Unofficial UK Slalom BBS

Each year I try to make a post for each motion to the ACM. Aiming to allow discussion and debate before the ACM. Also to make the ACM business available to anyone who is not in close contact with the club slalom rep. I also ask Nick to post the information on canoeslalom.co.uk

Remember the ACM is open to all, so feel free to come along if you want to express your views. If you would like your own copy of the Agenda automatically jist join teh mailing list (see other post)

Each year I wonder if this is irrelavent, useful or appreciated at all. So this year I decided to run a quick poll. Let me know if I should take the time next year? The poll is open until the day before the ACM, so please respond.

I've always found these useful and in the past they have allowed a fair amount of pre-ACM chat which has helped get people thinking/understanding the proposals. They were missed one (two?) year(s) which may have reduced momentum (though there are possibly fewer people using the boards these days).

Dee. I've always found these useful and in the past they have allowed a fair amount of pre-ACM chat which has helped get people thinking/understanding the proposals. Fully agree

Dee
Is it possible to have a proposed copy of Next Years Calendar to consider before the meeting or is there a link to it anywhere.

I appreciate the additional time and effort involved for both you and Nick in posting these threads Colin but have always found them to be very useful in giving a pre meeting opportunity for points to be raised and debated.

Thanks for doing it for the good of everyone.
Steve

Mike Mitchell wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 02, 2022 2:57 pm

Dee
Is it possible to have a proposed copy of Next Years Calendar to consider before the meeting or is there a link to it anywhere.

https://www.canoeslalomentries.co.uk/ye ... s/calendar

Or you can get to it via the canoeslalomentries menu bar as long as you are logged in.

It is useful, and could be even better if this platform permitted the posting of supporting material, charts, videos etc. to help provide explanations.

FYI - there are active discussions of the first 2 motions amongst older paddlers using the Whatsapp group 'Slalom Masters Group' (admin is Robert Grundy), and the Facebook group 'UK Canoe Slalom Results'. Those places facilitate the pasting of charts and videos to provide greater explanation . . .

Definitely useful, except we need to get more people involved, need to get the word out there that this forum exists, share the links on club Facebook sites??

chriswilde wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 04, 2022 1:13 pm

Definitely useful, except we need to get more people involved, need to get the word out there that this forum exists, share the links on club Facebook sites??

I agree and just started post it on Canoe Slalom Facebook.
But then realised we are going to spend most of the ACM talking about VETS. Plastic Boat Slalom and Sup Slalom.
Thats not going to be of much interest to the majority of Slalom paddlers.

I agree with you Mike re Vets, SUP and plastic boats, I am sorry to those what have made the proposals but none of these motions spark any interest with me or many other paddlers.

I have been thinking about the future of slalom and talking to quite a few people about it recently and although I haven’t got as far as proposing a motion for the AGM I know that there are a lot of adults (including the vets) who want to race, but the sport has increasingly become focused on young people who are aiming for great things. I don’t think this is a problem, but I do think we should talk and think about a different and slightly radical approach.
Some will say what makes our sport unique is the fact that juniors and adults compete in the same divisions and races. However I would say that the fact that very few other sports do this tells you that adults generally do not want to compete with the juniors, as our courses have become shorter and the moves tighter they favour smaller lighter paddlers in general.

So how about as an idea to consider we move to separate under 23’s and over 23’s into two different leagues? Then we move to a three division structure plus novices (like the current div 4). Call it whatever you like…. In the senior leave paddlers get a prize for first but also say first M50 and first M60, so no vets classes (the fact that I was able to compete as a veteran at 35 is a bit of a joke but it suited the paddling I wanted to do, also not a very flattering name for the class

adults could then race against each other rather than newer adults struggling against super speedy kids. Vets can get meaningful points and Plastic boats could paddle in the lower division….as per present in the mainstream

Not sure where SUP fits in but I plan to include and open SUP class at my next slalom and just maybe we could have a SUP league which tags along with the lower division races? (Duo is a very different craft).

I mentioned three divisions…. Currently div 2 is rarely on what used to be div 2 water, there is no HPP, Thames weirs, tryweryn etc if you had prem (current prem plus top of present div 1 10 races, top venues), div 1, most of current div 1, plus half of div 2, 20 to 26 races on similar venues (as per current div 1 calendar plus a few to get more races around the regions?), dive 2 current div 3 plus half of div 2 more of a regional focus (could include a regional league table like the club leagues and perhaps??? Add to these stand alone or alongside entry level slaloms as per present but split into adults and youths (under 23’s)…..

Like I say, not an AGM motion but something to provoke thought and conversations??

In my opinion some solid ideas there.
Seperate Jnr's and Senr's is what happens in Germany. They split it : J10,J12 and J14 races, J16 & J18 then U23 and Snr's. They also do age group seniors but I haven't got involved yet.
The racing for juniors is largely regional based. Only 6 domestic races for the juniors in Bavaria but then there are training camps at exciting places in other countries, France, Czech, Italy etc or just weekends at the race venues we use. Training camps can be upto a week long and the kids go in mini buses with the coaches.....and camp!

SUP should be welcomed in but it's no magic bullet and needs to be a very simplified type of slalom. There are stand alone (pun intended) races for SUP in Czech. They consist of a sprint, slalom (like the extreme "slalom courses") and a boarder cross.

It might be an idea perhaps to have a SUP "slalom" alongside a boater cross type event on a Saturday afternoon evening?? Something to draw in the the non slalom racers such as siblings and parents that makes them want to come to an event. On site camping is also much underated for garnering a family feel that includes the non paddling members of a family.

Good luck Chris, I hope you get some support with these ideas and that they can flourish. It's no good sticking to what used to work.

In the absence of a more official forum for such things, yes.

I would have to say that the majority of paddlers and parents I talk to don't like this forum, they are nervous to put their heads above the parapet and post anything, so tend not to bother checking it either. I'm afraid I have no ideas for turning that around and making the forum more useful though, sorry.