Chairman - Your chance to express an opinion

Anne · Post by **Anne** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 4:22 pm

The initiative at Shepperton was from World Class/Development, not the Slalom Committee. However in 2005 we have helped fund x3 community sports coaches to 3 slalom clubs via the young Persons Programme. Coaching Iniatiative grants have been awarded to another 2 clubs who have made a major input of J14 paddlers into Div 3. With very limited funds we are unable to support everyone every year. If you feel your club would benefit from a coaching grant, are registered with the Slalom Committee and have the infrastructure to support such an initiative please apply. We are also hoping to hold some heavily subsidised Winter coaching sessions, venue and dates as yet undecided to watch this space.

roe · Post by **roe** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 10:04 pm

I would like to express my support for Keith.

He has been totally committed to the sport for many years and I feel would do a wonderful job as Chair

george · Post by **george** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 11:04 am

how do u think he will do a wonderful job? What do u think he will do?:)

davebrads · Post by **davebrads** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:23 pm

First of all I have discussed this with other slalom paddlers within Manchester Canoe Club, and it has been presented to the MCC committee, so I am not going it alone on this.

To be frank, I don't know if Anne or Keith is going to do a better job, but I do believe that a shake up at the top of our sport is long overdue. Things like the Junior Worlds and the sponsered marquee may look good, but they are not the things that I am concerned about, such as the lack of support for coaches at club level, and the attrocious training facilities that most clubs have. The committee has ignored the lower end of our sport for too long, and maybe a kick up the backside is long overdue. Some proposals have been put forward by the committee, but they do not seem well thought out, and I get the feeling that they are a knee jerk reaction to the fact that their power is being challenged for the first time in many years. I have difficulty believing that these proposals will get the attention they need to carry them through once the ACM is over and the focus goes back to such things as the Junior Worlds and Hospitality tents.

So my vote is as much a vote for paddler power as anything else.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 9:22 am

Quote: "I am concerned about, such as the lack of support for coaches at club level, and the attrocious training facilities that most clubs have. The committee has ignored the lower end of our sport for too long, and maybe a kick up the backside is long overdue."

Here, here.
If you don't come from a club with a river with gates it on, it takes a lot of time and dedication to train.

Geebs · Post by **Geebs** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 10:29 am

Unfourtunatly I can not see how the slalom committee can suddenly magic up training venues! they cost a lot of money to build and these initatives should come from the national governing body or the goverment not from an already stretched volunteer committee.

The lack of river access is a problem to quite a few clubs for training that is why we have to drive 60 miles each way to a venue twice a week to train when we have a river on our doorstep, but no access agreement.

With regard to support for club coaches, there are opportunities available you just have to ask and take the initative yourself in finding out where the support is available, certainly in Yorkshire the support from the regional coaches is excellent.

The only way to improve the profile of the sport is to encourage support from outsiders and the hospitality tent and other ideas like this will only reap benefits in the future.

Dave Royle · Post by **Dave Royle** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 12:54 pm

I am not able to write on behalf of Stafford and Stone as they have yet to discuss the issues at their Committee meeting this Wednesday.

My own opinion is that the present Slalom Executive have, for once, been able to work together over the last nine months without the continuous distractions and endless discussions on largly irelevant subjects which have plagued the Committee for years.

The relationship with World Class is better than it has ever been. Numbers appear to be on the increase. The Committee has supported the putting in place of Community Sports Coaches into a number of clubs to augment and support the volunteer coaches.

Sadly, once again, it looks like people are seeking to fragment the Committee.

My personal view is that we should support Anne, so that she can continue to work towards a better sport for us all to enjoy.

Richie · Post by **Richie** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:24 pm

I think that Geebs said pretty much all that needs to be said about training venues. A few of you out there might know of a certain world class training venue known as the Fisheries! It's just a very small sluice on a canal where a group of paddlers got together and put up gates off there own back. Without spending a large amount of money, it is very hard to drastically improve the training venues that we have. However, it doesn't take much time and effort for a group of paddlers to get together and improve existing sites. I trained at the Fisheries until I moved to nottingham and it didn't do me any harm. You have to try and make the most of what you have.

The committee has very limited funds to put into the sport, and it appears to me that they are focusing on getting more coaching support for the developing athletes. As both Geebs and Dave Royle have said, there is money available, you just have to apply for it. Like with anything, you won't just get money thrown at you, those who are really serious about getting funding for coaching will go out there and get it. Atleast then the committe knows that the money will be going to someone that is committed to the development of slalom.

I think people need to look into exactly what the current committee has done, and what funding they have made available before they make any voting decision.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 2:59 pm

"The Committee has supported the putting in place of Community Sports Coaches into a number of clubs to augment and support the volunteer coaches."
Where abouts are they? As there are none in the North West to our knowledge.

Anne · Post by **Anne** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 6:23 pm

As we have said many times, nothing can happen overnight, it takes time to develop stratergies that will cover the whole spectrum of the sport, and still some will still moan! There are training facilities out there and it is not just up to the committee but the clubs themselves. As Richie said he grew up training on a bit of moving water on the Grand Union Canal with regular 250 mile round trips to HPP.

There is also always that queston of do we support and help with a reasonablr amount of money in a limited locations or spread it very thinly over a wider area which in thr long term will probably gain nothing and be lost. If you are in a club that yo feel the committee can help in anyway please write, outlining what you need and how we can assist.

Ther top end of the sport cannot be ingored it also needs supporting it is how the sport hits the media and becomes noticed thus increasing interest and participation. The relationship between World Class and the committee is the best it ever has been and we wish to keep it that way and are eternally thankful for the supports they are giving to clubs.

davebrads · Post by **davebrads** » Sat Nov 19, 2005 10:36 pm

The problem for those outside Nottingham is that over the past few years there seems to be a huge increase in the amount of funding spent in Nottingham, and no money available elsewhere. This will not provide a sustainable sport - and this year it seems to have got even worse. I accept Ritchies point that people just need to get off their asses and get something done, but if the committee is serious about increasing participation in our sport it does have to address the question of training facilities. It is not enough to have "come and try it" events, if the paddlers have nowhere to train, or any coaches, they will soon become disenchanted, and find something else to do.

This is the kind of lack of forethought that has existed for years in the committee, and I don't see any signs of it changing anytime soon. I don't blame Anne in particular, I'm sure she has done a great job within her own remit, but I do see her as representing the status quo, and it is that which needs shaking up.

Richie · Post by **Richie** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 1:17 pm

For starters, every sport has a center of excellence, ours happens to be in Nottingham. With the number of athletes that train there, it is always going to receive the highest level of funding, but this funding doesn't come from the slalom committee. As far as I can see it comes from World Class. They have been getting extra funding to improve the course, but thats only because they have been applying for the money.

You can't expect the few committee members there are to know all the training venues in the country, and know what needs doing to improve them. It seems to me that people are just expecting things to happen. Like Dave and Geebs said, there is money available, you just have to apply for it. You can't just slate the committe without knowing the full facts.

In any case, for things like training venue improvements, its more likely that you have to apply for a Lottery Grant. People are expecting too much time and money from a voluntary committee. The simply fact is, you want it, you go get it.

davebrads · Post by **davebrads** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 3:08 pm

Has Richie tried to apply for any of these grants that are supposedly available? In my experience it takes so much time, and have so many strings attached, that you may as well get on with it.

Besides, he is really missing the point. The committee is charged with the management of the sport, and the sport is in dire straits at club level, which to my mind means that they failing in their duty.

Nottingham is a centre of excellence, which is costing more and more to run. Why do we restrict our catchment of top paddlers to those that are within reasonable commuting distance of Nottingham? The potential future champions could live in Lancaster, or Newcastle, or London, but these people will have such a hard time getting the coaching and facilities that they need, that they will probably just give up and do something else instead. Just a fraction of the money spent at Nottingham could have a huge benefit to the sport, if it was channelled in the right direction. I am not talking about full time profesional coaches at every club, just more support for the volunteer coaches that are already out there, plus identification and training of new coaches.

fison · Post by **fison** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 3:59 pm

Here Here i agree so who can make this happen then

Anne · Post by **Anne** » Sun Nov 20, 2005 5:46 pm

Can I remind you Richie came from London and he seems to be doing OK!! You all have regional reps, Yorkshire also has a committee supporting local paddlers through the system, running events, and training sessions why can't all the other regions do the same. My 2 grew up in Eastern Region with lots of support from their regional rep and we took them all over the country, hols in Bourg etc all pre World Class!! There are training sites out there and if clubs need support they only need to ask, if we can help of course we will.