DIY

DIY - well what's that?

I know - Do it in Yellow!!! (H3s)!

I'm suffering withdrawal too!

Anyone for a paddle this weekend?

I feel I desperately need alittle extra practice - I've just read the description of the Warden Gorge on the Tyne Tour - methinks I'm going to be leading the swimmers chart by a week on Monday!

Andy

Withdrawal

After two good weekends paddling rivers I'm starting to get withdrawal symptoms. I've got DIY to do this weekend : -( . But never mind the Tyne Tour is only eight days and 5 hours away, not that I'm counting or anything.

Ron's photos from the first Tees trip look great I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of them.

New swim chart examples to try out

Simple examples of downloadable swim charts are now on www.hambletonpaddlers.co.uk/downloads.htm. No link from other pages, so copy and paste the URL into address bar.

Should be easy to save.html version then go to file/edit with Excel. Most people can do that. Please try and let me know if it works for you. (Picture will not download.)

I will create Acrobat .pdf files for downloads of constitution, rules etc that we don't want anyone to tamper with. Ian has most of the originals (except child prot, which Debs is sending me) so I can probably do that soon.

White Water Tip

Hi All,

Sure i have mentioned this before, but just incase i haven't. The reason i enjoy paddling rivers is because it like having your own right foot (car speak). The river acts as the accelerator so i have to do minimal effort, and 8 times out of 10 (you get the idea) i move at the same speed as the current.

Often you will see people "racing" through a set of rapids, as the momentum (like a bike wheel), seems to help the stability (physics thing).

Another way to improve stability is to have one end of the paddle in the water like a stabilizer. This lets you lean on it if you have to, put in a quick stoke if needed, keep your distance when in a group, and because you are not paddling quickly it gives you more time to "read" the river, and therefore make the breakouts, not the rocks!

Next time your going through some rapids give it a go :))

However, please note - sometimes you can't beat speed! Valentines on Tees B. when paddling a big boat, and not thinking about your line :((

Swimmers Chart

An important part of any canoe club is the swimmers chart! In previous years this has been dominated by 1 or 2 people, not to mention any names (See later)

Please remember this is fun, and, if anything, the only way you will get on here is if you are paddling rivers regularly, and pushing yourself (ie. one of the best ways to improve - just ask Scott - WINNER 2005/6 and 2006/7)

Therefore, Running from Summer Camp to Summer Camp i think this is where we are at this year (2007/8):-
James Pridmore - 1 swim, whilst acting as safety cover/ cameraman got flipped in the small stopper at the end of the main drop on Abbey Rapids - nice photo of the spraydeck
Andy Moss - 1 swim, pinned against a rock on Abbey Rapids - missed the break out!
Kirsty Hallet - 1 swim, on video, lost control between drops - too busy smiling for camera - therefore a perfectly acceptable swim!!!
Daniel Milward - 2 swims, both involving missing the breakouts - and then getting pinned against rocks.
Scott Flynn - can't remember, but there must be at least 10 by now!!!!!!!

Is there a way of making this a table that we can keep adding to?

PS If you happen to be on a trip when i am not - take note of the swimmers!

PPS Adults only - Rescuing swimmers makes pints!!!! That's how i funded some of my drinking through uni!!!

A Few of Ron's Pics (First Tees Trip in October)

Wish I'd Been There!

I shouldn't have chosen this weekend to be sick! The time I am, and I miss the paddle, everyone gets to go down Abbey Falls! It's not fair! :(
Hope your phone still works Dan! :)

And can all kids come to the next pool session! It's on November 25th... I think... :)

Another great day on (in?) white water

It was great to go out again so soon, made me feel much more confident. So much so that I attempted the double drop near the Abbey - which gave the team a chance to show off the safety and rescue skills we have all been practicing!! Very slick and impressive rescue - Scott's video shows Andy's throw line coming over me, and you can see that Richard has left his 'safe perch' and is right behind my capsized boat.

After my swim I had an involuntary shaky reaction and panicked a bit in the next section of rapids, but calmed down again for the last drop.

Practicing getting into tiny eddies was helpful and ferry gliding on fast currents is fantastic. I am beginning to see how you are supposed to put these skills together to find the line down a rapid. Backwards ferry gliding looks like something we should all learn. And next time I will paddle between drops so I don't end up falling sideways off a ledge.

The weather was fabulous again, hot and sunny. And we saw a beautiful Kingfisher sitting on a tree.

The only downside was the amount of water in Dan's "dry sac". Hope his phone works again!

Thanks again to everyone and hope Richard is healthy again soon.

P.S: Last night, Ian started throwing up after only one beer - not sure if he has caught Izzy and Fiona's sickness bug or if it was a reaction to the rugby score....if it is the bug, hope no-one else catches it...

Morning all

Well I'm up, packed and just have to load the boat on to the car then I'm off. I do not want to be late this week. I will update this post with today's goings on this evening, well maybe tomorrow there is rugby to watch tonight. Come On England!!!

That's it were done. Another good trip There should be a video below showing a slight mishap that happened on one of he falls in the Abbey Rapids section. I'm sure the people who came on this river last week will be slightly jealous because everyone ran the drop in the video this time.


The water levels were slightly lower this week but is will still a nice paddle I must congratulate Kirsty, Ian, Andy and Dan they once again performed excellently all pushed there comfort zone and came out very well.

Kirsty came out of the water smiling but Dan did not either time. Everyone learned something today and increased their confidence. Well Done.
All of us would like to thank Richard for once again running this trip even though he is not well and Kirsty would like to thank Andrew for his accurate throw line work.

6'4, blue eyes, strong build, gsoh, looking for a goo......... wait a minute this is the wrong blog..... oh well as im here now thanks for the invite Richard and for making it so easy Kirsty. Hopefully meet some of you sometime, maybe on the TT in November. Any way back to lonelypaddlers.com.

Steve

Saturday 20th October

Hi All.

Message for those interested in the next river trip.
This will again take place on the Tees, same as last week, and is open to all those who came last week, and any others who have already got their 2*.
Equipment list is the same as last week (see below). Please see if you can remember (Don't have to bring though) some of the extras we mentioned last week.

Ring me/ email if you have any queries
Cheers
Richard

Cross Curricular Blog Links

This is a comment I made in reply to someone else's post on a teaching blog. I will never be a great paddler but at least the experiences I am getting with the Hambleton Paddlers will make me a better teacher!! Thanks guys! LOLxx

"Taking up new hobbies has taught me a lot about how some of the kids we teach feel when faced with tasks we think are simple. Because of this, I am trying to integrate both more challenge and more scaffolding into my teaching.

Two years ago (so I could encourage my kids not to end up scaredycats like their mother) I took up kayaking - and I went on my first grade 2 white water on Sunday. I was terrified! But the coach and the more experienced paddlers broke the rapids down into small chunks by positioning themselves in eddies along the river. This meant I knew rescue was close at hand, and also meant that I didn't have to pick my own routes - so I was able to run most sections and felt a great sense of achievement (I was still nervous, but not so much that it stopped me doing anything the others did not).

As well as the obvious links between this and Assessment for Learning, there are clear links with the personal development through outdoor pursuits sections of the new KS3 curriculum, as well as commitment to lifelong learning... gosh! this little comment ticks a lot of educational pedagogy boxes!!"

Tyne Tour 2007

Those Lucky Few,

This year's Tyne Tour takes place on 2nd-4th Nov. Last year it was just Scott and myself, this year there are 7 of us! Watch out Hexham.
I wish to use this as a point of contact board, so we know what is happening on the day.
The first thing, i think, to sort out is arrival times, and camping equipment. As a guide, the main site starts getting crazy from about 5pm onwards, so earlier the better.....I have certainly got a half day off work for this one! If you think that you will be later than that please let me know and we will see what we can do about tents etc

Cheers
Richard

Screams of Fright to Whoops of Delight

Richard's river Tees trip (Barnard Castle to Abbey Rapids) Started with some screams of fright, you know who you are, and ended with Ian whooping with delight at every rapid we encountered.


We met up at Barnard Castle at 9am ish, I was un-usualy late. We had to do a quick shuttle made very easy thanks to Ron and after a quick warm up lead by Tom we were heading down to the river.


A quick practise of breaking in & out and ferry gliding we were off. On the first bend we encountered some fishermen who were friendly but not as friendly as the children on the bridge above us saying hello to everyone. The first challenge was a broken weir followed by a river wide ledge 1 meter tall, All but Richard, Tom and myself walked round but had this been the last drop of the day then I'm sure everyone would have run it.

After this there was a small amount of screaming and one handed paddeling as people ran into the occasional rock. During the lunch break we managed to convince Tom to go swimming so as to practice throw line rescues, thank you once again Tom.

As we progressed towards Abbey Rapids everyones confidence was buliding and there was a marked improvement from everyone. James, in between taking photos, was a great help with the setting of safety on rapids he even managed to show people how taking photos in a stopper is a bad idea. The only section we did not run as a group was the final grade III drop in the Abbey Rapids, Ron was on hand as a photographer whilst the whole of the group was involved in setting up throw lines to cover incase of a mishap.

Richard, Tom and myself ran the drop without a hitch though I think my line may have caused some slight concern if not a smile. After this it was a nice cruse through some grade I & II rapids to the get out.

The day was a great sucess. Ron took over 40 photos, no doubt there will be some on here soon, we only had two swimmers, but I'll spare their blushes we know who you are. Everyone performed realy well and all improved tremendously as their confidence builded.

Now for the thank you's:~
Richard, for running the trip and coaching through out.
James, for providing safety cover and being our on water photographer
Tom, for providing safety cover and amusement whilst practicing your stern dips. ;-)
Ron, for running the shuttle, taking photos and giving Daniel a lift home.

And not forgeting Daniel, Kirsty, Ian, Izzy and Andrew for making the trip a very enjoyable day.

Awards for All Grant

Ian's idea for grant money to cover the cost for training new coaches is a good one, I've just had a quick look at the awards for all website ( http://www.awardsforall.org.uk/england/index.html ) and this looks like a viable option. I will get as much information as I can on this before the next committee meeting. That should leave Ian with enough time to fit in his very busy schedule this weekend.

NEW INSTRUCTORS

Hello All,

The new BCU coaching qualifications and syllubus are intend to improve, further, the quality of coaches and paddlers. Ultimately meaning that you the paddler, or coach, are better armed to deal with the constant changes in paddling and coaching.

As mentioned before, the BCU proficiency tests have been significant reviewed and enhanced; key changes being in the 2 star award (which is now multidiscipline qualification), and 3 star award which is to take place on both flat and moving (upto gd 2) water.

The new coaching qualifications have therefore also changed, and whereas a L1 coach woul donly be trained and assessed on 1 day (from memory), this is now done over 4 days, ultimately resulting in somebody with a broader set of skills, from day 1 to draw on.

Unfortunately this means that the cost for such a course naturally goes up as well, I have just had a quote in, for this, for £280 per person, 3 times more than in previous years. Hambleton Paddlers has always seen developing coaches as important to the club, as they are helping to build its future, however cost like this start to make the total funding of a coach very difficult.

A variety of thought processes exist (i am not advocating any, but wish to develop a club debate, so that we can take an informed descission)
1. Continue to fund the full amount.....1 or 2 people benefit way more than anybody else, using up all the revenue/ cash generated over the years. We have the risk of these people leaving, and giving little back to the club in the future, we would therefore need contracts! an extra cost
2. Part fund...... they put in, and the club puts in. This means we get people who definitely which to do this, and should they leave we would have funds left over to train others
3. Full/part fund people (need 2) to go on to become assessors, this is a long term thing, is very expensive, and you still have the risk of them leaving
4. No funding....speaks for itself.

I have not included my personal views preferences specifically to prevent any bias.

I look forward to your comments, but i would like to point out that all new L1 coaches must have the new 2 star, as well as CST and firstaid, so the open canoe training also needs to take place soon!

Thanks

Richard
Head Coach (L3 kayak WW)

River Tees Sunday 14th October 2007

Hi All,

I current have the following people wishing to go on the trip on Sunday

Scott Flynn

James Pridmore

Kirsty Hallett

Izzy Hallett

Andy Moss

Daniel Milward

Tom Allan - TBC

and of course me.

Can we please meet at 9am, at the place shown, weather dependant we are paddling the Tees. This is not the carpark, as originally suggested as the car park may be a bit small for all the cars. However the carpark is just the other side of the traffic lights, but this gives us the opportunity to gauge how much room we need.

You will need to bring with you:-

Kayak (white water spec, including full plate footrest and airbags)

Spraydeck

Bouyancy Aid

Cag

Helmet

Wetsuit

Paddle

Wet suit boots (old trainers)

Lunch

Hot drink

Change of clothes.

Drybag.

You may also wish to think about bringing other pieces of kit:-

Lets have some ideas on this - post the correct answers next Monday (after the trip)

Please see attached the map of where we are meeting, and a picture of one of the drops in abbey rapids!

Summer Holidays

This year i managed to convince the family that a holiday in the French Alps was a good idea!

We booked our main campsite, next to the Alp d'Heuz 21 hairpin Tour de France Climb. (Went up in the car - not crazy enough to cycle up!12 miles of constant up hill stuff)

The weather was good, hot during the day and cool at night, and then the alcohol was cheap. Perfect.

Then the rivers!

Fast moving, wide, powerful and "silty" (The milky colour is due to the deposits it picks up on the way down). I had just forgotten how cold they are......5degrees C or less.

We were not in the main French Alps paddling area, and neither was it the main paddling seasion out there (Mid May- 1st week in July), so it wasn't full of English tourists.......

The main river paddled was the Venon.....pictures attached - this is Alpine gd2 / 3. As i was on my own (Lance didn't paddle out there) , I teamed up with with some local instructors.

I was hoping to finish off the holiday with a grade 4/5 but unfortunately the section (below a hydro-dam) was unrunable until the day before we left, and on that day one of the instructors was celebrating his birthday.

If you wish to go out there let me know - they also do rafting, canyoning, climbing.....etc

Also out there did lots of walking, including 2 walks going from 700m (above sea level) to 1800m......very tiring, but great views!

On the way back it was demeed essential that we had a stop over in the Champagne region, were we did 2 cave tours on one day.....unfortunately i was driving (So debs had most of my champagne as well!)

Ruswarp to Whitby

That paddle looked realy nice, unfortunately I was at the airport picking up Emma and James. :-(

Caption Competition Entry

We have had our first entry for the surf kayaking pics caption competition! Great wit..?! Tomward has added it as a comment to the pictures. It might be worth knowing that comments are often missed - if you want to be sure that people notice your comments, it is sometimes better to add a whole new post.

Hope the people who have seen it so far have enjoyed the blog - and will add some posts of their own.