Following the discussions after the recent Nene race (but not related to those discussions) it occurred to me that there were perhaps some perceptions about the course that could be addressed.
It's noticeable that we always get a large Div 2 entry, and much smaller one from Div 3. I suspect some of this is due to paddlers thinking the course will be too hard for them. However we had a J8 paddler complete two runs on Saturday, and another parent commented how good it was to have the opportunity to paddle bigger water in a safe environment.
The course was originally designed both for slalom and to teach beginners to moving water. It works well for both of those aims. There's nowhere feet can get trapped, so after a capsize paddlers can stand up and walk out. The big drop into pool A is intimidating, but it is not as hard to paddle as it looks. With our beginners we start them near the bottom of the course, and gradually work up. Running the drop might be at the end of the first evening, or usually on the second one.
The course is available to hire, by the hour, and on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings it is open for pay-and-paddle, so there's opportunity for those of you near enough to learn the water before competing. Near enough can be interpreted widely, as we have groups coming from over 100 miles away to paddle.
I should point out that the Northampton Canoe & Kayak Club gets no direct benefit from people coming to paddle in these commervcial sessions. The indirect benefit is that it helps to keep the site viable. However if any of you want to visit and need some local help, please ask.