Premier division schedule 2014

[Jaytee]

Has anyone else noticed there is a 6 month gap between races next season?
That seems a very long time for those not participating in selection/international racing.

[HaRVey]

[This post has been removed by the writer]

[SilverSurfer]

You sound surprised, whilst the summer break is slightly longer than previous years, it's the same old story, a calendar based around those competing in the GB team.

[PeteWillett]

The premier calendar is an absolute joke to anyone not racing international

[Canadian Paddler]

Maybe there is a plan in the committee that this will encourage participation in Prem;

I fail to understand how it can be the committees fault. The managing of the Calendar comes down to trying to resolve clashes between events and get races run at the time GB ask for selection races. The CLUBS say when they want to run a race.

When the races are held is down to when clubs will run them. If you want summer races, then organise one, (or get your clubs to do so). Just remember that you need to get water - so Natural is difficult, and it is prime time for pumped courses so they are expensive.

Personally I would love the races more spread out as I am at many of them judging.

[boatmum]

Come on people

the committee cant arrange races into the calendar that haven't been put forward

Maybe a couple of clubs could get together and organise a couple more?

[SilverSurfer]

So maybe the committee should take a stance, and actually 'manage' the calendar so that it is equally spread out throughout the year. Also is the Serpent Tails race actually going to happen, given it was cancelled this year on the grounds that the owners of the hotel did not want the race.  I presume the committee did check that ?

[HaRVey]

[This post has been removed by the writer]

[Mrs C P Paddler]

Rant mode on: Here we go again........Committee bashing!!

If you are so against what it does, why didn't you stand for the committee? There are still places available and if you say so, you could be co-opted on right now. Anyone could have stood for the committee but as usual, people are happy to slate them for what they do but aren't prepared to put in their names in the hat and get voted on. And don't give the excuse that you don't have the time. Do you really think that the present members have the time to do all they want to? I know how much time CP Paddler puts in behind the scenes on committee business and believe me, its a lot!! He talks to a lot of people on the river bank and deals with dozens of e-mails and phone calls. The old saying "YOU CANT PLEASE EVERYONE" is so true. Failing that, attendance at the ACM would be a start. I am always surprised at how few people attend considering how many people are involved in the sport. Only 29 attended this year!! That's appalling. Things will not change to the way you want unless you put in some effort and make it happen. Talking about it on here wont change anything.

Tully this year was the date GB canoeing wanted for selection as the Junior World Championships are in April and they need to get the team together in time. Easter is also April and too late for selection. Just look at the selection policy. Everyone is going to find it difficult this year to get to Tully. Talk to GB canoeing about it.

As has been already stated, its the clubs who request to run slaloms and submit the dates they want to run them. The point of the managed calendar originally was to have an even spread of events throughout the year, however its the clubs who have prevented that from happening. There is nothing to stop them from submitting for events in the summer BUT they have to have guaranteed water and during the summer that's not always possible. We all know that there is no way any club could afford a pumped course during the summer months as that's when the pumped courses make their money from rafting. Don't get me started on this subject.

Serpents Tail is nothing to do with the committee but they have asked the questions and are waiting to hear. Presumably the organiser is fairly confident he can get the hotel to change its mind.

By the way, Stafford and Stone are not the only club who run slaloms "for paddlers by paddlers". Many clubs do. Proteus does and we make very little money from our Div3/4 events. Its the Canteen that makes the money otherwise we would be running them at a loss which we cant afford to do. We do it for the paddlers. If we didn't, we wouldn't waste 2 weekends of the year flogging ourselves to put on a good event. The winter one day slaloms make as much money as the summer ones and its these that keep the club from folding!

So, when are any of you going to stand up and join the committee?

Rant mode off. Reaching for the wine bottle!

[Canadian Paddler]

{Takes off helmet, flame proof jacket, puts down white flag, and shield and comes out from behind sofa}

Actually Mrs CP is not on the committee,

although she has mentioned being dischuffed at me going to work on the 7:20 train, coming home at 20:00 (on a good day), then doing committee work at the weekend, then wondering why I cant seem to get in a boat. . . .

Going back behind the couch with a bottle of wine to think of the good times when I just paddled.

[EDIT] A few more HaRVey postings deleted round here, I was not just responding to 'er indoors.
As HaRVey noted in one of these, he did not want to get into Tit-for-tat postings, so happy with his actions. Good on you HaRVey

[BaldockBabe]

Regarding Serpents Tail - yes, this had been checked with the organiser and it is still the intention to hold the event next year.

Regarding "managing" the calendar - as I have taken this on next year I am interested in how this discussion runs however some points that need consisting:

1. Events can only run when people want to run them. As stated above for higher divisions this will be limited by availability and cost of the water. In the summer there is less likely to be natural water and artifical courses cost more (as mentioned above).

2. I question the validity of a prem race being held when a large proportion of paddlers are unable to compete. I am not just talking about the GB Team (add many don't compete anyway!) But also the junior and u23 squads and development teams. The Scots, English and Welsh development squads spend the summer on camps in Europe and prior to that it's exam time. Just looking at Prem K1 and C1w if you take out the team, j and u23 teams and nation development squads there would be very few competitors left.

Regarding the committee bashing - this is a disgrace and perhaps people on this forum should think before they type. After my experience of running a prem event this year I have said I would never do it again and stand by that. I believe that Canoe England (who run races so that the money can be put back into English slalom and English competitors) ( I compete for Scotland so get no benefit at all) are still looking for someone to run the May HPP - perhaps one of the English contributers to this thread would like to give it a try?

[Jaytee]

Wow! It was never my intention for this thread to become so heated - and my post was not a dig at the committee, nor clubs.
I was simply sharing my surprise at the gap between the March & September Prem races.

Thanks to the contributions I can now see this gap has a lot of logic to it.

[PeterC]

Also I must note that as a committee we have tried to deal with this and have made strenuous efforts to move the British Open into the Summer to break the gap. It is the only race that we run that can be so moved and we have tried but have been unable to achieve this because as previously noted we are up against the financial imperative for LV to make money. It is important that we keep a Prem race in the south east and we will continue to do this. The only way we could is by increasing the cost of entry to the British Open considerably and effectively charging full commercial rates for the time. Unfortunately as fees increase entry numbers fall.

I would note that everything Mrs CP states is spot on and we should also note that although she is not on the committee that she herself contributes considerable time and effort to keeping Slalom up and running without any complaint and cooks to boot very good cakes and I am informed soup as well...

[Phil Stevo]

Yorkshire could run a Prem on Washburn anytime of the year but it was taken off us a couple of years ago at it is not deemed to be a Prem standard site anymore.

[harratts]

I think that Washburn would be a great venue to run a Prem. event on!

After all the water standard would be guaranteed and is it not about where the gates are set that matters not just having big drops. A technically difficult course, which would be the same for everyone, would pose a different challenge to the other venues granted Prem. races next year.