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Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2007 7:25 pm
by NKcanoe
Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 10:58 pm
by Dave Royle
So how happy were you with the race at Teesside?
Saturday
Div 1 entries not informed that their entry was not accepted !
Start delayed because event organizers changed the schedule so that judges first runs would be timed and judged. That lost nearly an hour because the timing team had to set their stuff up.
Event finished and the water kept running, and running, and running. What was the panic? Plenty of play for the Prem judges (on Sundays course).
Sunday
Well. Can I ask if there was anyone who was happy with the course changes? The first change was gate 3 and that had to be put back to where it was before, more or less, because the new position was impractical.
Next gate 12 and 13 were moved upstream without really changing much in terms of boat position or skills.
Gate 15 moved upstream because the C2s were so p****d off with hitting their tails.
I think 17 may have moved a little. And 18 was moved just to prove they could do it.
In my mind, this was just LAZY. I expected to judge one race and race another. That’s value for money. Not judge one race and race the same one with VERY MINOR CHANGES. It’s not the first time this has happened here, but it should be the last. “Rule UK22.1.1 At selection & premier event there will be no training runs.” Let’s stick to it and have a proper course change between events.
On the organisations defence: Cleveland is a new club with little experience and they were presented with many difficulties over the weekend. Not least, of course, the threat of oil pollution. Sunday’s event ran very well at 30s intervals through the day. I can understand those who were caught up being aggrieved but the organisers had little choice. I was glad not to be one of them. (Organiser or caught up – you decide)
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 8:55 am
by Kev.S
Regarding the arguements over the Division 1 entries, is was entirely pointless, the event was advertised at 150 max, this was not reached, and as you rightly point out Dave there was excess water time despite the late start.
As for the Sunday's course, again the changes were pointless, it was almost identical to Saturday's and I have to say, additional to your comments about gate positions, surely gates 8 - 10 could have had more stagger on them, they were almost in a straight line. The whole weekend was not as good as it could have been, Oil being the exception as nobody could have foreseen that!
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 9:14 am
by Frances
I agree the "changes" on Sunday were a farce. To my uneducated eye the course was exactly the same both days.
We have a 7 hour drive to get to Tees and did not expect to find that 20 out of the 47 Prem K1 men had had the opportunity to race on the course the previous day, not to mention the free practise time they all had at the end of the event on Saturday. surely this is completely counter to the rules and intention of paddling at the Prem level
"2nd gripe Why put an e mail address on the web site when you refuse to answer any e mails enquiring about late entries or to come to the phone. This seems unreasonable to me when people are travelling long distances and at this time of year there are a number of anxious paddlers trying to get last minute promotions or avoid demotion. there were late entries on the list so waht was the criteria for accepting or rejecting them? There was clearly water time left at the end of the event on theSaturday so this cannot have been the reason.
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 1:25 pm
by quaker
Firstly I would like to thank the organisers for handling the diesel slick issue well - we were all kept informed of the issue and what may happen. However not changing the course is a frickin disgrace!
I'm sure this is not the first time that a Tees event has presented a Prem course that is virtually identical to the Div1.
As for the arguement that Cleveland is a new club - it's like the difference between Wimbledon FC and Milton Keynes Dons, the same old experience faces just coming under a different banner.
I think part of the reason that the course rarely differs is that Teesside is very inflexible and not really suited to slalom. Lets face it, to move gate 3 on Sunday morning took about 20mins... and then it only moved a fraction. A lot more could have been done to change the course: swapping 12 and 13, widening the staggers, addtional breakouts....
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:01 pm
by Alison
Was the diseal slick just there on Sunday? Both me and my sister have spent the last 24 hours very ill after paddling there on saturday. I've never had a problem with Teeside before despite paddling there for over 7 years.
Posted: Mon Oct 15, 2007 10:19 pm
by kanu.63
Big thanks to Cleveland CC after having traveled up from Nottingham early Sunday the threat of oil was well handled and better to get a race than travel home with dry kit.On the entry issue why is it so hard for people to send entrys in on time,with the correct money and to accept if your entrys late you run the risk of not getting a race.
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:22 am
by Kev.S
kanu.63 wrote:On the entry issue why is it so hard for people to send entrys in on time,with the correct money and to accept if your entrys late you run the risk of not getting a race.
Perhaps not everyone can plan their lives 3 months in advance, work and family commitments can get in the way.
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:10 pm
by raeofsunshine
No one is asking anyone to plan 3 months in advance, the closing date for entries is 15 days beforehand isnt it?
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 12:26 pm
by Kev.S
Yes it is! but it would seem only at Teeside is it adhered to so strictly. Even when the event has not reached its maximum entry. 
Posted: Tue Oct 16, 2007 2:34 pm
by mk1zetec
I know for a fact that this event is percieved by many as not always being the most agreeable organizationally. I did not bother competing this year, mainly because of something I experienced before the DIV 1 event last year.
I turned up the day before to be told that i could not paddle it as the course was set and was now closed to make it fair for all Div 1s. This was just after i had watched some local Div 1 paddlers having a go and 2 days before i had called and had been told the course was open on that day. so in effect I travelled from London to look at an empty course, i wasn't happy.
The stories i am hearing following this years event hasn't done anything to change my perception. Its a shame as technically is a really good venue compared to some on calendar. Not that i am knocking any other venue I would paddle anywhere if i know that people of the same standard as me are going to be there and that the event is likely to be well run.
