Author: Del

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Guest posts SUP

A beginners guide to white water SUP #2 – The moves!

Having really gotten into white water stand-up paddling boarding (SUP) in the last year, I decided to put together a series of white water SUP focused articles. The articles are to help guide beginners in white water stand up paddleboarding and each article has a different focus and a different guest writer. My first article was an introduction to the series and a focus on the different kinds of whitewater stand up paddle board. This article is going to be about the basic moves on white water that you can do on a SUP and how to achieve them.

Big thank you to my lovely friend and coach Tom Bayliss for being a guest writer in this article.

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Guest posts SUP

A beginners guide to white water SUP #1 – white water sup boards!

Just over a year ago, I took a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) on white water for the first time. I had tried it on the flat twice and my paddling friends persuaded me that I had to try it on white water too! So, under the careful watch of my lovely friends Beth and Joe, I went down Holme Pierrepont (HPP) white water course on a SUP. Having kayaked for 6 years and being a local to HPP – I understand white water and the course well. Doing it on a SUP, however, was a different story. To say the least, it went rather swimmingly! (See video below)

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Gear

Pyranha Scorch review: An average kayaker’s opinion

In January this year I had an exciting a delivery – a brand new Pyranha Scorch! In the week that I got it – I was flooded with questions about it. I gave brief answers but wanted to wait until I had had enough time in the Scorch to really know it before sharing more detailed thoughts. I have now had a good 7 months of paddling in the Scorch and am ready to share those thoughts! For reference I have a medium but have spent some time in the small Scorch too.

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Trips

24 hour kayaking charity challenge on the Dee – we did it!!!

We did it! 24 hours of kayaking on the Dee to raise money for three brilliant charities! Over the weekend myself and 5 friends took on a mammoth challenge. Kayaking down the river Dee (horseshoe to town falls) and back up the Llangollen canal for 24 hours straight. We paddled over 100km in total and as of the time writing this blog have raised over £5000 for Young Minds, Rainbows Hospice and Air Ambulance. This article is a more detailed account of the challenge!

You can still donate here if you would like to!

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General

24 hour kayaking challenge on the Dee: The key details!

On Saturday the 6th August at 10am, 6 of us will be setting off on a 24 hour kayaking challenge on the river Dee in Llangollen to raise money for three brilliant charities. This is a brief article to share the key details of our kayaking challenge. I will write a longer piece post challenge but I wanted to be able to share the key information prior to Saturday for anyone who wanted to come along and watch us or support in any way. Please do have a read and ask questions if you have any!

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ShePaddles

Is there a misogyny problem in kayaking?

Earlier this week I received a message from a man I had never met – we will call him ‘Mr Grumpy’. The message said ‘God this sport is easier for women 😂 and you just show it 😂 wow! How disappointing 😂’.

I had to read it twice before I could take it in. What was the message in response to you might ask? Absolutely nothing as far as I am aware. My most recent post had been about a kayaking festival I had attended the day before and how I had enjoyed competing in the ladies boater-x with my friends. But I struggle to see how me enjoying a white water weekend with friends could make this man so angry.

My initial response was to ignore it but after discussing it with a few friends, I decided actually I wanted to address this message and the deeper-rooted issues that underlie it.

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Mind set

I lost my confidence in kayaking – then I found it again

Today I took a playboat down my local white water course, HPP, and enjoyed every minute of it. That may not sound like much but it is a huge deal to me. A year ago, for a combination of reasons, I completely lost my confidence. Specifically my confidence whilst paddling a playboat at HPP. It has taken me a year to find that confidence again.

I wanted to share my experience through this blog. Perhaps this article will help someone else who is feeling the same. I hope at the very least that if future me ever gets myself into this situation again – reading this article will help me!

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Freestyle

The 2022 freestyle kayaking world championships – a spectators perspective

Two weeks ago saw the opening ceremony for the 2022 freestyle kayaking world championships being held at Holme Pierrepont (HPP) in Nottingham, UK. Following the opening ceremony, there were 6 days of fierce competition, incredible performances and a whole lot of cheering!

As a local paddler to HPP, I was fortunate to be able to experience these world championships myself! I’ve never been to a kayaking competition on this scale before so was absolutely delighted to be able to attend a world championship in my home city of Nottingham! I am not an athlete or a coach instead I am just a very enthusiastic local who couldn’t believe she was lucky enough to experience a world championship right on her doorstep! This is my account.

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Freestyle Guest posts

ICF Nottingham freestyle development camp – building the freestyle family

Why do people take part in freestyle kayaking? Quite simply because it is fun. As the 2022 freestyle kayaking world championships are kicking off, there is a huge amount of excitement in the paddling world about freestyle kayaking right now. With such a strong focus on the championships and the talented athletes who are competing, it would be easy to forget that this is just one layer of the freestyle kayaking community. But freestyle kayaking is for everyone, no matter your ability. It is a sport for anyone who wants to have fun.

Prior to the start of the world championships, the International Canoe Federation (ICF) organise a development freestyle camp. This development camp is a fantastic 6-day camp aimed at developing aspiring freestyle paddlers. In this article, I want to share with you what happens during the development camp and why it is so important for the growth of freestyle kayaking in the wider community.

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Freestyle Guest posts

Freestyle kayaking – an Irish special!

Recently I have completed a trilogy of articles around the upcoming freestyle kayaking world championships in Nottingham. I chose to write these articles to help raise awareness of what the freestyle kayaking worlds are, what the different categories are and the profiles of some of the junior GB athletes competing.

Following these articles, Alex McClure, who is an Irish squirt paddler, got in contact with me. She wanted to know whether I would be keen to do a piece about the Irish team. Of course, with the Irish team being such an awesome group of lovely people and phenomenal paddlers, I said yes! With Alex’s help, I’ve recruited a few of the Irish paddlers to let them tell you about their team!

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