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Eales motivates Olympic Aspirants

As Athlete Liaison Officer, Eales will “act as a mentor by providing information to athletes about ALO’s found effective and useful during competition which will help athletes to maintain focus and maximise performance, promote fellowship within the team, and assist to maximise athletes’ positive Olympic experiences.”

After meeting the athletes last year, Eales returned today to reintroduce himself and get to know the team a little better, speaking to the Olympic aspirants about team work, faith, and about his story on the field and related it back to kayak.

Sunshine Coast paddler Alyce Burnett said, “I think the thing I got most out of today was to always have faith in yourself, your team mates, support staff and coaches. Really trusting the people that are around you and doing all the little things right so once you get to the start line you have no regrets.”

SASI star Hannah Davis is looking to working alongside the Rugby legend, who has some great experiences he will be able to share with the team.

“Having a non-bias opinion from outside the sport will be great, he is someone we will be able to bounce ideas off, he has been part of some great successes and overcome misfortunes in the past and hopefully we will be able to benefit from those experiences.”

Eight senior women are currently in the middle of a 10 day training camp under the guidance of Head Coach Martin Marinov, assistant coach Ben Hutchings, and SSSM staff Dave Aitken and Nic Bullock, with the camp focusing on team boat combinations, with particular emphasis on current K4 crews and trying new K2 combinations.

“It’s been quite intense, everyone has really stepped up which is great”, said Davis.

The senior women will commence the battle for Olympic selection when the Oceania Championships commence from 1-4 March at Sydney International Regatta Centre, NSW.

Slalom: Play now!

Apply now for a Local Sporting Champions Grant

 If yes, then you or your team could be eligible for a Local Sporting Champions grant to help meet costs such as uniforms, travel, accommodation and equipment.

Grants of $500 per individual and $3,000 per team are available for young people participating in a nominated National Sporting Organisation-endorsed state or national sporting championships or a School Sport Australia national championship.

This program is an Australian Government initiative managed by the Australian Sports Commission and supports 8,000 young people each year.

The grants are designed to help athletes, coaches and officials achieve their sporting goals and are distributed across all 150 federal electorates of the national parliament.

Applications are open, so apply now!

Applications must be submitted prior to the commencement of the nominated championships.

For further information, including application forms and eligibility criteria, go to: http://www.ausport.gov.au/champions

National medals for all in Tasmania

“As their coach I was particularly delighted with the fact that each paddler won a national medal and they did that all on the first day of competition. From then on it was all a bonus,” coach Anita Roche said.

Twelve students competed on the Forth River near Devonport with competitors from as far afield Western Australia and there was also a large New Zealand contingent.

The paddlers Phillip Koch, Jake Perram, Geordie and Tristan Yule, Lydia Toms, Kyle Williams, Andrew Moulder, James Mannow, Kaspar and Kristian Fiebig, Jordan Hallett and Alicia Ieroianni had a team goal that all would win at least one medal throughout the Championships.

At the end of the first day of racing that goal was achieved by all members of the team.

Great Lakes College came third school overall in the points score and was once again first placed public school in the nation.

Phillip Koch was announced runner up Champion Senior Boy while the boys also gained runner up Champion Boys Team behind the much larger school of Ivanhoe Grammar.

Phillip Koch paddled outstandingly gaining six medals from the six events he entered. He achieved gold medals in both the Downriver and Slalom C1 Teams with Lydia Toms and Jake Perram. Lydia and Phillip also gained gold in the Mixed C2 slalom event.

The other gold medal was won by the C2 Downriver C2 team of Geordie Yule, Andrew Moulder, Kyle Williams, Jordan Hallett, James Mannow and Kaspar Fiebig.

Entries Open for Oceania Champs and Olympic Team Selection Trials

You must to be a financial member of Australian Canoeing to enter this competition. To enter you will also need your Australian Canoeing username and password. (forgot your username? Click here) (Forgot your password? Click here)

You can view a list of entries and event information for the Oceania Championships here and the Olympic Trials here

Are you a Coach?

The Entry system allows you to log in and submit your team boats (as long as you are an Financial AC member)

Paddle NSW member?  

PaddleNSW currently use a separate membership database to AC and so you will need to contact Australian Canoeing (using the form below or email sam.lyons@canoe.org.au) with your PNSW number so that we can transfer your membership details across. You will then receive your Australian Canoeing Member Number and Password.

International Competitor?

Complete the form below or email sam.lyons@canoe.org.au to organise entry.

Enquiry Form

Junior and U23 Slalom World Championships, Wausau USA 11 - 15 July 2012

The tour will be a focused trip aimed at preparing the team for the best possible performance outcomes at the Worlds. There will be a separate Team Manager and Head Coach for Juniors and U23. The U23 team coach will be an NCE coach.

As this is an Australian team for a Junior/U23 Worlds there will be elements of the tour where the teams will collaborate and operate as a unit. The training program and event preparation will be targeted to the needs and the level of the athletes selected in each age group. The tour would arrive in time for a full recovery from travel and to take advantage of all the 5 days training on the course prior to the competition. The Official tour will be short and focused on the Worlds. Individuals may extend their trip on there own initiative after the official tour.

Provisional official tour dates are July 2 - 18 and the estimated contribution will be advised shortly.  

Any questions in the meantime please contact Mike Druce or Natasha Welsh on 4729 4256.

High Brace, Low Brace, No Brace.....

 The "No Brace" is simply my way of describing the technique of not responding to acceleration or directional drift with a defensive stroke. It is a bit like learning not to hit the brakes when your car loses grip and starts to slide on a wet or icy road. As in the car analogy, sudden deceleration tends to make the impending loss of control into an inevitability.

The first step in developing a good No Brace is to to sit on the shore before your next paddle in following seas and challenge yourself not to drag the blade behind you in a trailing brace to hold your line. Instead, when you feel a wave lift you and the boat starts to slide, just keep paddling, try to take off very square to the steepest part of the wave and only use sweeps, edges and forward strokes. When your experience tells you to hunker down with a trailing brace or rudder ignore it and put in a big sweep on the other side, instead of being defensive, focus on staying in control by maintaining drive!

The ''No Brace'' could also be described as the "body brace" in that you can brace against the heeling force of a wave with your hips or even hips and knees and simply maintain a good stroke. Remember to be patient, despite the car analogy above, course corrections take time in any boat, and you may have to wait a second or two for the edge to bite or the sweep to take effect.

An interesting technique in developing a good No Brace is to paddle abeam to trains of short steep, closely spaced overtopping waves on a windy day in an area of short fetch like a wide bay, see if you can paddle a perpendicular course without using the paddle as a crutch, use only sweep and forward power strokes while you do all the bracing with your hips and knees. Your cadence will need to change so you can meet the oncoming crests with a good strong catch and some of your strokes will have to be carefully placed over the high side gunwale, and timed so as not to trip you up, but the emphasis on bracing without having to stop paddling is a valuable skill to acquire.

When your "no brace" is working well you will get those extra couple of valuable strokes in at the take off point in a running sea instead of putting on the brakes. Even when rudder strokes become unavoidable you need to keep them crisp and decisive, feel for a blade angle that moves the stern without hauling on the brakes and creating excess drag. An effective stern rudder looks and feels very different to a heavy trailing brace and in a running sea will often get you back on line in the time it takes to make one forward stroke.

The less you use the stern rudder, the less you need it and linking rides by building up speed from consecutive waves will get easier. As a novice sea paddler I can remember being a lot busier than my more experienced mentors especially in following seas and then I learnt the "No Brace"; real life proof that "less is more".

2012 Australian Canoe Slalom NZ Junior Development Tour

Fifteen (five girls, 10 boys) athletes have been selected from within the National Talent Squad to take part in the Development Tour to New Zealand from 30 March - 12th April this year.

Up to 3 additional athletes may be selected to tour, following the completion of the Junior World Championships team selection at the Australian Open on 12 February 2012.

For information on the tour and information on selection please follow the links below. 

International field contests PVC Race

17 year old AIS/NSWIS scholarship holder Jessica Fox showed she is right on track for next month’s Australian Open dominating the women’s K1 event, producing a blistering clean second run of 108.66, to finish 3.67 seconds clear of 2011 women’s K1 World Champion Corinna Kuhnle of Austria. Set to battle Fox for the single women’s Olympic berth, Sarah Grant and Kate Lawrence finished third and fourth respectively, 3.97 and 4.03 seconds off Fox’s winning time.

French champion Fabian Lefevre, who finished third behind Slovakia’s Peter Kauzer at last year‘s World Champs in Bratislava won the men’s K1 event in 98.63 from German Sebastian Schubert. NCE paddler Lucien Delfour was the pick of the Aussies in third after producing two quick clean runs in an impressive performance by the 23 year old, to finish 1.06 seconds off Lefevre’s winning time, while nothing separated the two men vying for the men’s K1 spot in London with Will Forsythe edging Warwick Draper by 0.15 seconds after finishing fourth and fifth respectively.

Last year’s C1 World Champs Bronze medallist Matej Benus took out the C1 event from current World Champion Denis Gargaud Chanut and Germany’s Jan Benzien. In the absence of Kynan Maley and Robin Jeffery, Paddle NSW canoeist Matthew Gabb was the best of the Australian’s finishing in fifth, while Stuart McIntosh (6th) and Christian Fabris (8th) also secured top ten finishes.

The women’s C1 was won by Victorian Leanne Guinea in 1:32.37, 1.23 seconds clear of Penrith Valley Canoe paddler Allison Burrows and Germany’s Lena Stoecklin.

 

GP2 day 3 Wrap up - NSWIS paddlers dominate

Lachlan Tame continued his excellent weekend adding the men’s K1 200m title to his K2 and K1 500m victories on Saturday with a nail biting victory of Southside paddler Nick Dawe, finishing just 0.18 seconds clear of the 23 year old after finishing in 37.21, 2008 Beijing Olympian Tony Schumacher finished third 0.87 seconds off the winning time.

After being pipped to the post in the men’s K1 200m final despite setting a new PB, Dawe teamed up with Manly Warringah paddler Sam Speer to win the men’s K2 200m final in 34.68. The New South Wales pair raced a solid race to finish 0.30 seconds clear of West Lakes duo Jeremy Petho and Callum Dunn, with fellow West Lakes paddler Lawrence Fletcher combining with Bayswater’s Todd Brewer to finish third. 

In a tough women’s field with only Alana Nicholls bypassing the event this weekend, Brigden-Jones won the hotly contested women’s K1 200m final, with just 0.79 seconds separating the top five. The 23 year old finished in 41.58, 0.55 seconds clear of South Australia’s Hannah Davis, with Queensland’s Rachel Lovell 0.07 seconds further adrift in third.

QAS pair Hailey McGinty and Alyce Burnett continued their press for Olympic selection come March with yet another dominant display in a K2, following on from their K2 500 victory, taking out the K2 200 final in 38.20, 0.72 seconds clear of Hannah Davis and Naomi Flood, with Rachel Lovell and Lyndsie Fogarty combining for third.

Patterson Lakes paddler Trevor Murray took out the gruelling men’s K1 5000m event, while Tasmania’s Jodie Templar won the women’s K1 5000m final.

In the junior events, Charlie Copeland and Bill Bain continued their dominance in the U18 men’s K2 events adding the K2 200 title to their K2 1000 and K2 500 events won the previous days, narrowly crossing line ahead of Sydney Northern Beaches paddlers Ben McLean and Fraser McTavish in 37.76, with Patterson Lakes duo Jarrad Campbell and Kieran Carson finishing third.

In the absence of Copeland who finished 5th in the open K1 200m final, Bain took out the men’s U18 K1 200m in 37.97, 0.26 seconds clear of Germany’s Max Lemke and Sydney Northern Beaches Ben McLean. 16 year old Derwent paddler Seb Spinks showed he has an exciting future finishing 5th, just 0.77 seconds off Bain’s winning time.

17 year old Bayswater paddler Shannon Reynolds took out the women’s U18 K1 200 final, 0.68 seconds clear of Bendigo’s Rebecca Mann, with West Lakes’ Madison Davies finishing third.

Reynolds and Mann then combined to dominate the U18 K2 200 final, 2.34 seconds clear of Jacqueline Green and Mackenzie Labine Romain, with West Lakes duo Madeleine Hurst and Nathalie Walkington finishing third.

The U16 K1 200m finals were won by Sydney Northern Beaches young guns Isaac Lawrence and Tanielle Basson.

 

ICF Signs Partnership Agreement with Polaritas-Ltd

The ICF and Polaritas-Ltd will work together in a joint initiative to promote and support the development of Canoeing.

ICF Secretary General Simon Toulson said, "The ICF is thrilled to undertake this formal agreement with Polaritas. They are now an ICF Official partner and this shows the commitment they have to our sport. Polaritas are a valuable partner for the sport of canoeing and their support to the ICF is much appreciated."

Polaritias has been involved in canoeing for many years, providing ICF competitions with starting systems and field of play expertise for the Olympic Games, World Championships and many Continental Championships.

Polaritas CEO József Grand expressed his intention to support canoeing with his company’s achievement in sport technology. He said, "We are keen on developing technical solutions which make racing more enjoyable and give equal chances to all competitors, and furthermore makes the racing fascinating to the spectators. Our aim is to challenge the sport of Canoeing and to make it even more interesting."

This partnership agreement is in line with the ICF Manufacturer Programme and it formalises many years of cooperation between the ICF and Polaritas-Ltd.

About Polaritas-GM Ltd:

Polaritas-GM Ltd is a Hungarian enterprise founded in 1984 by highly qualified professionals. The company’s core-business is research and development on water, chemical and explosion-hazardous industrial environments. Polaritas' mature products define the firm as a leading global specialist in Sports Technology. To learn more about Polaritas visit: http://www.polaritas-ltd.hu/.

The International Canoe Federation (ICF) is the world governing body responsible for administering the sport of Canoeing, which includes both canoeing and kayaking. The ICF governs seven disciplines, two of which are Olympic sports (Canoe Sprint and Canoe Slalom). The competition categories of these two disciplines include Men’s Kayak, Men’s Canoe, Women’s Kayak and Women’s Canoe. The ICF has 157 member associations and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its current President is José Perurena López.

Borrows takes win at NZ Open

The New Zealand Open was the first ICF Ranking race and marked the start of the domestic slalom season in scenic Mangahao over the weekend.

Borrows joined fellow Aussie Rosalyn Lawrence in successfully clinching the final in the mens and womens Canoe Classes on Sunday.

Borrows took the win ahead of rising talent Argentinian Sebastian Rossi and local paddlers Shaun Travers and Shaun Higgins.

Lawrence finished 6th in the womens kayak final which was won by international talent Karolina Galuskova from the Czech Republic ahead of Luuka Jones and Ella Nicholas.

A strong international field lined up for the Men's kayak including Michael Kurt of Switzerland who took the win over Frenchman Fabien Doerfler and Canadian John Hastings.

Local stars, Mike Dawson and Luuka Jones, who qualified the New Zealands men's and womens K1 spot finished 7th and 2nd respectively.

Canoeing the entire Congo river… and living to tell the tale

King Congo … Phil poling his way through the vast Bangweulu swamp.

I was alone in the middle of deepest, darkest Congo. Worse still, I was being chased by eight angry tribesmen in two dugout canoes – and they were gaining on me.

"Mazungu … Mazunguuu!" came the screams from behind. "Give us money!" They were all standing up and paddling like men possessed. The nearest guy had a huge machete at his waist. I had been paddling as though my life depended on it. As though? It did depend on it! The fear was rapidly growing within me, demanding an answer to the primeval question: fight or flight?

The word mazungu, white man, was being screamed and repeated along both banks. It was disconcerting, to say the least. I felt like a wolf that had inadvertently strolled into a farming community and was being hunted down. I had to go faster. But now, after paddling my heart out to the point of near exhaustion, I turned around and saw the nearest dugout canoe was less than 20m away. So close that I could see the whites of the men's eyes and their teeth bared in a contorted, hate-filled travesty of a smile. What was it going to be: roll over and expose my soft underbelly, or put up a fight? It was the venom in the next cry of "Mazungu" that made me decide. I grabbed my machete …

 

Thanks to winning a travelling fellowship and grant from the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, I was on my way to making the first source to sea descent of the Congo river through the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. From the true source in north-east Zambia, the Congo river is just short of 3,000 miles long and the eighth longest river in the world, with a flow rate and drainage area second only to the Amazon. It flows through savannah, swamp and dense tropical rainforest, crossing the equator twice before finally draining into the Atlantic.

The Congo has suffered horribly throughout its history, and due to generations of foreign exploitation, political instability, corruption and civil war, not to mention a prevalence of crocodiles, hippos, waterfalls and huge rapids, the river seems to have been given a wide berth. But if you're looking for a true adventure travel destination, then look no further – the Congo has it all!

Henry Morton Stanley was the first European to explore the middle and lower Congo river, in 1877. He started from Zanzibar on the Indian Ocean, and the entire journey took him 999 days. Of the original 356 men on his expedition, only 114 made it to the end. The last remaining European besides Stanley drowned on the final set of rapids, prompting Stanley to write: "I am weary, oh so weary, of this constant tale of woes and death."

I found the proud people of the Congo to be an absolute inspiration; I believe we could all learn a great deal from their courage and resilience in the face of adversity. It has to be said however, that I also encountered my fair share of hostility too, and I don't think I've ever come as close to a nervous breakdown as I did during the five months it took me to reach the Atlantic. Collapsing unconscious from malaria didn't help.

With local help I found a tiny spring at the base of a banyan tree in the highlands of Zambia. This was the source of the most powerful river inAfrica. With my five-metre Canadian canoe strapped to the back of a land cruiser, I eventually found a spot wide enough to start my trip. The upper Chambeshi was a beautiful little stream: crystal clear waters, an abundance of birdlife and lovely little rapids to keep me on my toes. The main risks were either being torn to shreds by the razor sharp thorns that seemed to come from all directions, or getting the canoe pinned against a rock or on one of the many fallen trees crossing the river. A few day's later, however, crocodiles became another consideration.

The environment had now changed, and the way became narrow and dark, with gnarled overhanging trees blotting out the sunlight. As I registering this change in mood, and my mind brought up similarities with the everglades, there was a frenetic thrashing noise to my right. Two four-metre crocodiles came crashing through the undergrowth and launched themselves off a raised bank. They were so close I remember noticing the membrane close on the nearest one's eyes. They belly-flopped onto the water with a tremendous splash and disappeared directly under my canoe, causing me to wobble in more ways than one.

Bangweulu swamp covers an area approximately the size of Derbyshire, and in 1991 was designated as a wetland of international importance. One of its biggest attractions is the lofty shoebill stork, which feeds on baby crocodiles amongst other things. At night, in the absence of firm ground, my technique would be to paddle as hard as I could and ram myself into the thickest area of reeds I could find. I'd then try to somehow drag and push my way further through, until I was securely wedged in with little risk of capsizing. I figured that since I was surrounded by tightly packed reeds, I'd have to be pretty unlucky to get a surprise visit from anything big enough to fit my head in its mouth. On more than one occasion I was awoken in the middle of the night by crashing, splashing sounds, but after a while I got used to it. Crashing, splashing sounds are one thing – something horrible ripping your leg off is quite another.

Weeks later, after negotiating the waterfalls and numerous rapids of the Luapula river, I was confronted by a wall of jungle and the river disappeared into it in a myriad of channels. In I went, and it felt like a different world. I could hear a permanent rumbling of rapids somewhere off in the distance, and tried to keep to the left hand side so as not to get sucked into a potential waterfall. I also didn't want to lose my bearings in the middle.

Every now and then the rapids would increase in size and I'd try to backtrack and find the easiest route. I ducked under one vine only to disturb a crocodile slithering off a rock.

Another time a huge snake swam right up to my canoe, reared up out of the water and I had to fend it off with my paddle. The canopy at this point was all-enveloping with hardly any visible sky, only the occasional beam of light piercing the foliage above.

At Stanley Falls close to Kisangani, Wagenia fisherman skilfully uses his scoop net

By far the most remote section of the Congo was the Luvua river, the outlet of Lake Mweru. Peppered with waterfalls and rapids, the entrance was guarded by abandoned T-62 tanks, littering the hillside by Pweto. This was the last town for 300 miles.

 

The day before I set off, I was approached by a leathery-faced South African bush pilot who, in his thick Afrikaans accent, told me: "Do you know there's still armed Mai Mai rebels in there man? I'm telling you if they catch you, they'll kill you, and it wont be a quick death." He continued: "A year ago two Belgian missionaries were captured, tortured, and had their testicles cut off and eaten. Their heads were then cut off and put on spikes outside their village."

I have to admit to briefly entertaining the idea of giving up, but quickly dismissed it and headed off before I changed my mind.

The Luvua landscape was unique. Golden coloured grass covered the surrounding hills, dotted with occasional abandoned huts built from volcanic-like rock. Large trees seemed to be covered by giant sheets of white silk blowing in the wind – in fact they were gargantuan house-sized spider webs. On one occasion while trying to sneak around a nasty rapid, I inadvertently brushed against one and was instantly covered in a million spiders – crawling in my mouth, my ears, up my nose. If I hadn't been such a rugged adventurer, I'd have screamed like a little girl; or at least, if a fisherman hadn't been sitting on a rock watching me.

Further downstream, soaring ochre coloured cliffs rose up thousands of feet from both sides, with stunted twisted trees clinging precariously to their sides. Everything was as dry as a bone; only by the river's edge was there greenery. The odd thunderous chasm from hell required a portage.

Congo river fisherman at Lukolela village, lower Congo

The Lualaba forms the middle and lower Congo River, and though I often experienced tremendous hospitality from the indigenous poverty stricken fishermen, unsavoury characters also became more commonplace. Trying to sneak past the town of Kabalo in the early morning mist, I was forced ashore at gunpoint by a couple of armed soldiers in a dugout canoe. I was greeted on the bank by what I can only describe as a mob of corrupt officials, and subjected to a rather aggressive search, taken away for questioning, arrested, and put into a jail full of prostitutes. My crime was for physically preventing the immigration official from leaving his office, as he had put my passport in his pocket and told me I wouldn't get it back unless I gave him $100. I eventually managed to resolve the situation. The next night, by way of contrast, I spent with a couple of delightful old fishermen on an island in the river.

The town of Kongolo was a perfect example of how former president Mobutu's criminal reign had caused the country's infrastructure to collapse. He squandered the country's wealth for his own personal gain, and the country's limited infrastructure collapsed. The shore was littered with the rusting, decaying hulks of giant river barges. A large tree growing out of one of the holds served as an example as to how long they had been there.

Further inland I discovered a roofless warehouse with three perfectly intact, albeit rusted, old-fashioned steam engines, abandoned to the elements.

In Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad described the lower Congo: "Like travelling back to the earliest beginnings of the world, when vegetation rioted on the earth and the big trees were kings. The air was warm, thick, heavy, sluggish. There was no joy in the brilliance of sunshine. On silvery banks hippos and alligators sunned themselves side by side. The broadening waters flow through a mob of wooded islands; you lost your way on the river as you would in a desert … this stillness of life did not in the least resemble a peace. It was the stillness of an implacable force brooding over an inscrutable intention. It looked at you with a vengeful aspect."

One stretch of the lower Congo River was known locally as "the abattoir", due to its past history of cannibalism and its current reputation for criminal activity. Because of this, I decided to hire four brothers as bodyguards. I met them whilst sheltering from a rainstorm in their tiny village miles from anywhere, and straight away I knew I could trust them. Armed with a shotgun and with my canoe lashed to their giant dugout, we paddled and floated for five days and nights on the river. Common questions from locals included: "Why haven't you cut his throat yet?" and "If you don't want to do it, tell us where your camping and we'll come and do it for you … We'll share his money."

Without a doubt, meeting the brothers – Valatay, Leonardo, Maurice and John – was one of the highlights of my trip. As desperately poor as they were, they were shining examples of how to retain your dignity and honour in the face of adversity. If my scrapes with the criminal element ever caused my faith in humanity to waver … these guys definitely restored it.

I left the brothers in Mbandaka, and three stone lighter after a life-changing five months, I eventually arrived at the Atlantic Ocean. My last night on the river was spent with delightful people in a desperately poor village in the coastal mangrove swamps. As a token thank you to the fishermen of the Congo, I gave my canoe as a gift to the village chief. He was chuffed to bits … as was I to have finally achieved my goal.

Way to go

Travel advice and trips

The Foreign Office (fco.gov.uk) advises against all travel to specific regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo and all but essential travel to the rest of the country. However, Umubano Tours (umubanotours.com) offers several trips in the DRC, including hiking up Nyiragongo volcano and gorilla watching. Uganda-based Gorilla Safaris (gorilla-safaris.co.ug) offers similar trips. In the neighbouring Republic of Congo, Zambezi Safari and Travel Co (zambezi.com) offer a luxury adventure package to two new camps, Lango and Ngaga, including boat trips on the Lekoli and Mambili rivers, international and internal flights and full-board at the two camps from £4,750pp for six nights.

Further information on Phil's trip

Phil Harwood's book, Canoeing the Congo, and his documentary of his five-month journey, Mazungu, which he filmed himself, are available at canoeingthecongo.com

The left-field contenders

 With only six months to the opening ceremony, national selectors are considering the claims of famed and unknown competitors to fill a team expected to number almost 500.

While internationally renowned athletes such as reigning Olympic pole vault champion Steve Hooker, world champion hurdler Sally Pearson and Tour de France champion Cadel Evans will don the green and gold in London, they will be flanked by an army of ambitious tyros.

And some of them are in with a shout to continue Australia's golden Games tradition of making the transition from anonymity to international stardom.

Ryan Gregson, Jessica Fox, Brittany Broben, Rohan Dennis and Kaarle McCulloch are just a some of possible medal contenders who remain larrgely unknown outside their own sports, where some are already world champions.And then there are those who have savoured the ultimate Games glory and, after either injury or retirement, are back in the mix for another tilt - athletes such as beach volleyballer Natalie Cook and rower Drew Ginn.

Track and field's Gregson was only 20 when he set a new 1500m national record in his first season of open competition. High hopes are held not just for London but Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

A steady improver over the past three seasons, Gregson made a quantum leap in Monte Carlo last year when he improved his personal best over 1500m by than four seconds.

In the process, he beat former world champion and Olympic medallist Bernard Lagat and broke Simon Doyle's 19-year-old Australian and Oceania mark.

Ditto for cycling's Dennis, 21. As the lastest product of the seemingly bottomless South Australian cycling talent pool, Dennis already has impressive credentials.

He was part of the Cyclones' world championship 4000m team pursuit quartet in the Netherlands last year and has carried on the form this year with two national titles and fifth in the Tour Down Under.

McCulloch, 24, is best known as Athens gold medallist Anna Meares' lieutenant in the team sprint, but she is also an oustanding sprinter in her own right.

She boasts dazzling speed and impressive mental hardness.

Fox, 17, shapes as one of Australia's most intriguing medal chances in slalom canoeing.

The Marseille-born teenager's parents form the most impeccable pedigree - her father Richard won five world titles for Great Britain, while her mother Myriam snared an Olympic bronze medal and two world titles for France.

Fox has aready displayed tremendous promise, winning a swag of junior world titles while also claiming a bronze at senior level - as a 15-year-old.

There is similar excitement over Queensland's Broben after she last year rocketed into Olympic calculations by winning the US Diving Grand Prix in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Then only 15, the Gold Coast student downed China's Olympic champion Chen Ruolin in the 10 metre platform to snaffle the gold.

At the opposite end of the age spectrum, Cook is chasing history - and a place on a record fifth Olympic team.

Cook, 36, has already won Olympic gold (Sydney) and bronze (Atlanta) with subsequent appearances at Athens (fourth) in 2004 and Beijing four years ago.

The Queenslander is now bidding to become the first Australian female to win selection for the fifth time.

Ginn, 37, is again in the Olympic equation after venturing into cycling, where he won an Oceania title.

The Victorian, a gold medallist in Atlanta ('96), Athens ('04) and Beijing ('08) won an eight world championship medal in the coxless fours in Bied last year.

Along with long jumpers Mitchell Watt and Fabrice Lapierre, Pearson, Hooker, canoeists Rosalyn Lawrence, Ken Wallace and Naomi Flood, Ginn shapes as a leading hope in six months.

While cyclists Evans, Jack Bobridge, Richie Porte, Luke Durbridge, Cameron Meyer, Shane Perkins and Matt Goss will get plenty of attention, gymnasts Lauren Mitchell and Prashanth Sellathurai will also vie for glory.

As usual, our swimmers are expected to deliver the bulk of the medals through champions such as James Magnussen, but there is a number of smokeys who could emerge including Melissa Gorman and Emma McKeon.

High hopes are also held for BMX duo Caroline Buchanan and Sam Willoughby as well boxer Daniel Hooper, kayaker Murray Stewart, shooter Lauryn Mark, archer Ryan Tyack and equestrian's Edwina Tops-Alexander.

AUSTRALIAN MEDAL PREDICTION: 35

THE WILDCARDS

Ryan Gregson, 1500 runner

Jessica Fox, slalom canoe

Brittany Broben, diving

Rohan Dennis, cycling

Kaarle McCulloch, cycling

Naomi Flood, canoeist

Rosalyn Lawrence, canoeist

Ken Wallace, canoeist

Melissa Gorman, swimming,

Emma McKeon, swimming

Caroline Buchanan, BMX

Sam Willoughby, BMX

Daniel Hooper, boxing

Murray Stewart, kayaking

Lauryn Mark, shooting

Ryan Tyack, archery

Edwina Tops-Alexander, equestrian

Lauren Mitchell, gymnastics

Prashanth Sellathurai, gymnastics

Mitchell Watt, long jump

Fabrice Lapierre, long jump

Jack Bobridege, cycling

CHASING MORE GOLD ...

Natalie Cook, beach volleyball

Drew Ginn, rowing

Grand Prix 2 wrap up – Day 2

QAS paddler Hailey McGinty was the standout athlete at today’s Grand Prix 2 event at Lake Wendouree in Ballarat, Victoria combining with fellow Sunshine Coast paddler Alyce Burnett to take out the women’s K2 500m final in 1:43.68, and drew praise from National Performance Director Richard Fox.

“It was an encouraging display by the girls, who along the women’s K4 crew and Naomi Flood (WK1 500 winner) raced some decent times, showing their on track for (Olympic) trials.”

The Sunshine Coast duo finished 0.51 seconds clear of fellow Queenslander’s Lyndsie Fogarty and Rachel Lovell, with South Australia’s Hannah Davis and Manly’s Naomi Flood finishing third.

In a highly competitive and exciting women’s K1 500m final, nothing separated Flood and McGinty, with Flood edging home by a mere 0.37 seconds after setting a quick time of 1:52.30. Davis finished in third position a further two seconds adrift.

In the men’s events Tasmanian Canoe Club paddler Sam Norton built on yesterday’s impressive win in the men’s K1 1000m final, teaming up with fellow Surf ski paddler Lachlan Tame to win the men’s K2 500m final in impressive fashion. 

“I have had a fairly good couple of days, there was a bit of a dilemma for me coming here because I
have had a major race this year, so to come away with a couple of results is good”, said Norton.

Norton is just one of many talented young Tasmanians who are making the transition from surf ski to sprint canoe racing.

“We’ve had a pretty strong surf ski squad for a number of years now and gradually we starting to get people to cross over and do a bit of this as well (canoe sprint), and people are starting to realise that it’s fun and it helps your ski paddling as well.”

Taking the same path as Norton and recently crossing over to the sport, Tame went on to take out the men’s K1 500m final in 1:42.27, 1.89 seconds clear of Sunshine Coast young gun Bill Bain, with South Australia’s Callum Dunn a further 1.28 seconds adrift in third.

Tomorrow will see Tame compete in his pet event, the men’s K1 200 and K2 200m events, where he will team up with 2008 Beijing Olympian Tony Schumacher and will be looking at building on his impressive showing at NSW Sprint championships earlier this month (when he finished 8th in the men’s K1 200m A Final) as he continues his preparation for Olympic trials in March.

“I’m pretty happy with my progress towards the Olympic trials, I was only 0.8 second behind Joel (Simpson) at the last race which is massive for me because last year I was not well off the pace, but I wasn’t there and with so many things to improve on likes technique and starts hopefully I can get close.”

The U18 men’s and women’s K1 500 finals were won by Max Lemke and Bayswater paddler Shannon Reynolds respectively, while Sunshine Coast duo Bill Bain and Charlie Copeland continued their recent fine form adding today’s U18 K2 500 win to their K2 1000 victory yesterday.

National Performance Director Richard Fox wanted to thank the support generated by local media in what has been the first major canoe/kayak competition hosted at the venue for more than 20 years.

“The local media support has been great, WIN television was out here this morning, and The Courier’s coverage has been not only great for the sport, and the venue and region.”

Tomorrow promises to be another exciting day of racing, with the men’s K1 200m heats to kick off proceedings from 8:00am local EST, where you will see the likes of Tame and Norton go head to head with recently turned 18 year old Charlie Copeland who celebrated his birthday on Australia Day and will be looking for a late Birthday gift as he sets about winning his first ever K1 200 open final tomorrow.


 

Grand Prix 2 underway - Lake Wendouree, Victoria

Day one of this year’s GP2 event at Lake Wendouree, Victoria has commenced with plenty of exciting racing on the Ballarat course this morning which featured the men’s and women’s K1 1000 finals.

Illawarra paddler Maddison Prior took out the women’s K1 1000m final in a close affair from Patterson Lakes athlete Catherine McArthur. Prior recorded at time of 4:19.99, to finish 0.72 seconds clear of McArthur, with fellow South Australian Ivana Kanytur finishing third.

The men’s K1 1000 final was dominated by Tasmanian U23 athlete Sam Norton who finished more than three seconds clear of Sunshine Coast young gun and 2011 ICF Junior Marathon World champion Bill Bain, with Holdfast Bay’s Luke Haniford finishing a further second adrift in third. The B final was won by West Lakes paddler Nicholas Bulmer, who raced superbly from lane 1.

Bain continued his solid form shortly after, combining with fellow Sunshine Coast athlete Charlie Copeland to take out the men’s U18 K2 1000 final in 3:31.88, 2.37 seconds clear of West Lakes pair Max Lamke and Sean Charles DeDai, with Sydney Northern Beaches duo Ben McLean and Fraser McTavish pipped for second, just 0.27 seconds adrift of the West lakes crew.

This afternoon will see the 1000m team boat finals raced, while kicking off proceedings tomorrow from 8am with be the men’s K1 500m heats.

The live result feed is down at the moment, so for the latest result updates join the TEAM AUS Facebook page, by clicking the link below.

Slalom Olympic Nomination Criteria available

Please note the AOC have now extended the nomination dates to the 5th February.

In order to be officially recognised as a member of the Shadow Team athletes need to sign the Consent to Shadow Team Membership Form and return it to Lauren Fitzsimons via (fax/email/post) before COB 5th February.

Fax - (02) 4729 4257
Email: lauren.fitzsimons@ausport.gov.au
Post: AIS Canoeing, PO Box 4246, Penrith NSW 2750

Follow the link below to download the critera.

Wildwater Team Announced

World Championships Team

Men's K1 (Fastest 3 Classic Paddlers and Fastest Sprint Paddler):

Stewart Bennett
Matthew French
Matt Dalziel
Robert McIntyre

Women's K1

Kristy Packham

Women's C1

Ros Lawrence

World Cup Team

Men's K1

Stewart Bennett
Robert McIntyre
Alex McIntyre
Tom Mounteny
Glenn Singleton
Peter Lockett

Women's K1

Kristy Packham

Women's C1

Ros Lawrence

Note:

Under clause Section 5.9 of the Selection Policy the Selection Panel will make “Additional opportunities to gain selection… where the full quota of boats has not been qualified in any class.”

This means that athletes who did not meet the Selection Criteria in Women's K1, Men's C1 and Women's C1 will have additional opportunities made available to them to make the World Championship and World Cup Teams.

The percentages for Selection were revised on the recommendation of the Selection Panel to 111% for K1M and 123% for K1W

Junior Development Team

The team details for this will be advised shortly

Sprint Team Selection Policies and NEDP Selection Guidelines Released

Senior, Team 22, Junior and Olympic Hopes policies are linked below.

In order to be considered for selection you must complete the online nomination form which can be found here. Nominations close 17th February.

The National Elite Development Program (NEDP) Selection Guidelines also available via the link below.

The Olympic Team Nomination Criteria will be released shortly pending AOC approval.

Grand Prix 2 kicks off this Friday

The scene is set for an exciting three days of flatwater action, with the woman set to share the limelight this weekend with Holdfast Bay paddler Hannah Davis and NSWIS duo Naomi Flood and Jo Brigden-Jones joining Queensland athletes Hailey McGinty, Alyce Burnett, Lyndsie Fogarty and Bernadette Wallace, to challenge for line honours on the water, and push their case for Olympic selection come March.

Events will be raced over three days with the 1000m events to be contested on Friday, the 500m events on Saturday and the 200m sprints on Sunday, with the long distance events split over the weekend.

Sunshine Coast paddler Alyce Burnett will be looking to build on her impressive performances at Queensland Sprint Championships when racing gets underway on Friday with the women’s K1 1000m heats from 8:00am local Eastern Standard time.

In the absence of 2011 K1 500 and K1 200 World Cup medallist Alana Nicholls, QAS paddler Rachel Lovell will be looking to hold her mantle as the countries next best K1 200 paddler following victory at last week’s QLD Championships and second place finish behind Nicholls at NSW Sprint Champs, but will face stiff competition from Davis and the ever improving Brigden-Jones.

With the senior AIS men deciding to bypass the event, 17 year old Sunshine Coast young gun Bill Bain looks set to contend for line honours in the men’s K1 events, after impressing at Paddle NSW Sprint Championships two weeks ago reaching two K1 Open A finals amongst a highly competitive field. Bain will compete against a host of the nation’s best U23 athletes for victory including Sam Norton, Luke Haniford and Nick Dawe.

Fellow Australian U18 speedster Charlie Copeland will be looking to win his first men’s Open event, when he takes on the likes of Bain, Dawe, Tony Schumacher and Lachlan Tame in the men’s K1 200m heats on Sunday.

The women’s team boat events look set to go down to the wire with Davis and Flood, McGinty and Burnett, and Lovell and Fogarty set to battle out in the K2 500 and K2 200 events, while McGinty, Burnett, Flood and Wallace will challenge Brigden-Jones, Lovell, Davis and Fogarty in the K4 500m which looks set to go down to the wire.

Lake Wendouree, Victoria
Lake Wendouree is a venue enriched with tradition, having hosted the canoeing events at the 1956 Olympics and GP2 will be the first major event the venue has hosted for 25 years.

Located approximately 90 minutes from Melbourne, Lake Wendouree is an artificially created and maintained lake, and the name ‘Wendouree’ comes from a local aboriginal word ‘wendaaree’ which means go away, a story which was told by William Cross Yuille when he asked a local indigenous woman what the name of the swamp was, that was her reply.

 

Aspiring Olympians hit Lake Wendouree

The 26 athletes are hoping big things lie ahead for them and are using the camp to improve their team skills and prepare for the second leg of the Grand Prix series which starts on Friday.

National Elite Development manager David Foureur, who competed on Lake Wendouree in the 1985 national sprint titles said learning team skills was crucial to future success.

He explained that while it is easy for paddlers to practise by themselves it is difficult to get opportunities to meet other paddlers and practise for team races.

He said the camp would become even more important now since the announcement that there would be under-23 world championships every year from 2013.

17-year-olds Charlie Copeland and Shannon Reynolds are two of the athletes and both were excited about what they could learn from the camp.

Copeland performed well at the Junior World Championships in Germany in July last year and is now ranked 13th in the world.

He said the camp would help him improve as he aims to win an open age final at the Nationals in March.

“I’m just really focused on getting faster,” he said.

“I also want to build on my team boat skills and a make a few more friends because when you don’t have a partner (to compete with) you can jump in a boat with them.”

While Copeland has set the ambitious goal of making it to the 2016 Rio Olympic games, Reynolds said she had decided not to put a time frame on her Olympic debut.

Reynolds, who dominated the under-18 girls category at the first Grand Prix at Champion Lakes in Western Australia, said she was just focussed on the camp, this weekend’s regatta and the Nationals in March.

“I’m just looking forward to training hard with all the girls and learning more about team boat skills,” she said.

Six coaches will oversee the camp.

Victorian Canoe Polo Invitational

Event Information:

Canoeists arrive for elite training camp on Lake Wendouree

The National Elite Development Program’s three-day sprint camp will see the young athletes practice their craft ahead of the January 27-29 Grand Prix on Lake Wendouree.

They will spend up to three hours on the water during two sessions each day while the rest of their time will be divided between goal-setting, education and motivational classes.

On-water sessions will mostly involve the K4 canoe sprint kayaking class.

NEDP Victorian coach Peter Gargiulo is running the Australian Canoeing-organised event and said it would not only give the athletes the chance to prepare for the Grand Prix but also assist them in competing at the highest level.

“The focus of the program is obviously for Olympics,” he said.

“Now we’re not talking the next ones (London), perhaps not even the ones in Rio (2016) but certainly 2020 and beyond these kids, they’re all aged 16, 17 and 18, so they’re still quite young and they’re still in their early phases of development, some of them have only been paddling for a year-and-a-half, but through our state development programs we’re really trying to escalate these kids and get them some good skills.”

Australian Canoeing’s first sprint camp finished at the Gold Coast on Sunday and Gargiulo said the athletes enjoyed being part of the NEDP.

“They love it; kids love being associated with anything like that with the title, and it gives them all a little prestige basically,” he said.

“The kids are here because they love paddling, they’re not being forced to do it, they’re enthusiasm is natural and they’re excited.”

Jacobs Rubs Salt Into Doctor's Wounds

 The 36-year-old father of three (soon to be four) admitted the near millpond conditions tested every muscle in his body through the gruelling 27.5km paddle from Rottnest Island to Sorrento Beach.

Have you paid for GP2? Check this list to make sure

You can pay by logging in to http://regattas.canoe.org.au/?login with your AC login details and clicking on the "My Invoices" tab.

Aardoom, Robert
Brinkworth, Jamie
Buby, Nicole
Cooke, Lachlan
Kiernan, Emma
Lemke, Max
Martin, Chris
Maxwell, Bennett
O'Leary, Peter
Reed, William

Santarelli, Elliot
Santarelli, Pietro
Speer, Sam
Ten-Tye, Keren

QLD Sprint Championships Wrap Up – Lake Kawana, Sunshine Coast

The men’s and women’s K1 1000 events kicked off racing on Saturday, and in an exciting spectacle for the Gold Coast crowd, Sunshine Coast paddler Alyce Burnett edged Gold Coast athlete Ana Lehaci by 0.42 seconds to claim the women’s K1 1000 title in 4:03.54, with Nerang River paddler Lyndsie Fogarty finishing third.

Burnett continued her domination on Sunday, adding the women’s K1 500m and K2 500m titles to Saturday’s win with some dominant performances on the water. Nothing separated Burnett and fellow Sunshine Coast paddler Hailey McGinty in the women’s K1 500m final, with Burnett finishing in 1:59.18, just 0.33 seconds clear of her fellow club member. Gold Coast’s Ana Lehaci finished third.

Burnett and McGinty then combined to dominate the women’s K2 500 final from lane 5 in 1:48.90, more than four seconds clear of their nearest rivals, before combining with Bernadette Wallace and Ana Lehaci to win the K4 500 title.

Continuing her fine build up towards selection in March, Rachel Lovell did her Olympic credentials no harm taking out the Queensland title ahead of Burnett and Brothers’ paddler Dorina Obermayer

The men’s K1 disciplines were dominated by international paddlers with Great Britain’s Paul Wycherley winning the men’s K1 1000m final ahead of Italian duo Maximilian Benassi and Albert Ricchetti. In the absence of Australia’s top senior paddlers, Western Australian U23 athlete Lachlan Cooke was the first Australian across the line in 4th, with Queensland’s Dane Wilkinson a spot further back claiming the state title.

The K1 500m final was won by Alberto Regazzoni, from Ricchetti and Benassi forming at Italian trifecta, with Kawana Waters’ paddler Wilkinson once again the first Queenslander to cross the line in fourth.

Currumbin Creek star Ken Wallace combined with fellow club paddler David Smith to take out the men’s K2 1000m event in 3:18.25, making it consecutive K2 wins, following their success at NSW Sprint Championships at Sydney International Regatta Centre the week before. Italian duo Benassi and Ricchetti finished less than a second adrift, with Gold Coast pair Tate Smith and Jacob Clear finishing third.

Ken Wallace stepped in to replace NSWIS star Murray Stewart in the Worlds K4 1000 crew, combining with fellow Queenslanders’ Tate Smith, Jacob Clear and David Smith to take out the final in 3:05.40, more than four seconds clear of their nearest rivals.

The men’s K4 500m event went down to the wire, with the Kawana Waters crew of Pierce Hardy, Nicholas Bolten, Zsolt Dallos and Glenn Wilkinson edging a composite crew made up of Laurence Fletcher (SA), Zac Ryan (SA), Mark Stowe (NSW) and Todd Brewer (WA) for the victory.

Brothers’ duo Jake Donaghey and Alex Haas battled out the men’s C1 disciplines in the absence of senior paddlers Marius Florian and Sebastian Marczak, with Donaghey taking out the C1000m, while Haas won the C1 500m. Michael Beaver clinched the C1 200 title from Donaghey and Haas.

The senior paddlers will continue their busy schedule in the lead up to Olympic selection in March, travelling to Ballarat, Victoria this weekend to compete at Grand Prix 2.  

Juniors (U18)
Gold Coast paddler Jordan Wood continued his solid start to 2012, building on last week’s results to take out the men’s U18 K1 1000m title in 3:48.52, more than seven seconds clear of Sunshine Coast duo Peter Elford and Nickolas James Wagner who finished second and third respectively. Wood then completed the double on Sunday in equally convincing fashion, taking out the K1 U18 500m event, over four seconds clear of Elford, with Nerang River’s Jeremy Collins third.

Sunshine Coast paddler Coco Howcroft dominated the women’s U18 K1 1000 final in impressive fashion crossing the line in 4:22.70, 7.29 seconds clear of Currumbin Creek’s Gabriella Tobitt and Sunshine Coast’s Jordan Lee Jones. Howcroft then went on to win the U18 women’s K1 500 ahead of Jones and Direct Members Emma Burgess, before combining with Tobitt to take out the U18 K2 200m final.

Currumbin Creek duo Kristy Mitchell and Ellie Leaver won the women’s U16/18 K2 500 final in 1:57.49, just 0.33 seconds clear of Chloe Sterry and Emma Burgess, with Gabriella Tobitt and Tara McAleenan finishing third.

Currumbin Creek continued their domination in the men’s U18 K2 500 final with Jordan Clark and Alexander MacKenzie-Templar combining for victory ahead of crews from Sunshine Coast and Currumbin Creek.

 

VIDEO: Addiction-Kayak Fishing

Once you pick up the paddle and the fishing pole, there's no turning back. Scroll down to watch the vid, then check out what makes Rob tick.

We're chatting with Rob Choi, whose video Addiction: Kayak Fishing is burning up Facebook. Rob, why do you to through the considerable effort of shooting video? It's hard work. 

I believe kayak fishing is an action sport and although photos capture action to an extent, video does it true justice. I love watching videos of hard hook sets and intense fights as well as seeing the setting through other peoples "eyes". So, in turn, why not share my experiences, too.

The action in this video gets the heart pumping. What fires you up?

The possibility of something great happening out on the water. It's the unknown that's so exciting. Obviously the great fights are awesome, but if it was guaranteed, it wouldn't be nearly as exciting.

Between you, Kayak Kevin, KA Magazine regular Ric Burnley, and the rest of your adrenalized crew, Virginia kayak anglers have it going! Is it something in the water?

VA certainly does have some serious kayak anglers. Is there something in the water? Most definitely! FISH! We have an amazing fishery with a great migration pattern. And with guys like Kayak Kevin paving the way, VA definitely showcases some excellent fishing.

Are you hooked or what? What is it about this sport that makes it so addictive?

I've always loved fishing, but when I hooked, fought, and landed my first fish from the kayak, the addiction started. There was a sense of accomplishment that I didn't get from fishing on someone else's big boat. I made all the decisions, I found the fish, and made it happen. As opposed to being subjected to a captain's decisions and not being able to take credit for the success that might follow from those decisions.

The addiction got worse and worse the more I learned about the fishery. It has consumed my thoughts to the point of utter distraction. My coworker caught me smiling at the wall as I daydreamed about trophy sheepshead hook sets. It's gotten to the point that if I don't get out on the water with my kayak for a couple of weeks, I get really cranky and my wife tells me to get the hell out of the house. She understands my desire and even encourages me to take it as far as I can. As long as I keep family and paying bills first, I'll do anything and everything I can to get that next "high".

That explains the name of your blog, Angling-Addict.com. What's your goal with the site?

The blog started as just a creative means to share my stories with friends, but as it's grown popularity with the locals, I've gotten lots of questions. So now, I try to give tips every now and then as well as try to motivate people to get out there and experience all the great fishing VA has to offer... which is partially the reason for the video as well. I also try to encourage proactive efforts in conservation as well.

Marathon Selection Nomination and Policy

The Marathon Team will be going to the 2012 World Championships in Rome.

If you would like to be considered for selection you will need to nominate using the link below.

Nominations close 3 April 2012.

Enter now for the 2012 Slalom Nationals

Follow the link below to enter the 2012 Australian Slalom Championships, January 3-5.

You can either enter all events for $90 or one event only (eg Mens C1, no teams) for $40.

Check out the Slalom Wiki, Ranking and Events sites to keep yourself updated with slalom in Australia ...

The Australian Canoeing Slalom Technical Committee (Canoe Slalom Australia) has a brilliant wiki, designed to keep you up to date with all things slalom in Australia ... To check out the CSAus wiki, click here - don't forget to bookmark the site! ...

There is also the ranking website which is a comprehensive listing of where you are currently ranked.

For the latest Event news check out slalom.canoe.org.au for start lists results and more.