So me and Palm’s Bren Orton just finished making the Wrap Up Video of our time putting on the Kayak Display at the 2012 Tullett Prebon London Boat Show and all that was on during the show.
Our display was on for 15 minutes twice a day so this gave us plenty time to run around the show in-between demo’s to find all the activities you could try and cause a bit of chaos amongst the Yachting crowd It’s amazing what people will let you do when you have a Camera in hand.
Filmed by: James Bebbington, Bren Orton & David Bain
Edit by: James Bebbington RiverZoo.com
This last week we’ve been paddling hard on flatwater….It is for good reason though We’re at the London Boatshow at the Excel Centre.
Myself, Bren Orton, Claire O’hara, Mallory Franklin, Anton Lippek, & David Bain are putting on twice daily shows of freestyle & slalom on the watersports pool commentated by Ed Smith & Christian Stevenson along with our little video clips on the big screen.
Pretty weird surrounded by all these big yachts to be in a 1m deep pool showing off freestyle!
This year we don’t get to use the ramps & cable tow set up like last year but we have been doing daily talks on whitewater, freestyle & slalom to give the visitors the opportunity to fins out more on our sport, how they can get started and where it could take them.
Here is a clip from last years show by Bren:-
With 4 days left of the show we’re putting together some video interviews & other bits to check out daily, yesterday we shot Bren’s one, hold out until the end to see the outakes….
If you want to check out the display we’re on at 12:15 & 15:00 daily until the show finishes on Sunday 15th of Jan.
Anyway enough talking, here are some photos from around the show and a walk around Londons sights.
On Saturday morning myself and the GB Youth Rafting Team were guests on BBC2′s & CBBC’s Live’N’Deadly Tv show, a great show promoting Adventure, Nature & Wildlfie. Presented by Steve Backshall & Naomi Wilkinson.
Check out the show on the BBC I Player link below:-
It was actually really fun and so good to be able to get kayaking and rafting out there to one of the most popular kids Tv shows! I actually started kayaking after seeing it on TV so if it inspires some youngsters out there to give it a try i’ll be very very happy! Look put for the Palm Harlequin rocking it with the Crocs
Photos by:- Gavin Layton
Saturday Youth Freestyle
Straight after I was done with the Live’N'Deadly show I drove as quickly as i could back to Nottingham on Saturday afternoon to go help out at the finals of this years Youth Freestyle event and to compete in the League event on the Sunday.
The drive is meant to be about 3 hours from Lee Valley to HPP however after a very early morning to do two rehearsals before the show aired at 9 I had to stop for a little sleep…
I got their just in time to do a little filming for Bren, who’ll be putting together another event edit from the day and also to help out at the Prize Giving. The place was packed with young talented kayakers, the scene in the UK is growing so well!
The young paddlers were also lucky enough to have EJ there as well as the usual helpers he was their coaching and running an “impress Ej” contest along with dishing out the prizes with myself at the end of the day.
This was the last event of the series and its a real shame its come to an end for 2011. Each event i’ve been to this year has been bigger and better than the last and the real stars are all the young up and comers who keep coming along to each event! Come next year, spread the vids around to everyone and drag your friends too! Its a really fantastic series of coaching/ competitions so get involved!
Sunday Brit Champs/ League Event
The Sunday was the League Series Finale, the comp was divided into Novice, Open & Expert Categories. In the morning myself, Claire O’hara EJ & Palm’s Junior ripper Bren all ran a few little coaching sessions for the Novice classes and then went onto compete ourselves.
The hole used for the main event was ‘Twin Waves’ its such a sick little hole, I’ve spent the last few weeks sessioning the hole everyday till its got dark pretty much paddling with the next generation coming up to the top James Benn’s, Bren Orton, Ryan Liquorish, James Weight & David Wild. Their actually kicking ass! We’ve been getting a ton of new moves, not your little usual linked stuff but full on combo moves, we’ll be putting together a new Nottingham sessions vid later in the year to showcase some of what we’ve been working on James Benn’s was even hitting tricky whu’s, mc’nasties and Tricky Loops without his paddle just using his hands today…incredible!
Now back to the event, i can’t remember full results but they’ll be up soon enough on the GB Freestyle Page The standard was super high with scores right up there! I was mostly impressed by all the young one’s rides:- James Benn’s won the Juniors with Palm’s Bren in 2nd & Matt Rodgers 3rd.
In the men I had an absolutely terrible 1st run Thankfully I pulled together an alright 2nd & 3rd run to take the win, James Weight got 2nd with some very big mc’nasties and Alan Ward was 3rd.
In my eyes the the star of the show was Ryan Liquorish who has been ripping it this summer working on all our new moves that we’ve been playing with and was the only one in the event to nail one in the comp hitting a entry kickflip linked to “Trick Loop” into ends…Very sick!
Also was really great to see Sam Ward on the water competing, he really inspired me when i used to paddle with him in Uganda and was one of the main reasons I bought my 1st Guigui, he was so sick then but the last couple years he’s had some unlucky injuries and hasn’t been able to paddle too much himself and has devoted a lot of time to coaching and helping the GB team. So its about time and very nice to see him with a big grin hucking himself around in the hole, he had some pretty sweet rides so I can’t wait to see how he’s doing after a few months training in the top class holes in the UK…keep your eye on him!
Overall another good day on the water! with sick paddling, the standard is ridiculous here! as is the Cold wind…
Thanks to Bren for the Pics, if you’ve got any young paddlers in your area tell them all about the Youth Freestyle Series and bring them down next year! Check the videos on my video page for more…
Last Saturday was the Youth Freestyle event on the Washburn River in Yorkshire. Check out the video above that me and Palms Junior star Bren Orton filmed and edited together to see what it was all about.
Its a great series of events for young paddlers of all abilities with the main aim of getting on the water having fun, getting top quality coaching and then doing some fun competitions. I’ve been at 3 YF events now and they have all been great days out showcasing an amazing array of talented young paddlers coming up in the Uk kayak scene. It looks to me like the future of British kayaking is in a very healthy condition.
Last weekend myself and Palm’s Bren Orton drove down to Broxbourne to the Lee Valley Whitewater Course to help out at the Youth Freestyle event. It was just a little one this time but great fun.
The Youth Freestyle Series actually started the year I was away living in Uganda and I remember that before I left it was noticeable that their were hardly any juniors moving up, then when I came back to the UK a year after the series first season I couldn’t believe the quantity and the quality of the many new freestyle kayakers that had come up. It has now produced some of the most talented Juniors the UK’s ever produced like Bren Orton, James Benn’s, James Weight and Matt Rodgers. Now there are many more new talented juniors coming up and following in their paths. Its really impressive to see, the organisers are doing a fantastic job.
I’ll be helping out coaching, judging and filming at all the events I’m around in the UK for including the Washburn one happening this Saturday!
Below is the video we shot of the Lee Valley event, Edit by Bren, Filming by me & Bren:-
The new whitewater course is incredible, you have two good freestyle spots on the Legacy Course and on the Olympic Course there are 2 or 3 really good spots and many good drops and features for river skills. The course is fast and steep, its really impressive what they’ve managed to create in an artificial environment!
Photos at Lee Valley below taken by:- Doug Blanks
If you’re a young kayaker wanting to get into freestyle, or even just wanting to get into whitewater check out the Youth Freestyle Series and if I’m around don’t hesitate to ask me for advice or help, I’m very happy to help you.
Hi all. We’re back in the UK and work has begun on the film we’re making of this summer’s Norwegian Odyssey.
It’s called Vaniljesaus (Pronounced Vanilla Jesus), and will be released online here on the Palm Blog within the next few weeks. For now here’s a sneak peek….
Get some coaching from top coaching providers including Palm’s Lowri Davies. Whether you want to gain confidence on grade 3/4, perfect your playboating, or simply fancy a guided trip of the scenic lower Tryweryn, these guys will be able to help you out. Sign up when you arrive.
Race in the PALM 8-BALL! This is full contact paddling. Think head-to-head boaterX mixed with Robot Wars. The aim? Get to the bottom of the section first and avoid being taken out by one of many inflatable kayakers in your path…. (Exact time to be confirmed although probably Saturday afternoon)
Leave your car at the takeout and take advantage of free shuttles throughout the weekend. Leaving you with more time on the water! Ace.
Outfit your boat. Do you struggle getting the fit of your Dagger kayak just right? Come see us and we’ll help you pad it out to perfection!
Discover Palm’s 2011 range. We’ll have experts on hand to talk you through the range and our design process.
Bring your bikeand take part in the multisport challenge.
Sounds good! How much is it?
Tickets are £25 and on sale now! Call the centre on 01678 521 083 or pop in to reception to book. Please advise of any dietary requirments at time of booking.
As with last year there will be shuttles from the lower river, camping at Bala Mill on Friday and Saturday night, evening entertainment and meals provided on Friday and Saturday night.
I’m convinced, now show me some shots of last year’s 8-Ball Carnage!
I thought you’d never ask. Here you go.
This all sounds a bit advanced to me, is there anywhere I can go to try paddling for the first time?
Don’t forget, we’re also in the East Midlands this weekend at the Midsummer Great Escape in Belvoir Castle. The perfect opportunity to get on the water for the first time…
In Plattling the site of the 2011 Freestyle Kayak World Champs things are really hotting up, it’s exciting as its now days away from the beginning on nation training and not long till the events prelims kick off!
The levels have risen to almost perfect levels, paddlers from all over the world are flying in with many new boat designs from plastic and carbon and many of the main contenders are honing in their comp rides. Its a pretty fun time to be here. You can feel the anticipation around the camp ground as people come and check out what everyone’s throwing, what boat people are using, what moves are working and what aren’t and of course the downside of all the paddlers coming in….long eddy queues!
For myself I have spent quite a lot of time here already and have a good idea of what my ride will be whatever the level so i’m just choosing the times when the hole is quiet to get on and make sure all my moves are still going how i want and work on some of my harder tricks to see if i can get something extra special to pull out if i need it.
One of the really cool things about this event is how people are really stepping their paddling up to new levels, the Americans generally have been really focusing on linking the moves together as much as possible whereas the Europeans have been focusing on going big and super straight on the big moves and on various trophy moves and the more fluid linked sequences.
The women have also taken a big jump up in their paddling and the top competitiors are throwing many of the high scoring moves in their rides and i expect the top girls scores will place highly in the mens too. Katya’s been getting really good rides lately hitting big Fonix’s, Mc’nasties, loops and Godzilla’s and i think if she keeps her current surge going she stands a great chance.
I mentioned earlier how paddlers are pulling out all stops here to win with many paddlers having spent at least the last half year doing focused training for this event and also about the huge variety of boats been used here, i’ll go into that a bit more;-
We have the Jackson Rockstar and All Stars in both plastic and Carbon being used by the majority of the paddlers, many are saying the perfer the plastic over the carbon addition which is a bit puzzling to me but does seem to be reflected in their paddling. Watch out for Gerd from Spain and of course Ej, Dane, Nick & Emily along with Dustin Urban/ Stephen Wright to go well in this design.
Then their is the new Robson Carbon boat which was designed by Martin Koll mainly for this event and is really strong for Mc’nasties and Fonix’s and looks like it can go very well especially in low water. Many of the German team will use this boat.
And of course the Composite Guigui-Prod Easymix 2008 and the newer 2010 edition. I use the 2008 model and think that its the best design hands down for any hole feature as long as your the right build for it. For the smaller paddlers the 2010 edition looks like a good contendor with a few of the Spainish and french looking good in it.
The Vajda composite boats are also out in force here with Peter Csonka, Bartosz from Poland and Katya all looking good and standing a good chance to do well in them.
Then from Wavesport their is the Project X which is looking like a very hot design but only available in plastic. Look out for Bryan Kirk and Simon Strohemier in these.
Finally their are a few home made and adapted composite boats here such as Joey Hitchens own creation and Seppi Strohmeier’s cut up and adapted Carbon Wavesport CX.
Its going to be really interesting to see which styles and designs come out on top here at Worlds. there has been a huge amount of creativity and development put into freestyle for this one competition and huge step up in skill levels around the World and around the disciplines. I really think the Europeans stand a great chance to take away a lot of the medals at this event!!!
Anyways, here’s a few photos of what’s been going on, check back soon for more on whats going on as the event kicks off!
Wish me and Katya some good luck for the next couple weeks!
It’s amazing what people will let you do when you have a Camera in hand.
James Benn’s was even hitting tricky whu’s, mc’nasties and Tricky Loops without his paddle just using his hands today…incredible!
Thankfully I pulled together an alright 2nd & 3rd run to take the win, James Weight got 2nd with some very big mc’nasties and Alan Ward was 3rd.
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