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Cambridge Hasler (23 Apr 2017)

25/4/2017

 
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Well done to the six Stortford paddlers who were promoted at the Cambridge Hasler - Mel and Malcolm were both put up from Division 6 to 7, while Connor not only took silver in Div 9 but a double promotion as well. In doubles Ricky joins Alasdair in Div 4, and Yazmin & Isabelle C are now in Div 7.
Joe F was our fastest paddler, with a cracking time in the Div 1 race. Matt  took gold in Div 2. Yazmin & Isabelle C won silver in Div 8 doubles.
DOUBLES -
14km, 4 portage
Div 4: Alasdair Bruce & Ricky White 4th (1:19:10)
7km
Div 8: Yazmin Layzell & Isabelle Crawford 2nd (38:49), Jacque Cayford & Dave Cayford 3rd (40:45)

SINGLES -
21km, 4 portages
Div 1: Joe Fitzpatrick 5th (1:40:25)
Div 2: Matt Parkes 1st (1:44:27)
14km, 4 portage
Div 4: Toby Booth 5th (1:22:11)
Div 5: Kevin Warbrick 7th (1:30:31), Mike Toomey 9th (1:32:10)
7km
Div 7: Oscar Toomey 15th (41:07)
Div 8: Melanie Bennett 4th (41:25), Malcolm Duckworth 5th (41:33), Wayne Stevens 12th (43:58), Judith English 15th (45:32)
Div 9: Connor Higgins 2nd (41:25), James Daly 11th (44:52), Emilia Boylan 17th (46:13), Brian Owen 18th (46:25), Luke Sellstrom 20th (47:32), Siobhan Latham 25th (49:38), Kaitie Own 32nd (55:43), James Sellstrom 33rd (58:27), Cory Jones 35th (1:02:29), Catherine Robinson (rtd)

LIGHTNINGS
3km
u10 Boys: Blake Wilby 3rd (36:05)

u10 Girls: Gemma Beazley 3rd (28:12)
The final Cambridge Hasler results of the race can be seen on the marathon website.
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Photos by Lee Booth and Kerstin Queeney.
Overall the Stortford team came fifth at this event. The league table for the Eastern Region can be seen on the Results page.
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Devizes to Westminster (14-17 Apr 2017)

25/4/2017

 
Nine members of Bishops Stortford Canoe Club spent Easter 2017 taking on one of the canoeing world's biggest challenges - the 125-mile Devizes to Westminster Canoe race. Here is what they had to say about it:
​Matt Parkes (4-day K1):
"DW has to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The lead up to the race was nerve racking but I think Stortford did great as a team to make sure we were all prepared. The race itself was nothing like what I expected and to come 4th overall and be 16 minutes faster than my estimated time was great. The support throughout and at the finishing line was also great and I'd like to say thank you to all those who followed us down the course in person or who followed the GPS."
Neil Boast (non-stop K2):
"For some the DW is a race to be completed just once. A 'never again' achievement that you can rightly add to your list of great things you've done. For me it is an addiction. An addiction that drives me to push myself beyond what I'm comfortable with and to suffer as a result. 
I, and most others who have this affliction can not really explain why it is such a draw. We know that we fear it and love it in the same breath. The old adage, 'if I have to explain, you wouldn't understand', is so appropriate for the greatest canoe race in the world."
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(photo credit: Maria Sze)
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(photo credit: Maria Sze)
Chris Sze (4-day Vet-Junior K2, with Euan):
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"It's been an unique experience paddling with a young paddler for 125 miles in four days.  Joyful pain or painful joy? Either or both! It's also good fun in every aspect from training, through preparing, till finishing.  Without the support crew, the race would have not been a smooth one.  Thank you all for assisting us in one way or another to make my dream come true!"
Picture(photo credit Maria Sze)
Euan Caton (4-day Vet-Junior, with Chris):
"All of our friends and family and support lining the sides of the river, ready to watch us leave. We were called up, the horn was blasted... 125 miles to Westminster! A disappointing incident with the rudder on day one was quickly recovered by our great engineers. Day 2: We worked well as a team and portaged very fast, leaving others behind at every portage. We made a good time and after we had finished we went back to the hotel, drained of all energy. 
As we started to race on day three it became apparent that there was a problem, at every portage Chris he had pulled a tendon in his arm. Around 20 miles in and after a couple of Portages it became apparent he was having back problems, this became a very big challenge due to the lack of support points and portages on day three.
After all of the paddling and pain we had gone through, only 18 miles of lovely waves stood between us and Westminister Bridge. We started the day aching but ready. Around ten miles in we hit a problem - Chris's back began to play up again. We caught eyes on the London Eye, I screamed and almost fell to tears with the joys of seeing the finish. We doubled the effort and every stroke heaved the boat over the waves, flying under the finish line! Never have I felt so satisfied to see a bridge in my entire life! 
The feeling of walking up those steps and seeing all of your support crew, family and friends is absolutely amazing, I just want to thank everyone that was there for me at the finish and my amazing support crew. Thank you to everyone along the way who helped to motivate me and also to all of the different people who lent me kit and a major thanks must go to my coaches who helped and guided me throughout my journey and hopefully many more races to come!"

Picture(photo credit: Maria Sze)
Sue, Euan Caton's mum (support crew):
"When I was initially asked if Euan would like to take part in the prestigious Devises to Westminster International Canoe Event, paddling 125 miles over 4 days I thought this was something which was outside of his ability. After all he'd only been paddling for approx 18 months, and he was just 15 years old. 
We found out there was a great deal of knowledge within the club regarding the DW and people were very willing to help and share experiences, and guided us through the four Waterside races. We were given information for each stage/day which included all accessible portages, with post codes and a Sat Nav that was pre-programmed, everything that we needed! We just needed to learn how to effectively feed and change water bottles "on the run" for our team. As we got through the Watersides we learnt a lot, and I still wondered if this massive feat could really be accomplished.  
I must say that the Easter weekend itself was a little of a blur with early boat check for the next days start points. The lessons we learnt at the Watersides was absolutely invaluable, we worked really well to support the boat so that at every opportunity we fed and watered our men, we leapfrogged portages so we could get to as many places to see and support them as possible, I am sure that our smiling faces along with the snacks we forced into their mouths kept them going through each strenuous day.
It was the final day, the Thames section and last push, the river was so wide there were BIG boats and there were NO portages, as a mum I was needless to say very, very anxious. I saw them pass under Richmond Bridge and they looked great, we parked up at Westminster and awaited sight of them coming into the finish, that was probably the most relieved I have ever been to see Euan and the proudest I have ever been. It just goes to prove that with great determination and the right support, anything is possible."

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Danny Beazley (non-stop K2) 
"The curse of being one of the quicker crews is that you have a whole day to think about what you are about to put yourself through before you get going.  You just want to get on and start at 9.00am but you have to wait around and control your nerves until 3:30pm and plan your eating and drinking. We started with Dan Palmer & Ryan Pearce. We shared the work doing 6 minute leads to Wooton Rivers catching the Pearse brothers before Pewsey who stayed with us for the remainder of the pound.
We were the second quickest crew from Reading to Westminster and the support was amazing. This was starting to feel like that perfect race, we arrived at Wooton Rivers feeling fresh and I had to slow Rodrigo down on the run. We cruised through to Crofton passing Steve King & Sean Thower. With Dan & Ryan, the Pearse brothers and Steve & Sean behind us we just continued on at our own pace.  We were careful not to push it.
The early hours of the morning can be the point in the race where finishing becomes a battle of the mind.  Realising you have been going for 12 hours and potentially have another 6 hours to go is not a nice feeling.  Having said that it really wasn’t an issue for me this year and Rodrigo kept counting down the hours.  The first signs of daylight give every crew a boost.  You’ve made it through the night, you can begin to see bends in the river and locks approaching and you start to feel the warmth of the sun. 
Our support crew of James, Josh and Stelian in one car and Nette, Lucia, Freddie and Bernardo in the other car were nothing short of amazing.  Every portage went so smoothly, the kit change at Newbury and spray deck change at Dreadnaught Reach was really efficient and anything we requested from one car was promptly provided at the next portage by the other car.  Thank you so much.
This was as close to the perfect race as you can get which is largely thanks to the guys above and of course Rodrigo for being so committed to it.  All the training paid off and I really enjoyed racing DW with Rodrigo. 
I said to James at the top of the steps that I'm starting to get too old for this but by the time I'd got to Westminster Bridge on the way to the changing tents I was discussing next year!"

RESULTS
Senior Doubles (non-stop):
Danny Beazley & Rodrigo Hortal 2nd (17:46)
Neil Boast & Tim Beaver 59th overall and 24th vets (24:50)
Mike Panrucker & Ian Abrams (retired)
Vet-Junior Doubles (4-day):
Chris Sze & Euan Caton 4th (20:16)
Senior Singles (4-day):
Matt Parkes 4th (16:36)
Octavia Abbott 34th overall, 4th Lady & 2nd Vet Lady (21:09)
Dave Hallam (retired)
The full results of the race can be seen on the DW website.
See some great photos  of the race in Chris Worrall's Flickr albums:
  • DW 2017 Day 2
  • DW 2017 Day 3
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Octavia Abbott swimming to finish (photo credit: Support Crew Debbie at Bath Canoe Club)

Stortford Canoe Club take on Everest!

14/4/2017

 
This Easter sees the largest ever entry of Bishop Stortford Canoe Club members in the 125 mile Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race. The oldest, toughest and longest canoe race in the world, and known as 'The Canoeists Everest'. The 9-strong team have been training hard all though the winter by attending a series of increasingly gruelling preparation races.
The race is affectionately known as 'The DW'. It’s a true endurance test that requires bucket loads of grit, a decent amount of skill, good balance, and a healthy dose of physical and mental stamina.
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Those who successfully complete it get, in the words of the organisers, "a memorable sense of achievement" - which is an understatement to rule all understatements.
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Bishop Stortford's youngest competitor this year is 16 year old Euan Caton, who is nervous but ready for the challenge, along with his experienced paddle-partner, former Hong Kong resident, Chris Sze. As a Junior/Vet doubles crew they will be completing the 125-mile course in four stages, starting on Good Friday and finishing Easter Monday. The same applies to their team-mates in one-man kayaks: Matt Parkes, Octavia Abbott, and Dave Hallam.
The senior doubles crews however will race the entire distance non-stop. The Stortford participants will be Ian Abrams & Mike Panrucker, Danny Beazley (partnering Rodrigo Hortal of Cambridge CC) and Neil Boast (partnering Tim Beaver of Nottingham CC).
Those going straight through will set out from Devizes Wharf in Wiltshire, along the Kennet and Avon Canal, before they join the Thames at the 50 mile point. The hardy group then race through the night for another 58 miles towards the tidal Thames at Teddington Lock. They have to make sure they reach Teddington to catch the high tide, which is at 6.30am this year. A dangerous 17 mile paddle on the rough tidal Thames to the finish at Westminster Bridge then follows, if they make it.
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The team, led by Danny Beazley, has been in training for 7 months and have paddled hundreds of miles in all weathers to toughen them up for the race, which is used by UK Special Forces as a test of endurance and fitness. Beazley and his paddle partner in their 2-man kayak are looking like favourites to win the race but know that nothing is guaranteed. Last year his race ended due to exhaustion just five miles from the finish and he is determined to change that this year. Beazley is part of an august group that has completed the race at least 8 times and join the much coveted '1000 mile club'.
Other famous people that have attempted the race include Steve Redgrave, who quit the race in 2012 due to tiredness. Paddy Ashdown completed the race when he was a Royal Marine and famously said "Only one other person in history has had a worse Easter".
The paddlers will have support crews who will 'feed and water' them at some of the portages, with the night paddle being the most testing part of the race for many.
The fastest crews of two man kayaks and canoes have completed the race in around 17 hours but many have taken over 30 hours of non-stop paddling to reach Westminster Bridge.
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Race Facts:
  • History = The race was conceived by a group of four friends in a pub in 1948
  • Distance = 125 miles or 202 kms
  • Portages (the number of times the competitors have to get out and carry their kayaks around locks) = 77
  • Average number of paddle strokes = 99,000
  • Calories burnt per hour = 1200
  • Classes = Senior Doubles (2 person kayaks/canoes) complete the race non-stop. Single canoes/kayaks race over 4 days. The Endeavour Class allows people not racing to paddle the course leisurely over the four days
  • Completion = About 40% of people do not complete the race, with most suffering from injury or exhaustion, as well as hypothermia.
  • Safety - All competitors wear location beacons so they can be tracked on-line. They must wear buoyancy aids and have wristbands to identify them if they drown!

The passing of a coach, mentor and friend - Roger Davey

4/4/2017

 
By Matthew Parkes
It is with great sadness that I have to announce the passing of one the clubs most experienced coaches. Roger Davey, or Dodge as most of the club knew him was one of the best and most dedicated coaches the club has ever had. Dodge spent countless hours down the canoe club putting so much of his time and talent into making the clubs youngsters become some of the most successful the club has ever seen. Bishop's Stortford Canoe Clubs paddlers were not the only people to be lucky enough to experience Dodge's coaching. Hundreds of paddlers across the country have been coached by him including that of the GB team in which he was once a coach.

In 2014, Dodge was recognised for his continuous volunteering at the club and was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award at the clubs awards evening. He was also later awarded the clubs first ever lifetime achievement award, but sadly due to health complications, Dodge's appearances at the club became very limited. However he continued to coach from home, setting sessions and speaking to his paddlers about races, training and general life.

In my early paddling career myself, Izzy and Emily were coached by Dodge. Sim joined the group a few years later and I feel I can safely say we wouldn't be the paddlers we are today without his early coaching. To be taken under his wing in the summer of 2012 for the second time to train alongside Josh was a great privilege. Josh later went on to complete the DW with Dodge helping him every step of the way. Dodge is also one of the main reasons, like for so many, that I continued the sport through my teenage years. Around the same time period, Team Pink was formed, with new paddlers joining Dodge's group including Ella, Heidi, Emily, Laura, Megan and later on Catherine and David. As a member of Team Pink, although I used to hate admitting it, I think I can speak on behalf of the group in saying that the sessions coached by Dodge were some of the funniest yet most productive sessions we have ever had in our kayaking careers.

​I'd like to say thank you to Dodge for all his dedication to Bishop's Stortford Canoe Club. It was a honour to have Dodge as my coach, mentor and also friend. I hope to make him proud come Easter 2017 when I embark on The Devizes to Westminster 125 mile canoe race. 
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​Rest in peace x
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Roger Davey (Dodge) in his own words ...

4/4/2017

 
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Back in 2005, Roger Davey was one of the club coaches who had their arms twisted to contribute a biography for publication in our junior newsletter. Dodge had been a fixture at BSCC for a long time by then but, as he was a quiet and modest man, discovering his earlier history was something of an eye-opener:
"I started canoeing at Exeter Canoe Club when I was 18 and enjoyed myself over the next several years paddling all over the south of England – surfing and sea canoeing, river running and marathon racing.
In the course of time I moved to London and raced out of the Royal Canoe Club, where I was Paddling Mate for a period. I ended up in the Essex area, when my racing stopped. Shortly after that, I took up coaching and became a Junior Olympic Racing Squad Coach from 1982 to 1995, when I joined the White Water Racing National Junior Squad. I also continued with the Junior Racing Squad as Boatman/Driver, and at the same time was coaching paddlers all over the country.
Whilst coaching and travelling to so many places in Europe is great fun and very enjoyable, I eventually decided to focus a little closer to home and so now I coach the “Elite” Squad at BSCC. This is open to anybody who fancies their chances at improving in the competition elements of canoesport and is willing to take part in a suitable training programme – come and have a chat if you are interested. It’s nice and easy if you have the desire and commitment to improve."
Many of our paddlers benefited from Dodge's unique and special style of coaching over the years. He will be missed.
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At the Annual Club Dinner in March 2015 BSCC presented Dodge with a lifetime achievement award
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