These are the "NEW" rules we are talking about so passionately on other topics the last couple of weeks.
I was looking on eauxvives.fr and someone started a new topic, on monday, on practice (non-stop) The link is here non-stop .
Interesting that they can't remember when practice disappeared. Was it 96 or 97? Was it the same year that we started aggregate runs? Seems about as important to them as when we got rid of reverses and changed the pole colours........ Except, of course to us Brits .....
Aggregate runs no practice
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Dave Royle
- Posts: 178
- Joined: Tue May 25, 2004 11:02 pm
The topic was "Aggregate runs NO practice". In fact the ICF rules do still allow a non stop practice run at the descretion of the organiser though I don't know of an occasion when they have allowed it.
What I was trying to get at is that the rules of Canoe Slalom as defined by the ICF are Aggregate Runs and (almost) No Practice and other countries have now forgotten that it was ever anything else. It is us Brits that have to have this debate all the time, instead of recognising that it is time to move on.
What I was trying to get at is that the rules of Canoe Slalom as defined by the ICF are Aggregate Runs and (almost) No Practice and other countries have now forgotten that it was ever anything else. It is us Brits that have to have this debate all the time, instead of recognising that it is time to move on.
I am one of, I suspect, many div 1 paddlers for whom access to decent white water is not easy. Thus when I attend a div 1 race, I am already at disadvantage compared to those who have easy access to white water - even more so compared to those who are local to a particular course. Though this disadvantage doesn't bother me personally, I suggest, on pure fairness grounds, that free practice should be allowed.
However, I want to spend more time on the water than just my runs. There are already events which, from experience, I am more likely to opt not to go to, as 6-8 minutes a day on the course is a poor reward for all the travel, tiredness and expense involved. I believe that there are many div 1 paddlers like me and I imagine many of these would give up the sport if they could not get the water time at competitions.
As to other countries, I suspect that the availability of decent white water is much greater, so there are fewer competitors who do not have easy access to decent whitewater and thus there are fewer for whom water time at a competition is important.
However, I want to spend more time on the water than just my runs. There are already events which, from experience, I am more likely to opt not to go to, as 6-8 minutes a day on the course is a poor reward for all the travel, tiredness and expense involved. I believe that there are many div 1 paddlers like me and I imagine many of these would give up the sport if they could not get the water time at competitions.
As to other countries, I suspect that the availability of decent white water is much greater, so there are fewer competitors who do not have easy access to decent whitewater and thus there are fewer for whom water time at a competition is important.
There is another point to all this. Although it is not the way it is done in other countries, maybe our way is better?
I think that we produce a disproportionate amount of world class paddlers, considering the poor pathway we have to offer to our paddlers, and the small pool of paddlers we have to draw from. The French and German club system is obviously far superior to ours, so how come we can even stand next to them on the podium? It could be our freer approach to water time at the races that allows paddlers to develop their skills, even on a race weekend.
I think that we produce a disproportionate amount of world class paddlers, considering the poor pathway we have to offer to our paddlers, and the small pool of paddlers we have to draw from. The French and German club system is obviously far superior to ours, so how come we can even stand next to them on the podium? It could be our freer approach to water time at the races that allows paddlers to develop their skills, even on a race weekend.