As has been pointed out elsewhere, the sport has become one for juniors and masters. and is not as big as it was ten years ago (let alone twenty)
Is this all due to demographic shifts? How do we keep our sport going. Retention is important, we cannot grow just by getting new people we need to keep them.
Keeping people seems (and JS has figures) easier in the successful clubs, success breeding success, or where there is a pasionate person willing to give a lot of time to developing the sport, and their club. Obvious examples being Nicky and Gareth. But how do we find them. (Thank goodness the whole subject of volunteers how to get, retain and recognise them is out of my area). Well except at my events where a large voice and pleading look seems to work
So come on, how do YOU think we can address this, or is it all someone else's problem
Growth of the sport - How do we do it
-
Canadian Paddler
- Posts: 1480
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 8:31 am
- Location: Peterborough
- Contact:
Hi
I've thought about this in the past a bit.
Whilst I feel that having decent venues within reasonable travelling distance is key, I wonder what clubs do to attract members/retain them.
Our club is relatively small and we tend to let people come to us. I feel that flipping it round and going out in the community etc would bring in members and thereby slalom paddlers too. However, if we do this we could become inundated, so it's a bit Catch 22
You definitely someone a bit gobby and prepared to chivvy people on.
I don't think the sport gets much attention between major events, unlike other sports, it is an exciting sport so how cna this advantage be pressed.
It'd be good to see some of the elite guys getting around to promote the sport nationally, does this happen?
I've thought about this in the past a bit.
Whilst I feel that having decent venues within reasonable travelling distance is key, I wonder what clubs do to attract members/retain them.
Our club is relatively small and we tend to let people come to us. I feel that flipping it round and going out in the community etc would bring in members and thereby slalom paddlers too. However, if we do this we could become inundated, so it's a bit Catch 22
You definitely someone a bit gobby and prepared to chivvy people on.
I don't think the sport gets much attention between major events, unlike other sports, it is an exciting sport so how cna this advantage be pressed.
It'd be good to see some of the elite guys getting around to promote the sport nationally, does this happen?
Are those guys the exception?
If some names could get themselves round the regions it would be a good motivator for the youngsters. Maybe to run a session or something
It always peeves me that this sport only gets coverage at certain times, especially due to the achievements at the top end.
Bloody media want to widen their scope to where we do have national success!
Maybe they need their arm twisted
If some names could get themselves round the regions it would be a good motivator for the youngsters. Maybe to run a session or something
It always peeves me that this sport only gets coverage at certain times, especially due to the achievements at the top end.
Bloody media want to widen their scope to where we do have national success!
Maybe they need their arm twisted
I can't help on the National side - I think there is someone in the BCU employed to deal with that...Fup Duck wrote:It always peeves me that this sport only gets coverage at certain times, especially due to the achievements at the top end.
Bloody media want to widen their scope to where we do have national success!
... but, as the club Chairman I (or one of my helpers) emails a report to the local papers everytime we have success at paddling events (slalom, polo, sprint etc). I know Proteus have started doing that too. At least it is a way of getting the sport known and with a few exciting pictures accompanying the reports hopefully we can attract new members...
Great Idea.
We've started contacting the press for things that occur - even if it's not success in competition and just local thigns we are involved with.
I might follow your lead and pursue them more vigourously.
I just meant that it gets on the telly at the Olympics or Europeans and that's it for another while. Shame it can't be dragged into the media more often.......which gives me a plan!
We've started contacting the press for things that occur - even if it's not success in competition and just local thigns we are involved with.
I might follow your lead and pursue them more vigourously.
I just meant that it gets on the telly at the Olympics or Europeans and that's it for another while. Shame it can't be dragged into the media more often.......which gives me a plan!
From my experience, getting youngsters into slalom is not very diffficult, but some things need to be in place:
A training site with gates. It is disgraceful how hard it is to get permanent training sites in this country, go to France, there is near enough one in every town. It doesn't even have to be on moving water - we might be on a river at Manchester, but for the majority of the year it might as well be flat. In fact flat would be better, then we wouldn't be bashing against the rocks all the time.
Equipment. If you have a proposal to get youngsters into sport, the money is available (or at least it was, Gill (our super grant finder) tells me it's getting harder now).
Committed coaches - who will turn up every week.
I believe that there are sufficient people out there who are willing to make the necessary commitment as coaches, the hard bit is finding them somewhere to coach. I have for a long time believed that no-one should be more than 30 minutes drive (in traffic) from their nearest training site.
Given these, all that needs to be done is to offer a weekly training session and parents will bring their children.
A training site with gates. It is disgraceful how hard it is to get permanent training sites in this country, go to France, there is near enough one in every town. It doesn't even have to be on moving water - we might be on a river at Manchester, but for the majority of the year it might as well be flat. In fact flat would be better, then we wouldn't be bashing against the rocks all the time.
Equipment. If you have a proposal to get youngsters into sport, the money is available (or at least it was, Gill (our super grant finder) tells me it's getting harder now).
Committed coaches - who will turn up every week.
I believe that there are sufficient people out there who are willing to make the necessary commitment as coaches, the hard bit is finding them somewhere to coach. I have for a long time believed that no-one should be more than 30 minutes drive (in traffic) from their nearest training site.
Given these, all that needs to be done is to offer a weekly training session and parents will bring their children.
Amen to that! (I am an atheist though)
I've tried liaising with the local agencies to get permanent gates and it's bloody frustrating. Putting the stuff up and down is a right chore for a couple of hours.
I'm sure a lot of others echo Dave's sentiments.
Rather than try and attack this as individuals/clubs can it not get some weight behind it. Or has this been tried. Now would be the time with 2012 looming
Bloody bureaucrats - I won't bore you with the conversations and mails I've had but trust me they are hair-pullers
I've tried liaising with the local agencies to get permanent gates and it's bloody frustrating. Putting the stuff up and down is a right chore for a couple of hours.
I'm sure a lot of others echo Dave's sentiments.
Rather than try and attack this as individuals/clubs can it not get some weight behind it. Or has this been tried. Now would be the time with 2012 looming
Bloody bureaucrats - I won't bore you with the conversations and mails I've had but trust me they are hair-pullers
-
Slapdash Sal
- Posts: 59
- Joined: Sun Jun 07, 2009 4:36 pm
- Location: Peterborough
I've been reading through the various threads and the slalom committee's minutes following the recent release of the strategy document. I note Colin’s demure that the strategy document is tactical in nature and I would agree with him. My personal perception of the document is that it is symptomatic of the shrinking-pains of slalom – at least that’s what it feels like.
I don’t like the fact that we seem to be leading with tactical changes when the strategic direction of the sport seems unclear (at least to me - please correct me if I’m wrong).
‘Putting paddlers first and valuing volunteers’ is a great strap line – it isn’t however a mission statement (or particularly inspiring). We need a mission statement that challenges us (all collectively) to grow the sport (from grassroots and up) to produce the world champions that we know we can.
Is this a vision of the times of yesteryear with Richard Fox leading the international charge, a bevy of national/regional/local events, burgeoning number of participants and Paddles-Up on the TV to capture the minds of our youngsters – why not? Why not more?
First we need a mission, then a strategy, followed by the tactical actions which will grow the sport (of which there seem to be an ample number of ideas floating around on the message board [not to mention the structures and processes we already have in place today]).
…and I’m happy to put my time and efforts in to help make it happen.
In the meantime can we stop cutting races – it feels like we’re continuing to shrink.
I don’t like the fact that we seem to be leading with tactical changes when the strategic direction of the sport seems unclear (at least to me - please correct me if I’m wrong).
‘Putting paddlers first and valuing volunteers’ is a great strap line – it isn’t however a mission statement (or particularly inspiring). We need a mission statement that challenges us (all collectively) to grow the sport (from grassroots and up) to produce the world champions that we know we can.
Is this a vision of the times of yesteryear with Richard Fox leading the international charge, a bevy of national/regional/local events, burgeoning number of participants and Paddles-Up on the TV to capture the minds of our youngsters – why not? Why not more?
First we need a mission, then a strategy, followed by the tactical actions which will grow the sport (of which there seem to be an ample number of ideas floating around on the message board [not to mention the structures and processes we already have in place today]).
…and I’m happy to put my time and efforts in to help make it happen.
In the meantime can we stop cutting races – it feels like we’re continuing to shrink.
First cut of a proposed vision & mission - please feel free to red-pen, shred, improve and generally comment on;
Our Vision
“Thriving UK paddle sport leading the world”
Our Mission;
Our Purpose
To establish & maintain slalom paddle sport, from grassroots to international champions, as one of the premier leisure pursuits in the UK.
Our Values
Ethics, safeguarding welfare and respect for all those within and without slalom paddle sport.
Our Strategy
- Working with national associations, paddlers, clubs, volunteers and the community to grow involvement, funding and support at all levels across the UK.
- National leadership, regional delivery.
- International partnership.
Our Behaviour Standards
- Innovation
- Inclusion
- Performing above expectation
- Working as a team while valuing individual contribution
What do you like? What do you hate? What's missing? What would you change? ...all feedback gratefully received.
The 'Our Strategy' bit above is just a summary component of the Mission - it would need to be filled out with the normal level of detail as a seperate document.
Our Vision
“Thriving UK paddle sport leading the world”
Our Mission;
Our Purpose
To establish & maintain slalom paddle sport, from grassroots to international champions, as one of the premier leisure pursuits in the UK.
Our Values
Ethics, safeguarding welfare and respect for all those within and without slalom paddle sport.
Our Strategy
- Working with national associations, paddlers, clubs, volunteers and the community to grow involvement, funding and support at all levels across the UK.
- National leadership, regional delivery.
- International partnership.
Our Behaviour Standards
- Innovation
- Inclusion
- Performing above expectation
- Working as a team while valuing individual contribution
What do you like? What do you hate? What's missing? What would you change? ...all feedback gratefully received.
The 'Our Strategy' bit above is just a summary component of the Mission - it would need to be filled out with the normal level of detail as a seperate document.
How do we grow slalom ???? I'd suggest ... Make it as easy as possibly to enter (and organise) as many local slaloms as possible, at all levels. Simple
Having just realised a D4 SC slalom generates 12 envelopes worth of post event paperwork, I can see we're a way away from that.
Having just realised a D4 SC slalom generates 12 envelopes worth of post event paperwork, I can see we're a way away from that.
Andy
(D1 K1 1981, D2 C1&C2 2010)
(D1 K1 1981, D2 C1&C2 2010)
Hi Andy,
From what you've said it would seem that there need to be efficiency improvements to help growth. That said Flipper has been having success in getting new people to run new events – so there are people out there who are willing to help – even with the admin overhead.
Alternatively we can increase the number of people coming into existing competitions from the grassroots (as we have been doing in L & SE regions) which avoids this problem.
At the moment we need to get buy-in from across the board that we want to grow (and why we want to grow). Once we have this we can work out the activities and changes that will enable us to get there.
Do you buy-in to the vision and mission posted above? What do you like? What would you change?
Cheers,
Nick
From what you've said it would seem that there need to be efficiency improvements to help growth. That said Flipper has been having success in getting new people to run new events – so there are people out there who are willing to help – even with the admin overhead.
Alternatively we can increase the number of people coming into existing competitions from the grassroots (as we have been doing in L & SE regions) which avoids this problem.
At the moment we need to get buy-in from across the board that we want to grow (and why we want to grow). Once we have this we can work out the activities and changes that will enable us to get there.
Do you buy-in to the vision and mission posted above? What do you like? What would you change?
Cheers,
Nick