The Future of British Slalom??
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2012 11:32 pm
From reading all the different posts regarding Open Divisions/Slalom Structure, I state:
The Slalom Committee do a lot of great things.
Changing the structure of Divisions is a 'Michael Gove fix'. It is something that can make you feel like you have done something you have certainly thought a lot about it, and it is something that isin your control, but the core issue has not been addressed, and the benefits/risk of changing is unknown.
In my opinion unless there is a significant benefit, don't change it at this point.
What the slalom committee does need to address:
Clubs
Clubs are not a priority on the BCU/Canoe England radar. They are seen as a liability. But clubs make our sport. Wales and Scotland are effectively running a stafford and stone club based model, in scotland and wales. And look at the fantastic success they are having with it. Look at the fantastic success stafford and stone have/are having.
Target: Put money, time and energy into moving the mental approach of the BCU/Canoe england forward, in terms of its view on clubs.
Create resources for non-slalom, based clubs which begin to get them/beginners interested in the sport.
Make sure the resources are checked so that they don't have spelling mistakes.
Ask Canoe Slalom UK, to host these resources which contain a basic set of information for all, new slalom paddlers, existing clubs to understand what they need to look for/how to take part.
Organisation:
Online Payment/Entry
80% of the events run for Canoe slalom are run by Clubs, they would almost all happily run online if there was a system in place. But you cannot ask 100 clubs to sort out there own individual solution.
Campbell W - gave a solution a year ago, nothing has happened as far as i can tell or see, but if BCU Slalom Committee/BCU were to organise/given instruction for using a host company/webpage such as http://www.entrycentral.com/index.php, almost all clubs would.
Training Gates:
If there are funds available for this, which there are, Ironbridge has recieved funds from England Slalom Committee in the past 12 months. Why not publicise that there is money available to all clubs who wish to make use of it, for training gate purposes. Local Paddlesport officers, BCU, Canoe England, Facebook/Twitter, GB Canoeing, could all publicise this information.
Media Training/Advice:
Why has an information pack not been prepared for media. It could have all of the most important details of our sport across the country. It could have contacts, and web pages. It could have highlighted exceptional paddlers, Olympic and world medallists, up and coming paddlers, and a blank section for LOCAL HERO's/UP and Coming paddlers.
It could be circulated to every single club, to every organiser, who can then add the local information bit and send it to the local press in that clubs area.
Or it can be given to those people doing media interviews/School Talks. Heaven knows Tim/Ettiene, Lizzie, Dave/Rich, are doing a fantastic job, as are Natalie and Campbell as sporting champions, but why are they having to do it all off their own back, all off their own determination to set up and take notes/information that they have collected themselves.
Surely, if the Slalom Committee gave them this central collection of information, we would all be spreading the same message.
And as with everything the more we spread the message the more success we will get, not only at interest level/media coverage, grass routes, returning paddlers, greater strength in depth, and ultimately a great pool of talent to choose our team members from. Such that CANOE ENGLAND couldn't abandon any paddlers after the age of 16, but had to support them, as the Scots and Welsh do, because they have so much talent coming through.
These issues are well above any ranking/divisional issues in my humble opinion.
Just my rambling's but thoughts on these aspects in support or contradicting me, gladly received.
The Slalom Committee do a lot of great things.
Changing the structure of Divisions is a 'Michael Gove fix'. It is something that can make you feel like you have done something you have certainly thought a lot about it, and it is something that isin your control, but the core issue has not been addressed, and the benefits/risk of changing is unknown.
In my opinion unless there is a significant benefit, don't change it at this point.
What the slalom committee does need to address:
Clubs
Clubs are not a priority on the BCU/Canoe England radar. They are seen as a liability. But clubs make our sport. Wales and Scotland are effectively running a stafford and stone club based model, in scotland and wales. And look at the fantastic success they are having with it. Look at the fantastic success stafford and stone have/are having.
Target: Put money, time and energy into moving the mental approach of the BCU/Canoe england forward, in terms of its view on clubs.
Create resources for non-slalom, based clubs which begin to get them/beginners interested in the sport.
Make sure the resources are checked so that they don't have spelling mistakes.
Ask Canoe Slalom UK, to host these resources which contain a basic set of information for all, new slalom paddlers, existing clubs to understand what they need to look for/how to take part.
Organisation:
Online Payment/Entry
80% of the events run for Canoe slalom are run by Clubs, they would almost all happily run online if there was a system in place. But you cannot ask 100 clubs to sort out there own individual solution.
Campbell W - gave a solution a year ago, nothing has happened as far as i can tell or see, but if BCU Slalom Committee/BCU were to organise/given instruction for using a host company/webpage such as http://www.entrycentral.com/index.php, almost all clubs would.
Training Gates:
If there are funds available for this, which there are, Ironbridge has recieved funds from England Slalom Committee in the past 12 months. Why not publicise that there is money available to all clubs who wish to make use of it, for training gate purposes. Local Paddlesport officers, BCU, Canoe England, Facebook/Twitter, GB Canoeing, could all publicise this information.
Media Training/Advice:
Why has an information pack not been prepared for media. It could have all of the most important details of our sport across the country. It could have contacts, and web pages. It could have highlighted exceptional paddlers, Olympic and world medallists, up and coming paddlers, and a blank section for LOCAL HERO's/UP and Coming paddlers.
It could be circulated to every single club, to every organiser, who can then add the local information bit and send it to the local press in that clubs area.
Or it can be given to those people doing media interviews/School Talks. Heaven knows Tim/Ettiene, Lizzie, Dave/Rich, are doing a fantastic job, as are Natalie and Campbell as sporting champions, but why are they having to do it all off their own back, all off their own determination to set up and take notes/information that they have collected themselves.
Surely, if the Slalom Committee gave them this central collection of information, we would all be spreading the same message.
And as with everything the more we spread the message the more success we will get, not only at interest level/media coverage, grass routes, returning paddlers, greater strength in depth, and ultimately a great pool of talent to choose our team members from. Such that CANOE ENGLAND couldn't abandon any paddlers after the age of 16, but had to support them, as the Scots and Welsh do, because they have so much talent coming through.
These issues are well above any ranking/divisional issues in my humble opinion.
Just my rambling's but thoughts on these aspects in support or contradicting me, gladly received.