Wasps, Wakas & Wallabies Nepal Update Getting ... - Canoe & Kayak

Kiwis at the World Cup
– Lost bags and long days in a Ford
Escort don’t discourage our Kiwi
Slalom team in Europe.
Canoe Slalom
Aaron Osborne Training in Prague.
Photo by Mike Dawson
by Aaron Osbourne
Canoe slalom, is a sport for which you need courage and no
fear. Although renowned for providing 90 seconds of whitewater
madness slalom paddlers must have precise technique,
power and skill. In slalom, paddlers are categorised by how
they are positioned in the boat; kneeling with a single paddle
(C1) or sitting with a double paddle (K1). Plus, adding to the
excitement is the boat with 2 paddlers kneeling (C2).
Canoe slalom is a race against time, with one canoeist racing at a time
on the white water slalom course. The slalom comes from the various
upstream (red gates) and downstream gates (green gates). There are 20
or more gates to navigate in the white water and if the gate is touched
with the boat or paddler, there is a 2 second penalty. If the gate is missed
completely, a punishing 50 second penalty is given.
There are heats, semi finals and finals, a system most are familiar with.
Starting with the heats each competitor takes two runs, the better time
counts towards a placing in the semi-final.
As part of the Kiwi World Cup Team, I arrived in Barcelona, my first
European destination to find I had no luggage. Helplessly I tried to
explain to the Spanish-speaking airport staff that my bags and paddles
(the latter probably more important) were nowhere to be seen. This was
followed by an episode of deep breaths and counting to ten. There was
more to come though; doesn’t bad luck always come in threes? Losing
your luggage is one thing but to get out of the terminal to find out your
ride hasn’t arrived, midnight is approaching and the airport information
centre is closed, is another!
Days moved on without any training, but eventually my luggage and
paddles turned up. It was a huge relief as now the training could finally
begin. Trying to book a bus ticket was the next mission. With a little help
from a local the trip could now begin as I was on my way to the training
camp in Spain.
The venues which host the European World Cup Series are home to
slalom canoeing super powers. France’s Tony Estanguet is a 2x Olympic
Gold Medallist while Slovakia is home to Michal Martikan 2x Olympic Gold
Medallist and also the Hochshorners, 3x C2 Gold Medallists. Germany
brings Alexander Grim, the K1 Gold medal winner at the 2008 Beijing
Aaron (in blue boat), Training at Pau
World Cup.
Olympics. At each of these
venues their names were printed in bold on posters around the cities,
representing their level of popularity amongst the locals. Local school
children would shout their names: these paddlers are real celebrities.
Even some kiwis were asked for autographs by the young fans, a rather
foreign situation for us.
The first World Cup in Pau, France, was an amazing course that had
just recently been built. Everything was top line and the organisation
was pristine. The day brought hot sun and plenty of top paddlers to see.
Two massive live TV screens and numerous scoreboards added to the
atmosphere. The kiwis had mixed results at this race; Luuka Jones paddled
the best she has ever done to finish a career high in 19 th . The men’s racing
couldn’t have been any tighter (at least
we thought not); there was 10 secondsseparating
1 st to 50 th . Mike Dawson and
myself were punished heavily by touches
finishing down the order in 46 th and 53 rd .
The next World Cup was in Bratislava,
Slovakia. Getting there was a journey
every single member of the New Zealand
team will fondly (or not so fondly)
remember. After 24 hours of nonstop
driving the team arrived. It was a smooth
ride in an ex-work van that has a perfect
engine and interesting interior. Also a
Ford Escort, a common car you may see
in New Zealand, which the team thought
was a brilliant wee number. However
what seemed like a lifetime of driving may
have not been worth it after all. On arrival
we found out the course was flooded and
www.kayaknz.co.nz
ISSUE FIFTY Two • 2009 15