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Halifax Canoe Club |
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Competition NEW!
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Paddle Power Day - Sunday 12th OctoberTwenty young people from across West Yorkshire took to the water at Halifax Canoe Club for our first Paddlepower Day - a joint event organised by Halifax and Bradford & Bingley Canoe Club's.
If that wasn't enough paddling videos were running in the clubhouse, so kids could watch the skills of world champions while refuelling on burgers and bacon butties! All in all, a great day of paddling for all the youngsters that came along and a shining example of how two clubs working together can do far more than either could manage to do alone. Look out for the details of this event next year when we hope to make it even bigger and better. Finally, a big thank you is due to John Stopford for organising the event, all the coaches and helpers from both Halifax and Bradford & Bingley Canoe Club's who made the day a success, and Len Hartley BCU Paddlesport Development Officer for his help and support. |
The
basic aim - to put on an event specially designed for under 16's and to really
kick-start the BCU's PaddlePower programme at both of the clubs. The day gave
youngster the chance to have a go at different canoeing activities, and try out
a wide range of different kayaks and canoes.
On
the water, Canadian Canoes were transformed into Dragon Boats for teams to race
against each other - with one group even invented 'extreme dragon boating' when
they headed down the white water course!
Above
County Bridge groups were put through their paces at slalom, learning or
brushing up on their strokes before having a crack at the diamond Slalom Awards.
All those that tried got an award - with several reaching Bronze and Silver
standards - and eager to improve to come back for a try for the gold Award in
the future.
On
the rapids of the white water course, youngsters had a go at white water racing.
Firstly, trying out the Wavehopper's on the flat water - most finding them very
long, tippy unwieldy compared to their usual boats. Those that were brave used a
Wavehopper for a timed down river run, while others returned to their normal
boat for their race run.
At
the opposite extreme, youngsters also had the opportunity to try out play boats.
Starting off on the flat water, to get the hang of dipping the nose and tail.
With that mastered, they moving on to the rapids to surf some waves and have a
go at enders, while coaches demo-ed cartwheels so they could see what was
possible with practice.
And
the fun didn't stop off the water, where young people (and their Mum's &
Dad's) took part in 100m sprints against the clock on a canoe-ergo machine
(thanks to Len Hartley BCU PDO) with some forward paddling coaching tips thrown
in to help get up to a good speed.