Natural Games Millau, France.

After taking a year out of freestyle largely due to a huge lack of water in Ireland as well as lack of events and I felt something was missing.

So In 2013 I went creeking and spent time in every other boat. In 2014 I picked up the Gui Gui an old 2009 Easymix XL+ and after just a couple of sessions I found out what was missing. It was the feeling of huge loops and clean releases, the sound of the hull hitting the water, it was, my love for freestyle, my appreciation of paddling a competitive comfortable boat again the stiffness and light weight of the carbon and the way it teases the water around it.

Gui Gui Sluice

Having spent a solid spring back at my local spot I was firing again, relearning how to go left and linking splits with tricky woos I was feeling fairly happy with my hole boating ability again. So when my Kiwi friend Jason Searle called to say he was heading to the Freestyle world cup event I didn't take too much convincing and booked flights to World Cup 1 in Millau, France as part of the Natural Games

The beginning of June I headed out to king of the alps, an event I first went to in 2013 and loved so had it planned for a long time, even sponsoring the event this year.
Unfortunately during training for the event I landed heavily through the race course section hyper extending my arm and reinjuring a niggling rotator cuff injury that I've tried to ignore for some time, this left me with 10 days to get fit, unfortunately I'm pretty useless at resting and ended up visiting City Physio in Lucan Village just 3 days before I flew looking for a miracle unfortunately Una had used all her miracles for that day but diagnosed and advised me superbly showing me where to tape and what the issues were.
So off I headed for Millau boat bagged and kit packed the super friendly people at Ryanair took good care of her getting her to France undamaged, I picked up my wagon for the week a lovely VW Caddy the perfect tool!

My first thoughts in reaching Millau were just WOW! As part of the Natural Games the scale and set up of the event were insane. Huge stages, bike jumps, climbing walls and Para gliders absolutely everywhere.

The freestyle spot was a tight formed hole created on the whitewater course running through the site, a small spurred channel from the river made for an impressive low volume spot, a feature other countries should really take note of, it is that easy to create a feature.

The town of Millau was tight and compact with enticing alleys leading into beautiful squares and markets, as the nations arrived the hole started to get busy. Unfortunately I got on for an early practice soon after arriving, on my third ride as I went to reach for the tricky, I was left in immense pain and a few failed roll attempts and a lucky roll on the left had me in a lot of pain. A couple of the paramedics saw this and came to assist, it took three of us to get my cag deck off to start and by then the shoulder had swollen up and they insisted to take me to hospital, The one joy of the scale of the event that athlete badge fast tracks you through the waiting rooms and they got me straight in, they thought I had dislocated the shoulder but because of the swelling they were cautious, I knew it hadn't popped but the pain and swelling were awful so I managed to leave the hospital with a foam sling and plenty of anti inflammatorys and told paddling wouldn't be a good idea so soon. So I discarded the sling as I couldn't drive or boat with it and decided id take a break from paddling, at least until the swelling drops.

That evening air strikes in France left many paddlers travelling back from the Payette River Games stranded and delayed, including Jason who was stuck in Toulouse so I set about a 6 hour round trip to go get him, arriving back in Millau at 0510 and to bed.

Luckily the following day was a rest day before the event so I stayed off of the water, by the time the competition came around the swelling had gone and shoulder was well taped up so made a ride plan to hit my loops and see how they felt then if they were good start on the space godzillers before moving into cartwheels. Unfortunately as I dropped intothe feature I could feel the pull on my shoulder so just hit a loop with air bonus in each ride to get my name on the score sheet and prove I was there. A whole spring of paddling well and I couldn't even be competitive due to injury.

The standard was high with some huge rides with Sebastian owning the hole. Along with local hero Mathieu Dumoulin back from winning the Payette with a 2100 point ride firing on plenty of cylinders unfortunately with the flight saga his boat and kit had not made the event yet so he managed to borrow some to get through prelims.

Another world cup favourite Dane Jackson continued to show how they do it in America popping on every trick looking for air bonuses.

the competition was set to be a stormer.
In between the freestyle we spent time enjoying the event with other high profile competitions going in and huge crowds around it was a great atmosphere.
By day, an adventure sports festival, by night, a 3 night music concert.
We spent the first night enjoying the concert from a hot tub in our athlete VIP area, the second night we had an official opening where we ended up on stage in front of the crowds,

And the third night was a total washout, more in a sec,
The finals went off with three rides best ride counts with solid rides from all. The small technical hole really served up a treat for consistency and composure ensuring all athletes really show the judges every trick, while looking for those bonuses eventual winner Seb was really ruling the spot from prelim to final he had it dialled and was paddling so well throughout scoring consistently 1400-1700+ point rides
After the event we were just deciding about dinner when the heavens opened, we were in one of the most intense rain storms I've seen, wearing tshirts and shorts as the day had been hot we were now fleeing the island in a thunderstorm, a mad change of weather which meant the concert had to be cancelled and 20,000 people had to get off the island.

The Natural Games is one of the biggest events I had attended with paddlesport really taking a centre stage, it was great work by the French Ferderation and the ICF to host a World Cup event on such a great stage, il definately be back one day in the future.

Why Canoe?

So a few years ago we ran a video comp by the same name, during those videos were a mix of freestyle and whitewater kayaking vids from a selection of Irish paddlers, showcasing the fun and enjoyment they had on the water, but over the past few years some of these paddlers are still pushing hard while others may have fallen from the horse,

some see kayaking as a young mans game but with paddlers like Eric EJ Jackson still paddling and competing at the top of his game at a tender 50 years old and closer to home Confident paddlers like Bernard Walsh a late starter in the kayak game but still loving every second and really pushing his own ability,

So why do we paddle?

People can paddle for many different reasons whether as a child pushed into a kids camp where they will learn the basics or joining a club set up to offer development training to bring along their skills, Or an adult who wants to try something new and exciting kayaking is a game for everyone without prejudice.

But the real question always unfold in how to hang onto new members, to hang onto these people you must first understand their motivations for participating,

was it

-to make friends

- to learn a new skill

-enjoyment

-fitness

- lose weight

- peer pressure

- relationship

-monetary

- Parent Pressure

the options are almost unlimited, as a guide the majority of people participate in outdoor recreation for a couple of key reasons

Enjoyment/fun People do things because they enjoy it!

and because friends participate by paddling with peers and friends it can only help you have a better time on the water.

with this in mind the way to hang onto people is to offer fun sessions and get people talking to each other.

I personally paddle almost every day and I paddle for very much the same reasons, I enjoy being out on the water, if im not enjoying it I shouldn't be their. and for friends I have a lot of friends who paddle and I met most of them by paddling, its a social sport being able to bounce off each other and trust in each other to help you out when the time comes, whether its the drive out to a river, surf or a playspot travel with friends makes the drive much more enjoyable.and by chatting after the session of monster swims epic rides or just enjoying a great day chat about the day and see how everyone felt, when everything goes right that warm feeling inside is unbeatable, when things go wrong you have people their to look upto and who can help you improve.

Paddling every day takes its toll on both the body and your mental capacity,

Your body needs days off by pushing too hard you will be tired, once tired you are prone to the occasional silly mistake which will probably leave you upside down. Variety is the spice of life shorter sessions in a variety of different disciplines / boats or conditions will keep things fresh whilst being able to transfer skill across the board,

Every good paddler can hop into any boat whether a K1 or a Freestyle boat, They wont be the best but the other skills they know will transfer giving them a good initial level of ability.

With the light evenings arriving its really time to get out in the boat as a beginner its time to find a course or a club as an instructor you need to lose the bad habits ready to teach all the newbies and as a paddler its time to get out and enjoy the water once again.

So before you head out just take a second a think why you paddle and look at what you can achieve.

Choosing a Playboat

So its popping up time after time what is the right playboat for you!?
Play boats are not a new thing years ago boats got smaller and slicier when it was one boat for all your paddling and if you hit something hard ankle injury was expected, Nowadays most people will get into a bigger boat to learn their craft, a safer option which isn't usually as aggressive but for those people learning in what you think is an old boat a few years ago that was probably classed as a playboat!
Modern day freestyle kayaks are designed to open up the vertical realm, with lots of volume around the knees but still slicey enough, The hull of the boat is the money end this is what makes or breaks a boat is it too fast to slow, too wide too much rocker more on this later…
This question could be answered one of a thousand ways but I'm going to break it down into an easyish step by step guide which hopefully gives you all loads to think about. 
What's your aims?
So first things first, why are you buying a freestyle kayak?
Is it a fashion accessory is it because everyone has one?
Are you looking for a bit of fun to surf those local waves or a bit of fun on flat water or are you hoping to be the next freestyle master, Either way think about what you want to get out of the boat if your looking to be competitive you should definitely look for something more modern, boat designs have followed the trend of what the worlds best paddlers are able to perform (and also every freestyle paddler hates to be beaten by someone in an old design!) if your looking for fun and to try something new the second hand market becomes your oyster!
Budget
So how much are you looking to spend will usually dictate how new a boat you should be looking at. But don't get bogged down theirs older designs out their which are still super competition and exceptionally fun to paddle.
When buying a boat its really important to try them first especially if you have no idea, most sellers are happy to give you a go in their boat, otherwise next time your in an eddy ask someone! most paddlers will give up their boat for you to have a go.
Any sponsored paddlers you spot definitely ask them! the reason they are sponsored is because they are good paddlers and love to show off their new shiny kit, most of them will give you a very honest review of their own boat and the others available on the market, especially if your in an older design many team paddlers love the opportunity to get back into something old and really throw it around again!
 
Comfort
We talk about comfort in play boating terms as a whole range of things,
Play boats should never be comfy!……. LIES!
A modern freestyle boat is an extension of your body its designed to go where you do, Yes its a different seating position much wider and a different foot position which does take time to adjust to but if something is sooooo tight and uncomfortable you wont spend the time in the boat to learn anything you'll always be thinking of getting out and that your feet hurt too much!
When you buy a freestyle boat theirs usually a big bag of padding this usually gets tossed aside and forgotten its important to hang onto this and use the padding to give yourself a customised fit, any good kayak shop will help you out with this, everyone is different so you need to spend some time turning your very standard kayak into a customised glove to fit you,
 
Here's a video I made a while back on boat outfitting for some hints and tips

Outfitting a Kayak

When your demoing a boat its always difficult to get a great fit some people spend more time outfitting than they do paddling but realistically when testing a boat try and get the right points of contact first to give you a good idea of what the boat is capable of,
Feet, Knees/Thighs, Bum, Hips and Backrest if you an get a reasonable fit by using extra foam you can fine tune the setup once its yours.
Look at the shapes of the boats many of the older slicier boats are not as good for people with big feet as the ends get very narrow very quick think about comfort and sit into a few boats, with the right outfitting even the smallest boats can be comfy.
Think about footwear generally your gorge boots and canyoneers are not designed to fit in a freestyle boat a thinner river shoe or neoprene sock is a better option giving you protection and leaving you space inside the kayak so not to be too tight.
so this goes hand in hand when outfitting the boat wear the footwear your likely to use as it WILL make a difference
Weight Ranges
All boats are released in different sizes and weights most of these can be found on the shops and manufacturers website, otherwise hit up Google for some stats,
The weigh ranges given are realistically a guide, take them with a pinch of salt many stats are put together pre-production and not really updated, if your looking at a boat you ideally want to be in the mid to upper end of the weight range, being too light for a boat will make it harder to initiate and throw around but make it better for river running, but being well over the weight range will mean the boat spends more time underwater, the rails will sit lower making it more unstable,
again take advice from people who have used the boats and try them out, weight sits hand in hand with trim of the boat, tall people often suffer with being tall and pushing the seat back making the boat react tail happy, look at different designs realistically its best to keep the seat as close to centre as possible as it allows the boat to spin around the central point in a well balanced way. most guys on a wave like to shift the seat back a little to keep the nose high and stop it from pearling (catching) this is great but remember when your in a hole and you cant initiate the nose because the weights too far back.
I'm relatively tall yet i always paddle the boat with the seat central before moving it to see how it reacts.
The weight range of a boat is something which is usually down to personal experience again deciding where your paddling will have a role to play.
Hull Design
The hull or underside of the boat dictates many things as this is the section of the boat mainly in the water its often the bit which gets neglected when buying a boat.
First off check for cracks, dents and other damage. a damaged hull is always difficult to repair so check for damage and large gouges.
Don't get too precious, boats will get scratched its just a matter of time, they are designed to bounce!
So what does the hull do? this is your launch pad to the world this will dictate your speed your manoeuvrability and your stability, As a simple guide look at the rails and the sidewalls the sharper the rails the more aggressive the boat will be and the squarer the sidewalls the harder a boat will be to roll. Where as something with softer rails wont be as aggressive on a wave and round sidewalls will allow the boat to roll easier. A classic example is the Pyranha Jed this is a very aggressive boat absolutely insane on a wave as its sharp rails allow it to carve and accelerate really easy but try and paddle it on a river and you'll spend most the time low bracing as the trippy rails are still their where as something like the Jitsu from Dagger is much more rounded making it less trippy but still super fun.
The hull design conversation could go on all day, best thing to do is talk to people at your local spot and ask them which boats work well as this is where you will do most of your paddling getting a boat to suit the feature will help,
Where are you Paddling
Ok I just touched on this but its important to buy a boat for what you actually are doing and not where you aspire to be theirs no point buying a full carbon boat if your just learning the double pump, likewise buy something you can paddle many boats are better suited to holes or waves this comes back to hull shape, look at what others are paddling and ask advice you'll soon see what works in your local spot.
Volume
This is another aspect of weight ranges, take them with a pinch of salt the volume of a boat is simply how big is is inside and measured on either litres or gallons with the ever changing position of where they put the volume its not essential, your better to look at the weight range as it should give a truer identification of what weight that size paddles best for.
Colour
This is the number one feature of an boat! make sure you like the colour! no really pick something that matches your kit and your style if you like the boat you'll enjoy paddling it!
Really though their is some truth in different colours shrink to different sizes but realistically this is down to MM here of their and nothing to worry about.
Demos
Try the boat in a fun safe environment don't drop onto Gower for your first time in a brand new boat you have no idea about or take it sea surfing where you'll end up getting beaten up, Take it to a nice feature with good eddy access and a pool to roll in or even better a swimming pool or lake (depending on the temperature) and just get used to how the boat reacts and moves, practice rolling and falling in make sure your happy with the boat before scaring yourself.
Boats to look at
So as a beginner to intermediate freestyle paddler with good kayaking proficiency looking to buy a freestyle kayak to have a bit of fun and a change from the rivers here's a few models which are great with some of my own opinions next to them, some people agree some don't but here's boats I've tried,

Wavesport EZ	Fun Slicey boat cartwheels for days but old design without much pop
Dagger GForce	One of the best Intro boats out their does everything a modern boat does at a fraction of the price.
Jackson Star Series 07-09	An excellent intro boat slicey and fun
Jackson Star Series 10-12	Probably the boat that moved the market these are coming up second hand snap them up a simply amazing boat paddled by world champions and friends all over the world
Jackson Rockstar 2012	This boat was built for the Plattling worlds in 2011 a really good boat in a hole, starting to come down in price but still a top boat
Pyranha Molan	Very narrow boat works well at Gower but a little unstable in a hole
Pyranha Jed	A very aggressive boat you will only get the best out of it if your an accomplished paddler
Dagger Kingpin	another excellent boat to learn in and should be nice and cheap these days
Dagger Gride	a playboat with a little extra volume still very playful and surfs well very cheap to pick up
Pyranha Prozone	The slicey brother of the inazone, if cartwheeling is your thing this machine will spin you around
Dagger Jitsu	The latest from Dagger still very easy to paddle but high priced
Wavesport Project	A great boat with good credentials works well all over the world a great design and easy to paddle
Wavesport Project X	a great boat that just faltered in the market fun to paddle great to surf but a little aggressive at times
Wavesport Mobias	The latest boat from the wavesport guys ultra competitive but big pricing
Squirt Boats	Really open up the vertical world with the emphasis on technique but not great for in features

Girls
Ok its really important that the girls especially look to get something small and light enough they can firstly carry and move about but then throw around once on the water, think carefully and look to most of the small boats first, many of them are now prototyped and work out much better than getting into a padded out medium.
 


 
Where to buy
Ok heres the Bias bit always check out your local kayak stores theirs a great one in Dublin city Centre everyone should check out

Great Outdoors - www.greatoutdoors.ie
Trade in and 2nd hand boats on Great Outdoors Facebook Page

Otherwise I-Canoe also have a good selection.

Canoe and kayaks for sale in Ireland Facebook group is another great spot to pick up second hand boats.
 

Outfitting a Kayak

So after I spent some time with Muireann outfitting her boat I recieved a number of messages asking for input and help outfitting their boats

So heres a video guide to help outfit your boat

Boat Outfitting Video Guide

I used a Wavesport Project X and then shows The Jackson Rockstar at the end but most of the sections will cross over to most boats.

 

The most important thing is to be comfortable you will learn more and have better control if you you have good point of contact with the Seat, Backrest, hip pads, thigh braces and footrest. If you are missing any one of these you will move independantly of the boat and cause the wibbly wobblies!

Hope it helps

Adrian

 

Paddle4life.eu

Video Update

So I havent updated much lately so heres a few videos from recent trips to Holland, European Championships in Lienz as well as some sluice Footage!

 

Sluice with Emily Jackson

Competition Rides

Cardboard Boat Race1

Cardboard Boat Race Gopro

Poor Muirreann Takes a spill

Isel Wave Austria Session

Trip to Holland

Sluice Mega Mix

European Championships Lienz Austria 2012

At the end of June we sent a 7 strong senior team away to the European Freestyle Championships in Lienz, Austria l. A location we had previously visited for the same event in 2010.
The team consisted of
Aisling Griffin
Muireann Lynch
Ronan o Brennan
Adrian Durrant
Thomas Dunphy
Colm Healy
John O Rourke
The team travelled out a few days early to make full use of the feature. Unfortunately the changing levels meant the feature was low, shallow in places and had a nasty pit on river left which was best to avoid.
The free practices stopped and the official slots started with a higher more suitable competition level. The feature was a river wide hole on the river Drau which was suitable for all kinds of links and combinations.
The team worked hard in training putting together good ride plans for the competition.
An unfortunate swim and slip on a rock had left Muireann with a gashed ankle and 6 stitches which was never going to help her squeeze into a small playboat none the less ladies were up first putting practice into competition leaving Muireann in 21st and Aisling in 15th. Next up was C1 with Orky putting down solid rides to place him in 7th place and into the Semi finals, last event of the day was men's squirt with Adrian in action putting together solid rides to place 7th and into the semi finals
The following day saw the Senior men's chance to hit the hole with ride plans and tactics out of the window in favour of big scoring moves and bonuses, the men paddled well in a tough competition finishing
Tom Dunphy 26th
Adrian Durrant 34th
Ronnie Brennan 35th
Colm Healy 40th
With a top senior field the cut was to 20 so all missed out.

The C1 semi final was up next with Orkys rides not going to plan leaving him down in 10th place.
Last up again was the squirt men with Adrian in the semi final, some good rides left him in 7th place overall.
The sun was out and spirits still high leading up to finals day with the pride and glory still to play for with the Teva Cardboard boat race where competitors build a boat out of card and tape to successfully navigate the hole!

Team Irelands appearance in this event two years previous was an entertaining one attempting to surf the hole on a giant cardboard ..........

This year we went for a more standard design of a Viking ship but decided to go for size over manoeuvrability and built by far the largest boat in the field.

Overall the trip to Lienz was a successful one with some solid performances with the best European paddlers and some great results.

Coming up for Irish freestyle we have a Clifden Beach party competition and another famous Sluice Rodeo.

With the Liffey in a state of flood brings both Sluice and Palmerstown into play as exciting freestyle spots whether its learning to spin and front surf or attempting dynamic moves with big air the Liffey has something for everyone so get out, enjoy, and stay safe!

Adrian Durrant

 

GMIT Intervarsity's 2012

So the time of year was upon us, where every paddling student in the country descends on one poor helpless town to run riot paddle hard and generally drink the place dry.

This year GMIT were hosting the event in Castlebar, Co Mayo.

The Friday saw the first event in a cold Crossmolina the coaches travelled pulling trailers laden with boats of all colours and sizes, as the Students arrived the polo comp kicked off with an exciting first round of games seeing a brave trinity narrowly miss out to a strong Limerick team, The 2 pre tournament favourites MUCK (Maynooth) and the GMIT had an opening round exchange with GMIT proving strongest taking the convincing win,

As the event continued so did the weather with drizzle and rain to contend with a wicked side wind flying across the pitch, One highlight was to see Carlow or ORK IT as its more affectionally known line up with a single man against a full team of 5. On his own Orky battled hard through tiredness and pain scoring 2 goals on his was to a loss knocking him out of the competition.

DCU took the wildcard place into the Semi-finals against an improving UCD having dispatched there local rivals they were pushed into a tense final against favourites GMIT

After a strong 1st half DCU were holding out at 0-0 and GMIT just couldn't find the net hitting all sides of the goal until finally into the 2nd half Kevin Pierce stepped up to finally score the first goal from then on it was one way traffic to leave GMIT convincing winners for the 2nd year running.

Friday Night the crowds headed to a busy Castlebar for celebration and socialising before the following days events.

Saturday started bright and early with a tough team white water race claiming many swims and a lot of pride after the white water the teams headed south to Tuam Co, Galway for the freestyle event.

The freestyle event took the format of team jam sessions with the top 8 moves of each paddler combined to create a team score, with many current and ex Irish team paddlers in attendance the field was stacked with talent, smooth cartwheels from Colin Wong and fast helix’s of Barry Loughnane saw some huge scores. The point of having a team event meant it was up to the whole team to perform for their combined total with ORK IT again a single paddler making it difficult to accumulate any real points.

A super strong University of Limerick team took the win with a great display working through the score sheet. In second was NUIG led by Barry and Andrew really working the score sheet and in third with an improving performance was DCU showing it could have been anyone's game.

The Evening saw the masses return the the Royal Theatre in Castlebar for a night of Soul with a James Brown tribute band in the house providing the music of the night.

A tired Sunday morning arrived with the long distance races to be held in Castlebar with a lack of rescue meant the race was cut from a healthy 8km to a short sprint over 2km

the K1 was first with a fast race led start to finish by Tom Brennan from Trinity followed closely in second place by Liam Banks of UCD next off was the high performance class again led by Canoeing Ireland athlete Neil Fleming taking a comfortable win with Colin Wong in second place. In the women's class Laura Griffin took the win with Aisling Griffin in second place.

Varsities LD

There were a huge number of GP paddlers looking for the points for their colleges.

The prize giving was held back in the college with some delay while the final points were added the results were announced

1st University Limerick

2nd UCD

3rd Trinity

With the decision made that the 2013 Intervarsity's will be held in Limerick once again.

Well Done to WeeMan Mark O’Connor for putting on an excellent event, thoroughly enjoyed by all!

 

Paddy Tec feeling worse for wear after a fast 2km race