Paddling career.

One of the things most often asked by other kayakers or canoers is how long have you been paddling?

Simple enough question but it got me thinking, how long have I actually been paddling?

My earliest memories of any sort of structured kayaking was when I was 10 and I got lessons in a swimming pool after attending a give it a go session in the summer holidays.

However I have now also seen evidence of me in a canoe before this and have vague memories of going canoeing in the cubs and scouts and even in primary school, which pre dates my 10 year olds lessons. So I really don’t actually know how long I have been paddling any more.

I guess I also base it on when did I start paddling with some confidence or structure which I always date to when I got my 1 star at aged 10. However I soon outgrew the swimming pool and wanted to do more. I only then picked it back up again when I was about 13 or 14 years old. I managed to find an organisation which would let me paddle twice a week and most weekends during the summer on a nice stretch of flat river. Learning all the basics and getting my 2 star quite quickly I was soon showing up the coaches with high braces and rolls. I would also take part in some flat water racing competitions throughout the next few years.

I then got introduced to white water and remember my first encounters. The first white water I ran was high force to low force on the Tees, getting in after high force I might add. Running some drops and learning the basics of paddling in moving water was essential to keep dry. I think the advice I got was point the boat downstream and if it is not facing downstream then you should lean downstream, now follow me. From then on that was pretty much my paddling style I did not have much guidance on what to do or how to do things it was mainly just follow the person in front and see what happens. Every few weekends when it was raining we would head out to a random spot near some rivers talk to other paddlers and figure out where to go. I have very little knowledge on which rivers or sections I have paddled generally just being driven around until we see a river with enough water to float a boat in and someone has either done it before or parks the car somewhere near where we should get out.

The next step in paddling involved going to University and trying out canoe polo, a discipline I had never even heard of let alone seen but here I was going to give it a go. It is a very fast paced and technical game involving a lot of hand eye coordination and spatial awareness. It is also a very good sport to practice your rolling skills as pushing people in is an allowable move. My hand rolling technique became quite good at that time, as did my sprint and turning abilities. It turned out my introduction to this sport was at quite a high level as some of the people I was training with were either current or ex GB players. This did push a very steep learning curve in the game after getting over the initial shock of what was going on.

My next stage of kayaking occurred when I joined another club and for the first time had some structured pointers on what to do on moving water. I learnt about edge of the boat and what they could be used for. It was also my first introduction to canoe slalom, or more correctly kayak slalom. Although I was aware of this discipline it was not something I had actually seen as it was not available anywhere mainstream to see. So entering my first competition, in a borrowed plastic boat up against the carbon fibre, I thought it best to ask someone what I had to do and what all these coloured poles meant. After my first run down I was in first place and all credit has to go to the years of polo training as it mainly involved tight turns and fast sprints. Before the second run I actually decided to plan my route down the course. This is where a combination of running rivers and knowing what the water would do, with some tight turns learnt in polo meant I could plan a better route. I focused on how I should exit the gate to line me up for the next one and also what stroke and on what side I should be paddling on going through the gate to avoid hitting it. Well I managed to but all the pieces together to not only win my first slalom competition but also get promoted, which meant when I came back the next day I would be competing in the next level up. Which I also won.

I then had a few years back to flat water training and odd white water weekends. It was not until I moved to the flat lands of Norfolk that I did the most consistent period of white water kayaking. Travelling to Wales, Scotland, French Alps and Slovenia to pursue some white water. Also getting to watch and paddle with more experienced people has allowed me to build up a new skill level and further understanding of what the connection between boat, water, paddler and paddle is. Heading to Wales most months allowed for some higher level paddling, yet it was not until about 5 years of going to Wales that I actually paddled another river other than the mighty T.

One highlight of being based down south is being able to paddle at Lee Valley, the man made kayak course for the 2012 Olympics. This is a higher class of white water all concentrated into one short section of powerful water. My best claim on this course is passing both the Legacy course and Olympic course first time in a playboat! A very unsuitable boat to try such a thing in but it was the only thing which would fit in the car at the time. I can also claim I have never swam on the Olympic course, I have however swam on the smaller Legacy course but that is because I usually try more things on it and go there when I am tired.

I have then recently started OC1, which is a cross between white water kayaking and canoeing. The big reason why I never got on with canoeing previously was because it was too painful for my legs to kneel down however an OC1 has a nice foam saddle to sit on. I also found out they are made very very locally and that I can roll one, so that always helps with confidence. This was also the first time I intentionally booked some training early on to make sure I figured out what to do with this new craft. However my first instruction when faced with a rapid by the coach was “How would you paddle it in a kayak? Well do that.” Well I am still learning how to control the OC1 and also how to get comfortable but it resets all the rivers I felt comfortable on in a kayak so has given me a new challenge in a similar sport I have been doing for years.

Other notable mentions of fun paddling adventures include a bit of sea kayaking round Menorca in the sunshine and also sea kayaking off the west coast of Scotland with seals.

There is still a lot to learn and many rivers unexplored so hoping to continue on for a bit longer.