|
British Raft Team Selection - Reigning Champions defend their titles! Selection for the British Raft Team took place at Lee Valley White Water Centre on 8 -10 April. This was the first major event to be held on Lee Valley and provided a good test for everyone prior to the official opening. The excitement of seeing the course in action proved hugely popular as over 100 spectators were officially signed in at the gates. An outstanding 10 men's teams entered and a record number of six ladies teams stepped up to the challenge of the course!
The competition followed the usual IRF format of time trial, head to head sprints, slalom and endurance. Teams from all over the country, from avid raft racing teams to relative newcomers had the opportunity to try out the course one day before the event. The weather was hot, the water was crystal blue and the course was on full flow!
Showcasing the sport of rafting is usually quite difficult as natural rivers have a nasty habit of disappearing around corners and into gorges. What makes LVWWC unique is the fact that it is like paddling a grade 4 alpine river with the benefit of a bar and footpaths for spectators. The features on the course are large and continuous. Rafts were seen soaring over waves and occasionally flipping, all in the name of crowd pleasing and to keep the dedicated rescue crew on their toes!
With the racing underway, it was down to last year’s Peak UK champions to defend their title against every other team giving it their all for the chance to represent Great Britain at the forthcoming World Championships in Costa Rica this October. There was no room for complacency here – the unforgiving water had the potential to take any team off their line.
The Men's racing proved very tight between last year's British Peak UK Team and the relative new comers Team Square Rock, who, made up mostly of young slalom paddlers, managed to equal the defending Men's team in the slalom event meaning that their slower runs were compared. Their hard work over the winter training period clearly paid off. In the Ladies category, SHERaft Team had an incredibly unfortunate couple of races which set them back, costing them their second place title. Showing great improvements since last year, the Welsh Dragons stormed through to take silver position, securing their place in future European competitions. Last year's GB Peak UK Ladies Team managed to hold on to their title quite comfortably, meaning a trip to Costa Rica in the pipeline. Next up - fundraising!
Article by Georgina Preston
Photos by Bev Chrimes
(Posted on the 5th May 2011 by Pete) |
RSS 2.0