Hexham Canoe Club Hosts a 2012 Slalom Sprint Event
Young Participants competing at the 2012 Slalom Sprint Event
On Saturday 19th September 2009, Hexham Canoe Club hosted their inaugural Pool Slalom event at the new show piece swimming pool in Hexham. This event will no doubt be a firm favourite for the future leading up to the 2012 Olympics. This 2012 promotional event attracted a mix of juniors aged from just 8 years old and some brave adults of all abilities, from many of the North East Region clubs, all eager to negotiate the course in the fastest time.
Planning & Organisation of Event
The planning of this event went back to the design stages of the pool where Hexham Canoe Club and Paddlesport Development Officers were consulted about what events could be held at the pool. These discussions resulted in sockets being placed into the poolside so that poles could be slotted in. Four lines could then be strung across the pool to hang the gates. This allowed the organisers to erect the 2 lane course in under 30 minutes.
Paddlers were then divided into age categories that raced head to head in 2 lanes over identical courses. Everyone had two runs to complete the course in the fastest time without touching any slalom gates.
A lot of fun was had by everyone but as usual the event could not have taken place without the volunteers who set up the course and judged the competitors.
Thanks to Volunteers & Organisers
Hexham Canoe Club wished to express their gratitude to North Country Leisure who donated the prizes for the event and for the use of the swimming pool, as without their support the event would not have been possible.
Also a big thank you went to Ray Hudspith (Paddlesport Development Officer for the North East ) for building the gates, planning and designing the course and then coordinating the running of the event. A special mention was also reserved for two newly qualified coaches who are both still only 16, one of which is a Hexham Canoe Club member. Funding for these two coaches came from Workforce Development funding through Northumberland Sport.
Future Events
Hexham Canoe Club has agreed to make this event an annual affair, with more paddlers travelling from further to take part. In the meantime the club is waiting patiently for work to start on their new boathouse premises and changing premises at Tyne Green. They are also busy making preparations for the annual Tyne Tour Event to be held on the 7th and 8th November 2009 which will attract over 1000 canoeists to the North East.
For further information, please contact Hexham Canoe Club by visiting their website or by contacting Ray Hudspith.
The above article was written by Chloe Glendenning (youth rep and Junior Coach, Hexham Canoe Club).
