shropshirepaddlesport.org - the blog

A new and improved super-size race team went off to Burton on Trent for the day yesterday with the club managing to field 11 paddlers - that's the first time we've been in double figures for a long time. As usual Burton managed to find some good weather (perfectly timed as the heavens opened just as we left to drive home) and Team Shropshire generally had an excellent day.

In doubles Cam raced up in Division 6 with Anita with both of them looking very smooth and crossing the line in 3rd place. In Div 7 Ellie and Deb notched up a comfortable win - so comfortable that they were seen negotiating with Mick Nadal to ensure that they didn't get promoted just yet.

In Div 8 Dave and Kate yet again found themselves racing to the line against Solihull, but this time got edged out into 4th place.

In singles Jonathan went for his first race in Div 9 (whilst being heard muttering something about "this is only my 4th time in a boat...". I think we still have some work to do to find an appropiate size and shaped boat for him as some back problems meant that he didn't exactly have a comfortable race. He didn't come last however, and at least we were able to put him in touch with a good physio afterwards.

At the other end of the Div 9 pack  we saw the very welcome return of Florence Whittle to the race team, putting in a storming race in her first time out of Lightnings. She came a very credible 3rd with both the two people above her being promoted straight to Div 8.

In  a huge Div 8 field Sam managed to avoid any entanglements with careless East Anglians to come 6th, while Andy found himself racing flat out in the final stretch (with a couple of juniors!!) but old age and treachery overcame youth and talent to enable him to sneak a 9th.

Last. but certainly not least, Matt braved that sudden double-distance feeling that comes with being promoted to Div 6 and still managed to come 4th. he looked, shall we say, a little weary as he came off but that's all just a matter of practice.

All in all a great day, terrific to see so many people on the water and some very useful club points which consolidated our position in the clubs championship. It's now looking pretty much certain that we'll make the cut for an invitation to the Hasler finals. That, however, is a long way away - the next thing is our own race next weekend. See you all there in some capacity or other.

Well the race team have been out and about a lot since my last post - where did the time go?

First of all there was Worcester with grey overcast skies and a cold wind . We had Ellie racing in Div 7 K1, Sam and Andy in Div 8 K1, and Kate & Dave  and Deb & Cameron in Div 8 K2. Deb and Cam got promoted to Div 7 - so that's two promotions in two races for Cam !

Then we went off to the sunshine of Leamington Spa. For those of you who've not been to the Leamington race it's a short course between two weirs and so the lower divisions do three loops - that's six turns ! This race also saw the very welcome return of Cat Jones to the race team racing Div 7 K2 with Deb and producing a very credible 4th place. We also had Ellie with a comfortable second in Div 7 K1 while Andy struggled along at the back of Div 8 somewhere and eventually got in after they had all packed up and gone home

Last weekend was the blazing sunshine of Nottingham and the usual suspects assembled on the banks of the Trent for a glorious (but very hot) day out. Dave and Kate revealed their new world class training programme and still got into a neck and neck race to the line for second place with Jenny & Jo from Solihull but were just pipped at the post. Ellie was racing C2 with Nottingham's Kath Nadal and they came second despite Ellie admitting that she'd never canoed 4 miles before. Deb had the joyous experience of her first Div 7 K1 race, accompanied for most of the distance by old friend and nemesis Archie Miles from Lincoln. Afterwards she was heard vainly pleading with Mick Nadal to be allowed to go back to Div 8, a sentiment supported only by Ethan Troy whom she managed to capsize on the home straight.  Sam had an "incident" with another paddler who managed to turn her boat around and force her onto the side.  She recovered and continued of course, but ended up much further down the list than she's used to. Andy, as usual, pottered along somewhere in the middle of Div 8 although apparently there is video of the finish which has Louise Clive  saying to Catherine "Look - here comes Daddy ... oh he looks about done in).

By the way I should mention that Louise and Chris Pretswood are being complete stars by looking after Catherine for us which enables both Deb and I to race.

So - as it stands at the moment we are on track for a trip to the Hasler finals. We have the last qualifying place, just above the cut and so if we can maintain that over the next couple of races then we'll be eligible to go to Worcester on October 10th.

Not only did Matt make it to div 6, but Cam also got promoted to div 8.  Well done guys!

The club had a very successful trip to Anker Valley hasler yesterday.  The sun shone and we fielded 6 boats: 2 div 8 k1s, 2 div 8 k2s and 2 div 7 k1s.

The div 8 k1 race was a mainly civilised affair with Sam Rudd coming 5th - the fastest boat not promoted and Andy, after a year's paternity leave and on training session came 11th.

Div 8 k2 had a choppy start which was taken by Deb & Cam and Jenny Barber and Jo Green (SOL).  These boats led the entire race sharing washes (OK, we hung on theirs far more than they had ours) and having got left behind on the tunr we stalked them all the way back before Cam set a cracking sprint pace and we beat them over the line by half a nose.  It was close.  So very close.  Then, to compound the excitement, Kate & Dave came hareing in wth Ant Hooton & Aaron Dempsey (ANK) and again beat them by just one second.

The div 7 start was entertaining and VERY messy.  A Trentham k1 swam on the start line and Ellie ended up with someone elses paddle trying to rearrange  her shoulder so retired sore.  Matt chased Jake Fairly (RLS) up the course and some of the way back before realising they were so far ahead of the rest of the race he could cruise and guarantee his second place whilst hoping to avoid promotion.  Unfortunately he and Jake had gone too fast at the begining and both were promoted to div 6, with jake only just missing a div 5 promotion.  Well done all but particularly Matt!

Can we maintain this performance at Worcester next week?  We think so.  Anybosy else want to come and join us?

Comiserations to Trentham Canoe Club whose Hasler race last weekend coincided with a severe weather warning of 75mph winds in the area. An early morning set of phone calls resulted in us deciding that discretion was the better part of valour and and that we weren't going to go.

It would seem that we were not the only ones as the results show an unfortunately low number of entries and lots of consolidated classes.  Hard luck to all our friends at Trentham - as I said in my email to Phil, no-one expects blue skies and sunshine in November, but we'd like a reasonable chance of staying ON the lake Fingers crossed for better next year.

The BCU Marathon website is in an even worse state than usual at the moment (apparently they're rebuilding it again) but the Trentham results are here

We've just (slightly belatedly) had the confirmed set of promotions and demotions from the Hasler Finals in Reading last month. At this remove it's probably not news any longer, but just to confirm:

Anita and Gari were promoted to Division 6

Connor and Joseph were promoted to Division 6

Dave and Kate were promoted to Division 8

Congratulations everyone.

SHP seems to have had an amazingly successful day yesterday .

At Lincoln, Ellie came second in div 7 and Dave came second in div 8 - his first ever K1 race, and his first div 8 race.  Fortunately he wasn't promoted otherwise Kate might have ensured that it was his last race ever.  It looks like Dave is going for the club Hasler trophy again - somebody please stop him!!!

(Results page now updated to reflect Lincoln results)

Re friends in other clubs, Sarah Walters (Burton) came 5th in her first div 6 K1 race and was the fastest woman at the event and Tom Lusty (Solihull) came second in his frst div 6 k1 race and got promoted to div 5.  We remember the days when it was Tom's ambition to beat Kate and Dave with his parter Jenny Barber.  Go Tom!!

At Stone Slalom the club was very successful although I only have partial results.  Hopefully somebody who was there - and actually understands this spinny boat stuff - will write this up more fully.  Hoewever, I do know that Joseph Whittle came 1st in the men's K1 event and third with Will bevan in C2 juniors;  Matt Whittle came 2rd overall by 0.3 of a second, Marcus Whittle came first by 30 seconds in his race and Florence Whittle got first out of all the the div 4 women.

Well done all!

Can you believe it - we're already two races into the season. A small but perfectly formed Shropshire Paddlesport team went off to Fladbury and had a completely storming day.

Dave & Kate took a comfortable win in Div 9 K2 and finally bowed to the inevitable and have been promoted to Div 8. Ellie's K2 partner - Sarah Walters from Burton - was promoted to Div 6 at the Hasler Finals and so they were now both racing the 8 mile course. Unconfirmed rumour has it that Ellie was even seen to run a portage !

I've updated the results page to reflect Soar Valley and Fladbury - at this stage the leader board is completely up for grabs, but as a club we've got a lot to do if we're going to make to the cut before the Hasler Finals in 2010 (and yes, before anyone else points it out I know I've not been in a boat for months !)

Well it was a beautiful sunny day in Reading with a lot of good racing on, as usual, a fairly lumpy bit of river. Mixed fortunes for the SHP collective but Anita and Gari upheld the honour of the club taking silver in their K2 race. A cracking Lightning run for Tim Bevan as well in his last L1 race seeing off a number of the usual competition.

Full results when they're confirmed, but in the meantime a few pictures from the weekend

Gari & Anita collecting their silver

Matt powering off the start line

Dave & Kate in the bedlam of the Div 9 K2 start - it's quieter up in Div 8, honest !

Tim looking determined...

Sam and cam looking knackered

Well, it doesn't seem to have been the best race for SHP but sometimes things just don't go your way.  With Ellie and the mopheads having to retire through illness, Matt running into trouble part way round and Cam & Marcus being bounced into the bank the youngsters didn't have the best day out.

On the other hand Kate and Dave came 4th in a combined div 8/9 race beating a number of div 8 crews and the sun shone. That promotion has to be iminent.

Overall the club got 2 points.