Training camps

Munchkin · Post by **Munchkin** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:36 pm

At the request of others here is a post dedicated to the topic of training camps!

The C1 camps last summer (and hopefully the C1W camps this summer) have been well received and have introduced more people to C1. One of the things that I most enjoyed about them is that (for the W camps at least) they were open to all and have some of us exposure to top coaches.

Since I started slalom (and have tried hard to increase participation from my club) I have noticed that unless you are lucky enough to be based close to a good slalom club and are a junior there is little opportunity to get access to good quality coaching.

I think it would be great if there were more camps for both Canadian and Kayak categories which are run either at weekends during the off season or during school holidays. These should be open to all abilities (though clearly split into groups for coaching purposes). That would give people from the smaller clubs the chance to receive good quality coaching and to meet others interested in the same sport.

Equally, I think that the camps should be open to those of all ages. Yes, most investment will be in the kids but it should always be remembered that adults tend to get kids involved in sport and it is therefore important to keep the adults involved.

I know that slalom does not have the same budget as things like football but it does seem that what money there is in the sport is invested in very few people and bearing in mind how much of our entry fees (and compulsory BCU membership) goes to the BCU perhaps a bit more could be spread around.

I will put myself out there and say that I am happy to help with the organisation or on the day help with the camps but clearly as I am not a coach I can't do much to help that side!

M

Ps I think I should add that I am very grateful to those who have put in a lot of time and effort to improve my paddling over the last 6 months. Hopefully I can pass on some of what you have taught me to the new batch of slalom paddlers.

Slow Paddler · Post by **Slow Paddler** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:29 pm

I'm sure people would be willing to pay a small amount towards developmental training days.

If coaches were available (for a fixed fee), their wages would be paid & people would get the quality coaching that is lacking in some areas.

I see there being a need for adult sessions - as these are generally the people who volunteer to coach the juniors. If good technique is given to the adults, this'll then be passed down to the juniors, hence improving the grass roots side of the sport, hopefully leading to more skillful paddlers in the long run.

Nicky · Post by **Nicky** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 4:54 pm

I'd be willing to help out on one or more of these dates...

Unfortunately, most of the weekends until November are fully booked, but most weekdays after the BIG Abbey Rapids race are free.

Let me know if I can help!

Cheers

Nicky

Dee · Post by **Dee** » Tue Jul 14, 2009 8:26 am

This has been an on-going problem for a long time. Being near to a club offering coaching is key, but not all of us can move North to get coaching access. I agree that many paddlers of all ages would be happy to pay - I said the same thing myself several years ago, but very little has been available. I even contacted a number of commercial centres but slalom was not their "thing" (I think there could be an open market niche here perhaps running coaching camps through the summer).

In the end we gave up looking for any form of coaching.

SSCC is now starting to provide some coaching and I think this has made a huge difference to F in terms of enjoyment of the sport, and may even have been the key that's kept him racing for another year!