblins. I was on the rapid at Symonds Yat and managed to get into one of the top eddies.

Of the local rivers that we do, which is your favourite section?

Jaz: The River Frome from the Creamery. I like going down the sliding weir (Beckington, right) and playing on it.

Tell us some of the highlights in your paddling career.

Jaz: Beating my brother at Llandyssul and at the mini slalom. I loved coming first at Langham Farm slalom and coming second, twice at Llandyssul.

What is your most embarrassing moment on the water?

Jaz: I don’t know how to describe it but at Llandyssul when we were on the river I was too scared to go down the river and was crying. Then I went down it and was perfectly fine.

What’s your top tip for fellow paddlers?

Jaz: Always have fun and don’t let anyone put you down. Try your best at everything that you do.

Last thoughts?

Jaz: Hair in plaits makes you go faster down the river! Dry robes are the best!

8

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

“Get out there and paddle” … what Toby says We hear from members about their favourite bits of the club, their successes and their favourite rivers. Here’s what Toby Wilde says: What do you like about Frome Canoe Club? Is there anything you would change?

Toby: It is such a happy, joyful and active environment. I would love to see even more paddling, especially on Friday nights, because most people can make it to these, as there is no school the next day. I’d like to make going to Llandyssul a club trip.

Which is your favourite river:

Toby: The river Teifi from Llandyssul down to Henllan falls. Because it is good, natural white water and lots of fun, and it has the exhilaration you need. And surviving Henllan falls was amazing. I don’t want to make it sound scary because I want other people to paddle it; it’s a lot of fun.

Of the local rivers that you have done, which is your favourite section?

Toby: The River Avon, I like swimming at Warleigh weir, you can also paddle upstream or downstream from here. Watch out for the parking wardens though, Dad nearly got a ticket so you have to park on the main A36.

What is the happiest moment you have had on the water?

Toby: I’m always happy on the river, it just relaxes me and makes me happy What is your most embarrassing moment on the water?

Toby: Arrrgggghhhhh ha! Jasmine beating me at Llanduyssul, and it’s my favourite course, but I’m gonna beat her next time.

What’s your top tip for fellow paddlers?

Toby: Always be yourself on the water and don’t try to be someone else. Have fun, its not about who’s better or best - it’s all about having fun.

Last thoughts?

Toby: If you are getting changed in a car park, put your spraydeck on before you change your bottom half; it helps cover you up! .. Oh and don’t forget your towel!

9

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Holme Pierrepont Div 1 slalom - 7th July turn a lot quicker, consequently the courses are shorter and much tighter. There is one more thing that has changed and that is that there are now stoppers on the courses. More than this it seems that all the crunch moves are set so that the paddler has to use the stopper in order to negotiate the course.

I hate watching football, and more than this I hate listening to football pundits talking endlessly about the game which is about to happen, has just happened, might happen, that they would like to happen, or that will never happen…. you get the picture?

Knowing that I may be a little out of practice on fast white water, I arranged a sneaky training session on the Friday evening. This proved invaluable, as it turns out I was a little rusty! An early start followed, and as I ate my breakfast, I walked the course and my worst fears were realised. Gates one to two required a tricky cross river left to right along the back of a fairly large stopper. Gate 13 was an upstream on the back of another river wide, fairly large stopper. Gates 18 to 19 required a cross through ‘the muncher’ (another stopper) followed by downstream gate 20 which involved skirting the back of the muncher again to get across to it.

In the middle of the football world cup (there was actually a proper world cup going on in Augsburg, Germany where Mallory Franklin was winning a silver medal), on that blisteringly hot day when England won against Sweden. I had decided to enter my first division one slalom in 20 years. Last time I raced at Home Pierrepont it was in 1997 (it may have been 1998), I raced twice in that season and, on both occasions I had gone into first position after my first run, a position which I held onto until one of the last paddlers down the course (Huw Swetman) came down on his second run. On both occasions he knocked me down into second place, so I have bitter sweet memories of racing here and I optimistically hoped I could just slot back in where I left off!

On most courses there are a few easy gates, on this course there was one easy gate (16), well it would be easy if the it wasn’t on the least predictable section of water on the whole course. I kept my opinion of the course to myself until after my prac-

It turns out that in the last 20 years canoe slalom has changed a little. The boats are shorter by 50cm and they 10

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

HPP Div 1 continued tice run, when it was good to hear various paddlers remarking that it was a hard course! Phew, maybe I’m not out of this as much as I thought.

gate 13 I went super tight and cautious, when I got to the muncher my arms felt like lead. Then it happened, before I knew it gate 20 was above me and there was no chance of getting back to it. A fifty second penalty resulted; I was not happy to say the least.

My practice run had gone well, I had got all the moves. Gate 13 on the middle stopper had gone really well, I had missed a couple of gates in the middle because I wasn’t concentrating, but I knew I would be OK on this. Ben and Jacob had joined me by this point.

After catching my breath, watching Jacob and Ben both put down solid first runs (Ben’s was particularly stylish!), and a bit of retail therapy, I thought about what had happened on my first run and what I needed to do to rescue the situation.

Watching Ben in practice, he did his best to make me feel better by destroying some of the early gates in very dramatic style and then missing gate 13 and a couple of the other moves. Jacob had recovered from illness to make a steady practice run, showing the benefits of having paddled on the course several times this year.

Back to the football! Remember how much I hate football punditry? Well, the Tuesday before the race, England had faced Colombia. After a wrestling match it ended with a penalty shootout. The pundits had said how England always lose in a penalty shootout, so this was a bad thing. England won! The team were heroes! The manager in his waistcoat suddenly assumed god-like status. The TV and radio stations were filled with my favourite pundits talking and talking.

First runs arrived. A problem with the timing system meant an enforced sunbathe while we waited, but soon enough I was off. My plan was to take the safe route and make sure I got every gate, I didn’t want to make a fool of myself! Just prior to my run I watched a paddler spin gate 3. I had planned to spin gate 4, but it worked for him so I thought I would do that. Through the stopper at the top I was cautious and dropped into it to ensure I didn’t wash too low. At tricky

However, there was one thing which I did catch, which I thought was a great lesson for us all. England won a penalty shootout and it was all down to them ‘taking ownership’ of the situation. Each player had a plan, they knew which order they would go in, and they knew where they would put the ball. I noticed 11

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

HPP Div 1 continued before trying to save each shot, the keeper would stand on the line, jump twice to touch the top of the net before getting ready to save the shot. The keeper also had a note where each of Colombia’s players would probably shoot.

On my first run I had gone at it thinking “I don’t want to embarrass myself”, I had been delayed on the start, I had changed my plan, I had been too cautious because I was thinking I can’t do this and I’m not sure if I enjoy doing this. When I got down to the muncher I thought “my arms are tired, but I’ve got all the gates” then I missed one!

So back to my lessons from the football, “I needed to own this”. I walked the course, I made a new plan, I knew where I needed to be, what angle I needed on my boat, and I knew I could make all the moves. I was fit and I needed to go for it, paddle as well as I knew I could, and be confident.

Soon I was on the start line, after the delays of the first runs, I got changed, sat in the shade and waited until I knew I had 10 minutes until my run. I jumped on, warmed up and chilled out! I went off fairly quick, through gate one, made the tricky move across the back of the stopper, through gate two.

I stuck to my plan and spun gate four, 12

caught the wave into 7, took the right line through 10. I had to adjust a little through 12, almost nailed 13, nearly nailed the stopper cross to 14. I cruised into 18, made the cross through the muncher to 19, made the cross to 20 and managed to control the boat on the big waves through the last gate and onto the finish. It wasn’t perfect but I was pretty happy with it.

I had focused, stuck to my plan and believed in myself. I hadn’t noticed that my lungs were screaming and my arms were pumping until I crossed the line.

Jacob and Ben both put in solid second runs to back up their first, I was chuffed to see that I wasn’t too far off the pace and I had quite enjoyed the challenge! Next time you are racing, paddling a river, or generally in life remember that penalty shootout of 2018: own it!

Ed: What a great article Chris! I hope our readers enjoy it as much as I did.

And your words of wisdom at the end are truly worth remembering!

FCC RESULTS Chris in Vets: second run was best with a time of 134.59 + 6 penalties = 140.59 Ben came in 17th with his first run best.

Time 116.76 + 6 penalties = 122.76.

Jacob came in 40th. His first run was best.

Time 129.91 + 8 penalties = 137.91

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Boater X - 8th July It was Chris’s brainchild and a FIRST for the club! Didn’t it work well? Here are some comments from members:

Tracey Cottle

Wow! What an amazingly exciting afternoon the Boater X was!! Thank you Chris for organising, and everyone who helped make it such a fab fun afternoon! We loved it! X When’s the next one?

Keith Haines

Wholeheartely agree. Will be looking forward to the next one.

Amanda Meaden

Great fun. I will always be packing extra dry clothes from now on!

Christian Johnson

Brilliant fun Chris - thanks!

Andy Vowell

Totally awesome event. The laughs were heard all across the south west.

Matt Whittington Such great fun!

Rich Carter

Such a good competition! A fun day was had by all. It was well organised as we have come to expect from Chris (!) with a ‘Start’ like you have never seen the like of before.

Thank you Chris.

Continued over page 13

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Boater X continued Not only did the contestants have an awesome start on the specially constructed seal launch, they also had to battle with negotiating slalom gates, the bridge, a limbo pole and of course speed was the essence.

The ‘bridge’ was to be the place where bystanders fired water pistols at the paddlers but this didn’t last long - buckets of water took over!

It was a very good event and just shows you what some inspirational thought can do, alongside some hard graft and enthusiasm!

A big thank you to Chris for masterminding it all, to Steve and Matt for helping with the construction of the seal launch, to Toby for doing the test run on the seal launch and to everyone else for taking part. The results can be found here.

14

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Cardiff International White Water Centre - by Aicha I was woken at the crack of dawn (so my mum said!) to get ready for the trip to CIWW, and I must say I felt like going back to bed. We arrived at the clubhouse at 8am and everyone got stuck in helping with boats and kit for the trip and I learnt that there are different footrests for whitewater kayaks - thanks Rich!

Journey over, changed and ready, I went to look at the course. It looked amazing and a little scary so Alfie, Joseph, Sam, Matthew and I went to find Andy. We saw the cool conveyor belt that you sit on with your boat as it carries you up to the course and it looked really fun. After a quick chat together we went up the conveyor belt to the start of the course (I think they should have them for the slalom competitions so you don’t need to carry your boat) and I must admit I felt a little scared and had butterflies in my tummy. Andy gave me some reassurance and I went off down onto the 4 cumec course, which means water is pumped at 4 cubic metres per second and it can pump up to 16 cubic metres of water per second! We all bobbed down fast, but safely under the watchful eye of Andy and Rich!

After quite a while of zooming down the course, when we felt more confident some of us decided to try breaking in and out of some of the eddies that we could find. I was pretty scared about breaking into one of them so Rich kindly came over and helped me offering support and giving me confidence in myself. On one of my runs I was following Rich and another paddler came up behind me and knocked me into the wall and I got pinned, but luckily I managed to get out of it. When I went down on my last run on the 4 cumec, a paddler came out to play in the stopper but didn’t see me coming down, when he did he said “oh no!” and as I came down, I bumped into him and capsized. Luckily I 15

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

CIWW - 22nd July continued popped out of my boat straight away (much to my mum’s relief who was watching at the side), and quickly made it to the side. I had climbed out smiling at the man with the throw rope before he could throw me the line. I was quite pleased with myself for getting out safely. It was mine and Alfie’s first time at CIWW and we were very proud of ourselves. Shortly after someone went into Alfie and he also capsized and did really well with getting himself out and getting to safety. You have to get to the side and let your boat and paddle float to the bottom of the course. You can walk down the outside or middle on solid ground area that Joseph and Matthew called the ‘walk of shame’. Neither Matthew or Joseph who was the youngest paddler capsized- well done you two!

We then had some lunch before plucking up the courage to try the 6 cumec!

Rich came down with me and I saw the difference in the water and it was much faster flowing which scared me a bit more, but I still did it as did Alfie, Jacob, Finn, Rich and Andy. I enjoyed bobbing down the course. Once it was time to rank it up to 8 cumec we all had to get out so they could add more obstacles and plastic bricks to to prepare for the faster water. I couldn’t believe how quickly the water drained and we watched in anticipation as it filled back up. Alfie and I were debating whether to give it a go whilst we were watching Jacob and Finn do tricks on the stopper and making it look very easy. We had decided to have a go, but just then, Alfie’s 16

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

CIWW continued dad came out after capsizing with a black eye, a cut above his eye and cuts on his hands! So… we decided to give it a miss and NOT go on the 8 cumec… until next time! Instead I got dressed whilst the others played at the end of the course.

Travelling home, I was tired out after a such a fun day at the CIWW and I can’t wait until the next time.

I want to say a big well done to Joseph for doing so well as the youngest paddler; well done and thank you to Matthew for not capsizing; a big ‘wow’ to Sam who just kept on going when he capsized and didn’t give up; a 'go Alfie' for paddling so well and getting out safely when he capsized on his first time at Cardiff; and what amazing paddling, Jacob and Finn, who made the tricks look so easy. And a big, big thank you to Rich and Andy for helping me and encouraging me to give it a go! I’m so pleased I am part of such a wonderful club! THANK YOU! Ed: I’ll second that Aicha - Yes, a good club! And thank you for the lovely article! What an experience for you all.

A gentle reminder from Rich: Lots of us are now accessing the club at different times which is great, but please can you check that all the lights have been turned off when you leave the club.

The food tent at Langham Farm Slalom made this whacking profit this year.

And the profit from the slalom entries was

£667.

THANK YOU EVERYONE for the help you gave, and we had masses this year.

Indeed, this event was voted the best ever!

17

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

Polo tournament - 27th July From Chris Wow... what a wild hour! I’ve just got back from an action packed canoe polo competition. We’ve been talking about it for a while now, so, when we were unable to run our fourth mini slalom, it gave us an opportunity to get on and try out a polo night.

Thanks to Jack for refereeing, Aimee for keeping the score and timing and to Christine for sorting the last minute prizes (aka cakes for everyone).

Purple bibs 6; Green bibs 7; Black bibs 11; Red bibs 10; Yellow bibs 8. 7 Ed: Thanks Chris for missing an opportunity to paddle and instead sorting the plan of action on the night. Much appreciated. And one last thing - Chris says the results (above) which I took from the whiteboard don’t stand up to much scrutiny!

15 paddlers formed five teams. Each team played each other and were awarded points for a win (3), draw (2) or lose (1).

It was meant to be no contact. In reality it was mostly minimal contact. A few paddlers went for bonus points by taking a swim or three (not naming anyone Emily!).

The team of black bibs - Aicha, Jos and Jacob were pretty dominant, and were overall champions, but it wasn’t really about winning. It was just about having fun! (And winning).

18

FCC ‘THROWLINE ’ CLUB MAGAZINE

YPC and message from Chris YPC - The Youth voice of the club This group was formed to let the young members of the club have their say. The group meets about every two months and discusses whatever is important to the youth of the club.

Then the views are taken back to the committee by George, so that we can make sure we are listening to the views of YP when we plan things.

In one of the recent meetings, the group asked for more events at Langham Farm, more trips to CIWW, another playboat and some playboating activities. Did any of that get done? YES - all except the last one and Ben is following that up.

Are you interested in joining the group? Then talk to Finn, or George, Jacob or Aimee! Anyone can join - it’s for all the youth members. Look on the notice board at the club to see who is involved so far.

We will also put the date of the next meeting up there.

Cardington Division 2/3/4 Slalom: 1st /2nd September I will be attending this slalom and I think it would be great if we can have a good turn-out from Frome CC again. We will be there from the Friday through to the Sunday It will be a tough division 4 race as the course will be the same as for the division 2 paddlers, but nothing too much to worry about; it is an artificial course and the water is shallow so no-one should come to too much harm. There is camping and caravanning on site next to the course, which is set in a country park (facilities are very limited though!). There is plenty of walking and cycling to be had nearby (Bedfordshire is officially flat!), additional to this, the River Great Ouse offers some interesting flat water touring, I know a few good cafes and pubs within paddling distance. We cannot have a BBQ here due to the local bye-laws, but either take-away, or eat in pizza could be organised for Saturday night. If you fancy coming along and want more information please speak to me. this is not an 'official' club trip so you do need to arrange your won transport and adult supervision if you are under 16. Don't forget to place your entry online (https:// www.canoeslalomentries.co.uk/year/2018/competition/cardington-september) by 17th August to avoid late entry fees and ensure you get a space.

19

CONTACTS Chairman: Andy Vowell 07584 069432 Vice Chair: Jack Smiles smiles93@gmail.com Treasurer: John Kent jfkent@blueyonder.co.uk Secretary: Pam Dixon 07740 472982 pam@dixon.org.uk Head Coach: Rich Carter 01373 864623 Youth Rep: George McGiveron

george.mcgiveron@gmail.com

Volunteer Rep: Emma Slevin emma.slevin@hotmail.co.uk Kit: Jack Smiles smiles93@gmail.com

We’ve had a little disruption to the club sessions this month as the EA worked on the banks of the river below the pedestrian bridge. The EA is not dredging the river. The men are repairing the revetments around the outfalls and needed us to remove our slalom gates so they could get the digger up and down the river. We expect to have our gates back around 6th August.

Safety Officers: Linz Kimber and Rich Carter Welfare Officer: Pam Dixon 07740 472982 For borrowing kit, the local keyholders are: Andy V - 07584 069432 Pam D - 07740 472982 Jack S - 07891 291809 Ben Nicol - 07872 608549 Alan Carpenter - 07717 941390

More from members about local paddles to do, including Andy’s favourite on the river Mells. In the meantime have a look at the sort of craft he gets close and personal to.

Different!

Follow us on facebook

Also next month: the River Avon becomes the River Frome on 29th July. A report from Matt and Joseph.

Canoeing and kayaking are “Assumed risk” – “Water contact sports” that may carry attendant risks. Participants should be aware of and accept these risks, and be responsible for their own action and involvement.

20