Discrimination against fat people - What are the rules

pykey · Post by **pykey** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:12 am

Hey, I competed at a event last year on bala mill falls. It was by far the worst result for me, and I reckon I know why!

The course designers had put a upstream gate quite far into a eddy where the water depth was probably less tham a foot deep.

I struggled on all my runs to make a tight approach to the gate for fear of grounding like a beached whale. however all the youngsters made a beeline straight for it no problems.

Are there any rules which state that the course should be the same for everyone no matter how fat you are ( OK im only 80Kg) or am I gonna have to crash diet?
I mean if london Fashion week take weight issues seriously so should slalom?

fison · Post by **fison** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:22 am

i like your point about been fat as i got a new boat in 1993 and weighed 10stone now i raced last year and was about 12and half stone
i say its muscle like, the courses are fair belive me look at the div one on the grave yard. at times light people are not powerfull enough to control the water and the larger people have a bit more contriol
It all depends on how much water they have got :p

pykey · Post by **pykey** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:54 am

I would agree with you but the argument does not stack up, I cant help being big! however I can work on my control skills regardless of how much strength I might have. at the end of the day the course designers should make courses that everybody can get round without grounding in my opinion. I mean if I had been like 16 stone I wouldnt have stood a chance.

c2canoeslalom · Post by **c2canoeslalom** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:33 pm

Try paddling a C2 mate!

PaulR · Post by **PaulR** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:15 pm

surely it just makes sense to have a boat that is relative to your weight???

if you believe that the course desginers did a poor job at bala mill, i would challenge you to create something that is a challenge for all, and "do-able" for many others.

if you cant afford to buy a new boat, or have the motivtion to deit; then i would suggest simply to not go to those slaloms that you believe to be dangerous for your canoes hull....OR bite the bullet as many slalom paddlers do and just ride the rocks!!!

Canadian Paddler · Post by **Canadian Paddler** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:24 pm

Another excuse for me!! not only too old, too unfit but too fat!
Tne rules do state that the course must be navigable, just never tried to argue for fat b*****ds like me!
Glad you are still slaloming Pykey

ps see other threads I believe Pykey is putting his hand in his pocket for a new boat.

pykey · Post by **pykey** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:52 pm

Thats right! im getting a new boat!! yehha then im gonna rule the waves!!

just got to diet now, running 25miles a week dont make a difference when you eat 3 chocolate bars a day!!!

Also I wouldnt have thought it mattered what boat you paddle, if I get a boat cut to 80K rather than 70, the hull still dispaces the same abount of water, just the deck might be under water.

FatBoy · Post by **FatBoy** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:17 pm

Try being 90kg! Yes I need to lose a few kg but it's mainly leg muscle...

Seriously though it's just the way it is - if you're big then slalom isn't so easy as if you're small but there's a few bigger people who seem to do ok. You could say rugby is discriminating against small people. Generally being bigger I would say holds you back less on Div 1 and Prem courses than the lower divisions.