Safety Cover @ Tully

Geebs · Post by **Geebs** » Sun Apr 02, 2006 10:35 pm

After the last event at Grandtully and the lack of safety on the course, will this year be any different?

My concern is that there are a lot of young small paddlers that have been promoted to Div 2/1 and they are not capable of dealing with a rescue situation on a river such as this.

Last year at the August event 3 qualified highly experianced coaches volunteered to get on the water for the Div2's and were asked to get off by the organisers, I hope this year for the sake of the young paddlers that this will not repeat itself and organised safety and throw bags will be in position.

guest · Post by **guest** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 9:38 am

After seeing the probelms that can arise with young paddlers, i.e. when a div 1 puts his shoulder out at Sowerby, surely it is essential that at every race there is some cover on the water, whatever the need for help.

Bill · Post by **Bill** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 12:54 pm

Whilst I agree that safety cover should be provided at the lower division events I feel that very paddler in the higher divisons are accountable for ensuring that they are confident and can deal with the water levels on the day and withdraw if they cannot, this would be applicable for all paddlers not just the juniors, if they can't handle it keep off!!
It is not the responsibility of the organisers to provide safety cover however I can't see the harm of volunteers doing it.

Jeff · Post by **Jeff** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 1:32 pm

Safety cover should be essential, not just for the lower divisions. Anyone, regardless of experience can make a mistake and come to grief. I often volunteer to provide cover and have always been accepted. If I were at an event and the organisers prohibited safety cover then I wouldn't want to compete in an event run by such irresponsible origanisers.

guest · Post by **guest** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 1:32 pm

the paddler at sowerby was competent, it was an accident and shouldn't we be prepared

chauffeur · Post by **chauffeur** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 1:52 pm

Guest wrote:Safety cover should be essential, not just for the lower divisions. Anyone, regardless of experience can make a mistake and come to grief. I often volunteer to provide cover and have always been accepted. If I were at an event and the organisers prohibited safety cover then I wouldn't want to compete in an event run by such irresponsible origanisers.

Here, here!
Looking at the Tyrweryn on Sunday. There was only small girls on the finish line.
This was not a case of incompetent paddlers, we are talking selection, anyone could have an acident and I ask the question how prepared are we to mount a resue??
Not being sexist but the younger girls can't handle a boat full of water! The one on Sunday had airbags and was still very low in the water.
How would the ladies go on resueing a C2!?

fison · Post by **fison** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 2:12 pm

I belive that there should be safty cover at every race as in the years that have gone by they saved me from some damage when i swam. It happens to the best of us and those at the very top. Remember Paddles Up when our Woman slalom Liz Sharman swam on the River Dee. Good job the safty boats were there. Also i agree with safty boats but also people with throw bags on the side know how to use. Even at the world championship there is safty every where so it say for it self provide safty cover. :p

malky · Post by **malky** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 2:32 pm

i would have to sway with the decision that safety is the responsibilty of the paddler/ legal guardian.
say cover is provided but still an accident occured and then the safety cover actually made the situation worse, then what would be said. are the safety cover to be of a suitable standard? needing qualifications for white water rescue? also throwlines are not really the best thing to be throwing at people in a river as they can then get someone stuck in a more awkward place.

parent · Post by **parent** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 2:41 pm

Guest wrote:i would have to sway with the decision that safety is the responsibilty of the paddler/ legal guardian.
say cover is provided but still an accident occured and then the safety cover actually made the situation worse, then what would be said. are the safety cover to be of a suitable standard? needing qualifications for white water rescue? also throwlines are not really the best thing to be throwing at people in a river as they can then get someone stuck in a more awkward place.

So a parent watching on the bank needs to wear a lifejacket all day now in case they need to rescue!
Not all parents are paddlers either.
I side with Fison.

fison · Post by **fison** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 2:41 pm

i aggre canoeing is a risk sport and when we enter the races we have to sign to say we agrre with it been a risk sport and danogrous sport.

I belive at some rivers we need safty cover as its a must no matter what level we are at

Kev.S · Post by **Kev.S** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 2:47 pm

Guest wrote:Whilst I agree that safety cover should be provided at the lower division events I feel that very paddler in the higher divisons are accountable for ensuring that they are confident and can deal with the water levels on the day and withdraw if they cannot, this would be applicable for all paddlers not just the juniors, if they can't handle it keep off!!
It is not the responsibility of the organisers to provide safety cover however I can't see the harm of volunteers doing it.

Thanks Chauffeur

The issue on the Tryweryn on Sunday was with paddlers getting off the water before they were supposed to, this left my daughter to self rescue, which she did, but it also left one young girl on the finish line trying to rescue a boat on her own.

This is not acceptable, paddlers should adhere to the safety rules, they are in place for just such an inncident.

As for the comments about paddlers in higher divisions being able to deal with the water, if they don't get on the water where do you suppose they will get the expierience?

parent · Post by **parent** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:02 pm

Kev.S wrote:As for the comments about paddlers in higher divisions being able to deal with the water, if they don't get on the water where do you suppose they will get the expierience?

Maybe those who think the up and coming paddlers shouldn't be on the bigger water have some suggestions as to how they get experience - IN SLALOM events that is. They paddle grade 3/4 in play boats anyway.

Bill · Post by **Bill** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:23 pm

I wholeheartedly agree that the juniors need to get experience of bigger water but would it not be more appropriate to do this under strict coaching conditions where a lot of safety can be provided,the major sites at Tully,Tryweryn, HPP and the Tees all have training gates up for most of the year so there's plenty of opportunities. Too often we are seeing juniors entered into Prem/Div 1 events where they really cannot cope with the water, we should be aiming to minimise the number of rescues needed not increase them as each rescue poses a threat to the safety of the rescuer themselves as I have found to my expense. Also important to note that anyone with a throwline should be qualified in white water safety and rescue, giving a throwline to someone not qualified could only make things worse, where would organisers stand if there was an incident and the safety was not suitably qualified-perhaps in a law court!

parent · Post by **parent** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:35 pm

Guest wrote:I wholeheartedly agree that the juniors need to get experience of bigger water but would it not be more appropriate to do this under strict coaching conditions where a lot of safety can be provided,the major sites at Tully,Tryweryn, HPP and the Tees all have training gates up for most of the year so there's plenty of opportunities. to

They do practice, lots! The girl at weekend had lots of experience, it was an unfortunate stopper, but even prems got in it and struggled to get out. You can't practice enough for that. Therefore it needs people on the water even if only to catch a boat. Are we next going to say unless you are big enough to rescue a boat you can't race? Many girls/even ladies struggle to get a sinking boat - even with airbags.

chauffeur · Post by **chauffeur** » Mon Apr 03, 2006 6:46 pm

scenario:
Two J13/14 girls paddle down course well and sit at the bottom as safety. Older J18 or Senior comes out of boat and they young girls are left to rescue paddler and boat. How do the smaller girls rescue a water filled boat? And maybe paddler. All could be good paddlers just an unlikely mistake anyone can make, just like this weekend. Only it was a young paddlers boat with young paddler at the finish - all competent slalom paddlers.