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We all know that physical activity is important for healthy growth and development of our children. Joining a club sport adds a new dimension -Ă‚Âťit helps develop valuable life skills such as co-operation, discipline, respect and tolerance. Play for life....join a sporting clubPlay for life...join a sporting club is all about the benefits of children and families participating in club sports. You can use the club finder to help connect you with sporting clubs in your area. Simply select your state and the sport you are interested in and then click Search. Links to relevant websites will appear on your screen. The campaign is run by the Australian Sports Commission and supported by the state and territory departments of sport and recreation and Communities NSW. If you have questions or would like more information please email: playforlife@ausport.gov.au | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Canoe Polo Worlds start today and you can keep in touch with all the goings on via the event website. Follow Live results from the Polo WorldsAustralia had a winning start on day one of the World Championships, all teams Won their games. Men vs belgium 6 - 1 and portugal 1-0. Women vs Switzerland 2 -0. Youth vs Switzerland 3-2.
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Follow news of the third week of the Polo tour from Spike's unique perspective. Spike's report #3 - DePaddle Belgium to BologonaMonday 23rd AugustMonday morning at the De’Paddle competition site in Flanders Fields. The Sunday night party was subdued compared to the effort 4 years ago. From my vantage point in a Palm tree (more on that in a minute) it appears these players are serious about a good result this year. The 07:00 wakeup call and the prospect of a long drive to Strasburg in France may have also contributed. Oh… Guess what. “It’s raining again”. The Belgium summer appears to have been on the 21st and 22nd of August in 2010. A bit much to take for a marsupial used to a much hotter climate!. Before I describe the exciting drive from Dikkebus to Strasbourg let me describe how I spent the hours between 17:00 and 21:00 on Sunday afternoon. One of the competition organisers, who I met on the 2006 tour and charmed with my personality, offered the use of his own trailer for the tour on the one condition it was returned to him at the end of the tour. Of course this was gratefully accepted. On Sunday afternoon I, and a few other inconsequential “hangers on” who were required to drive as the manufacturers of Citroen’s have seen fit to NOT equip suitable ‘Spike Friendly’ steering, gear leaver and peddles, drove to Popering about 20km away to pick up the said trailer. Before we knew what was happening the before mentioned “hangers on” were being treated to aperitifs, local sausages and a beer plus Internet access while I furthered international relationships by posing for the young daughters in a Palm tree. You would think the others could have helped a bit more. Managers comment: Thanks to Rik, Ann and their lovely daughters for all their help. (Note to Spike.. I should not have had to add this in! It is your responsibility to thank people for their assistance). Back to Monday morning. After I had helped a certain unnamed player and manager find a hardware store, I could have told them most stores are shut on Monday morning if they had bothered to ask having been here many times before; we procured a waterproof cover for the trailer and returned to supervise the packing of 6 vehicles. By 09:30 we were on our way to Strasbourg. Have I mentioned it is raining… Guess it is better to be in a car snuggled up to my team mates than up a gum/palm tree in this weather. A quick comment on European Motorways, keep to the right or die. The watchers of ‘Top Gear’ may think that a blast along a motorway is exciting, enthralling and great entertainment. RUBBISH.. It’s boring, boring, boring and that is after 10 minutes. It gets worse after that. The highlight of the drive was Breakfast in Belgium, Lunch in Luxembourg (not quite but close enough) accommodation in France and Dinner in Germany. I am not quite clear on how 6 vehicles, all given the same information, can end up in 3 different locations in Strasbourg. Fortunately after a text message or two I straightened them out and we were reunited at the Hostel International ‘Jardine des Deux Rivers’. Tuesday 24th AugustAfter a refreshing night’s sleep, perhaps not aided by the delicate aroma of the nearby riding academy, I supervised the packing for the short drive to Interlaken in Switzerland. Have I mentioned it raining again… Excitement on the Autobahn.. I am pulled over by a police car for a) Speeding and b) Overtaking. Seems between the hours of 08:00 and 18:00 on this section of Autobahn a car and trailer are considered a truck and must a) drive no faster than 80km/hour and b) not overtake. Naturally my distinctive Australian accent, good looks and charm get us off with an explanation and warning. It appears the Germans believe this section of Autobahn is in such bad condition it would be dangerous to allow tucks and cars with trailers to go any faster. I, having travelled all around Australia, have seen parts of highway 1 in worse condition with no speed restrictions. On to the Swiss boarder at 80km per hour! Naturally my navigation is perfect and we arrive at the Jugendherberge Hostel just outside of Interlaken at lunch time. The teams lost no time getting on the water in what must be the most ideal setting, clean clear water, mountains up to the sky, clean air and NO RAIN, just one pesky paddle steamer creating waves. Most of the team want to stay, find a rich Swiss and be kept in the life style to which they would like to become accustom. I had to point out it would be impractical due to the lack of suitable gum leaves. This logic falls on deaf ears. After training, I guide a walk around the tourist areas of Interlaken where copious numbers of Swiss Army Knives and chocolate were purchased. Back to the Hostel and off to bed. Wednesday 25th AugustI am going to send in an official complaint to Hostels International as they have not adequately catered for my exacting needs. The others seemed to think, 4 types of cereal, jam, honey, bread, 3 types of cheese and 3 types of cold meats plus good coffee were enough but where were the eucalyptus leaves?. It’s NOT RAINING. A note to the people who decided to go for a quick dip sans cloths. Try not to attract the attention of the locals as they are all quite old and are likely to fall off their bikes. Once again I have to supervise the loading of boats and gear. By 09:00 we are crammed in an on our way to Bologna in Italy. Earlier the decision was made to go through the Gotthard Tunnel rather than over the Gotthard Pass to save time. I wanted to go over the top too see if I can get a good feed at higher altitudes but was overruled in the name of getting to the respective destinations early. Note to those who were keen to go through the tunnel. Don’t miss the turnoff and have to take a 40 minute detour resulting in the slowest vehicle arriving at the Italian Border before you despite watching you all drive past while at a comfort break. We koalas could have driven over the pass and had lunch and still arrived in earlier! Packing at Interlaken for the drive to Bologna Arrival at the Accommodation in Belogna Ah Italy.. Rubbish on the ground, road works everywhere but it’s warm and NOT RAINING so all is forgiven. More motorway driving. It’s so boarding even the navigation B&*^% is quiet for hours, then excitement, she wakes up to announce “Turn right in 10km” and promptly goes back to sleep. Can’t complain as she only got confused once, putting us into the middle of a paddock on a small road, and NO it was not my fault as at least one other car ended up in exactly the same place. The excursion did provide me with lovely views of the Jungfrau Mountain. I am writing this sitting outside, having pizza and dreaming of eucalyptus leaves. After 3 days on the road it’s back to hard training. Will have to be up early to get the teams organised. Thursday 26th AugustGetting the U21’s organised is like herding cats. After must effort I manage to get everyone into the vehicles and on the road. The navigation B&*^% took us past “Clown Town: (a circus) and quite a number of women in short skirts trying to hitchhike. I did not understand what was going on as they did not seem to have any luggage with them. What further confused me is they were still therewhen we came back from training later in the day. I will have to ask what is going on. It is hot and VERY humid, which is a change from the cold and rain of London. Does seem to affect the players but I am finding it delightful. A quick detour to the Bologna airport to pick up Cass, Harry and Belinda kept me busy for the afternoon. At last a “spike friendly’ card seat. Good of Cass to think of me. Not sure where Harry will be sitting. Friday 27th AugustMore training, still hot and humid. Today I witnessed a strange ritual. Matt Greaves had all his dreams come true as Sarah, Louise and Ailsa ripped off his clothes. He then happily changed into the ‘dress’. On further investigation I have discovered the ‘dress’ is punishment for mistakes made during the day. Exciting though it was to see him in the dress, the girls soon regretted it as he looked better than they did (Except for the chest hair). Saturday 28th/Sunday 29thCompetition day at last. Still hot and humid. The venue has changed to be a sea of tents. Four playing pitches and one practice pitch. I have my suspicions that something is not right with it all as there appears to be a lot of piscine activity in the water despite the polo activity on top, well mostly on top. Fish leaping out of the water can be distracting but fish leaping out of the water and landing on the back of boats can cause screams of terror from certain NZ ladies. Suck it up girls it’s only a fish. I am once again proved correct as it turns out the fields are set up on a fish farm. Perhaps the name of the restaurant located at the fields could have been a clue. Restaurant “Il Pescatore”. Playing fields at Bologna In a gesture to improve international relations I introduced myself to the Iranian Womens team. They immediately wanted to adopt me and take me home with them. Not surprising really given my charm and good looks but my loyalty is with Australia. It was clear from the start the U21’s would be faced with very tough competition as the Italian, Iran and German National teams were in attendance. Over the next two days this proved to be the case as the U21’s ended up 5th. I will have to have a chat to the U21’s as they were awarded a total of 11 green cards on Sunday. The Women fared better, ending up at the top of their group and playing off against the German National team in the grand-final. Unfortunately they went down 2-1 in a tight game. While being disappointed with losing it gave the team a look at the German women in action on the field which will give them a valuable insight for the Worlds. Full results can be found at http://www.canoaclubbologna.it/tournaments/ then select “Follow the tournament Real Time Results”. Monday 30th AugustI have allowed the teams to have the morning off before a light training session at the venue and packing up for the drive to Milan tomorrow. The World Championships start in 2 days.. Australian Canoeing Canoe Polo would like to thank our major sponsors for their assistance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Australian Canoe Polo Women take Gold and the U21 Silver at the DePaddle International in Dikkebus, Belgium Gold for Canoe Polo Women's Team in DePaddle InternationalA total 10 Women’s teams including the French, Italian, New Zealand national teams, were entered in two divisions. Australia went through their first rounds undefeated to meet the Italian Women in the second round. A penalty shot awarded 5 seconds before full time ensured the Australians advanced to the Grand Final where they would meet the New Zealand National Team. . The final between the New Zealand and Australia had the Australian team up by two goals by half time. The NZ team pressed for the full second half with no change in the score. A great result for the women. The U21 teams were up against stiff opposition in their group. After losing the first game of the second round they did it the hard way by playing 4 games in the day to meet the GB U21 team in the final. It was clear the large number of games had taken their toll as the team went down to the GB 21’s. None the less a good start to the tour.
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 Murray Stewart K1 action in Poznan Murray Stewart (NSWSI) has taken Bronze in the morning session of the World University Championships. Stewart takes BronzeStewart claimed bronze finishing just 3 seconds behind Serbian Tomacevic Marko in the final o fthe Men's K1 1000m. Angus Cambell (VIC) & Ben Wood (NSW) have finished 8th in the Mens K2 1000m final as did the K4 crew in the 1000m final. The afternoon session will feature the 200m heats and semifinals where WAIS pair Jesse Phillips and Steve Bird will again be in action.
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 Several Aussie crews have progressed through to finals following Day 1 events. Aussies progress at university worlds in PoznanMurray Stewart (NSWIS) has progressed through to the final after winning both the K1 1000m and K1 500m heats on Day 1. Stewart joined Jesse Phillips (WAIS), Steve Bird (WAIS) and Angus Campbell (VIC) in the K4 to finish 3rd and go through to the final on Saturday. Phillips and Bird booked a berth in the K2 500m final after a comfortable win in their heat however Rebecca Keelan (NSW) placed 7th in a fast paced Ladies K1 500m heat.
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Murray Stewart K1 action in Poznan Action gets underway at the World University Sprint Championships in Poznan today. Aussies in action in PoznanMurray Stewart will lead the way in the Men's K1 1000m heats first up. After some positive results on the course at the World Champs just last week, Stewart should be confident of progressing straight through to the finals in both the 1000m and 500m K1 heats. Rebecca Keelan will contest her first international event when she competes in the Ladies K1 heats. Jesse Phillips and Steve Bird will also be in action in this afternoon's K2 500m heats. The pair finished 4th in the 200m final on the same course last week and will look to continue their form over the longer distance. Angus Campbell and Ben Wood will be in action tomorrow in the K2 1000m heats. SCHEDULE Morning Race 1 09.00 K1 men 1.000 m 1 heat Race 2 09.10 K1 men 1.000 m 2 heat Race 3 09.40 K1 women 500 m 1 heat Race 4 09.45 K1 women 500 m 2 heat Race 5 10.00 C1 men 1.000 m 1 heat Race 6 10.10 C1 men 1.000 m 2 heat Race 7 11.00 K1 men 1.000 m 1 semifinal Race 8 11.20 K1 women 500 m 1 semifinal Race 9 11.40 C1 men 1.000 m 1 semifinal Afternoon Race 10 14.00 K1 men 500 m 1 heat Race 11 14.05 K1 men 500 m 2 heat Race 12 14.10 C1 men 500 m 1 heat Race 13 14.15 C1 men 500 m 2 heat Race 14 14.20 K2 men 500 m 1 heat Race 15 14.25 K2 men 500 m 2 heat Race 16 15.30 K1 men 500 m 1 semifinal Race 17 15.45 C1 men 500 m 1 semifinal Race 18 16.00 K2 men 500 m 1 semifinal Race 19 16.45 C2 men 500 m 1 semifinal
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We are in the midst of World Championships Season. You can see where and when each discipline is competing and also find links to Worlds news with this interactive map. 2010 World Championship Venues | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Finally I am on the road away from the Welling scout hall and out in the Kent countryside. Spike’s Report 23rdth August 2010Lush, green and only a little bit of rain. Ahh… the joys of an English summer. Due to a small oversight CJ’s vehicle was not booked on the ferry at the same time as the others so one group ofU21’s were on the road at 08:00 to catch an earlier ferry. The remaining vehicles hit the road at 10:00 to arrive at Dover in plenty of time for a brief look at Dover Castle, only from the outside. Lunch in the queue to the ferry and then we are on the way to France. Despite some stiff competition from Siobhan, Sarah won the award for the most likely to get sea sick on a mill pond. Only staring at the horizon and the timely arrival of Calais docks saved us all from the inevitable regurgitation of breakfast. Admittedly the channel did have a bit of a swell running. Departure from the ferry saw the remaining U21 vehicle head to Dikkebus and the Women and Men to St Omer, guess what it is raining again. 20 minutes down the toll way it was time to turn off to St Omer. Note to Matt Heard.. Wait till the boom gate allowing exit from the motorway to open before driving through! Clearly this has happened before as the boom gate is covered with foam and breaks away from its mounts. St Omer: I am in polo heaven. (well would be if there were some leaves I could eat) Two permanent fields with filtered water from the canal, lights for night games, a clubhouse with hot showers and a boat shed. After drooling at the facilities I organised the unloading of the boats we were escorted to the sleeping arrangements and it got better. We have been placed in the new accommodation block of the local school, one to two per room, hot showers and beds. The whole building is in our hands. At 20:00 our hosts from the St Omer club escorted us to ‘le Zinc’ restaurant for dinner. It doesn’t get any better. Early to bed as there is I have to get the teams up and on the I was wrong, it does get better. Breakfast 60 seconds walk away, cereal, baguettes, cold meat, butter, jam, fruit and coffee. Lunch? a sit down affair of three courses at the Station restaurant. Are the French trying to fatten us up so we can’t play as well? Wednesday afternoon it was time to meet the dignitaries that made it all possible. We stood around while speeches were made and translated with. With my help, being fluent in French, Ailsa responded in French much to the delight of all assembled. It was then time for the interviews with the local newspapers and radio station. The managers and captains tried to steal the lime light but the photographers were wise to their plan and my picture ended up in the local paper on Friday morning. Dinner once again at ‘le Zinc’ went well into the evening for some. There is a story going around that one manager, in the interest of international relations, did not return to the accommodation till after midnight. This is yet to be confirmed. Friday morning saw me, with great reluctance, supervising the packing of the vehicles for the drive to Depaddle, 60 minutes up the road. It was difficult to leave such great facilities and hospitality. A quick calculation shows that the organisations in and around St Omer that made it all possible sponsored the teams to the value of Euro 4000 making them the single largest sponsor of the Australian teams. On to DePaddle.. A quick conference with the U21 Manager and Coach revealed they had been enjoying the rain, mud, sleeping in a tent and cooking for themselves so much they were not the least bit jealous of what we had had to endure. Secretly I think they are lying. De’ Paddle - Belgium 21/22nd AugustI felt rather nostalgic as I lay down in my army tent, so similar to those used 4 years ago. The teams were pumped, the lake set up – the comp had started. The women (finally playing in a womens division) had 4 games the first day, starting with the Danish National team, beating them 5-1. Next up was France, currently 2nd in the world, but the girls played hard and won 2-1, a great win. Next was Canada under 21, whom the girls beat 7-0. Finally was Game On, made up mostly of the National GB team plus some extra players, and again the girls came through and beat them 3-0. There was a dinner that night, with lots of salads to keep the vegetarian men happy and ribs to keep all the other boys happy. There was also a band and drinks available, and I was very ready to mingling, talk to some international teams and scope out potential mascots. However, after the band was still playing past midnight when I was trying to sleep, I did get a bit tired of them. The finally stopped playing and fell asleep straight away. Unfortunately, the music played up with the fields started from 6:30am, waking me from my dreams of eucalyptus pizza, and the next day started. The girls had their first game against New Zealand, beating them in a penalty shootout. Their next game was against the Italian National Team. The girls won – the only goal scored was a 6m penalty received with 4 seconds to go. Nice under pressure Sarah! This put them through to the grand-final, against New Zealand. Nerves were high, but the girls pushed hard and played their game the whole time, winning 2-0. A very exciting game. The under 21s started off great, with a 5-1 win to GB team Nomad, and a 14-0 win against Belgium club team IRWV. To cap it off, they then won 7-0 against French team ‘Suce Beach’ and 7-2 against Netherlands team Viking Veno. Good work lads! Finishing top of their group, they played a team called Willems, only just losing 2-3. They still had a chance at the grand final but they had to win the rest of their games. They played Netherlands team Trekvogels, winning 3-1 and then Willems again. This time they played harder and faster, and won 1-0. They got into the grand-final, and although they played well they were beaten by the GB under 21 team 10-2. 2nd place, awesome work boys! The men had a hard game to start off the competition, and lost 4-0 to the French Under 21 team. They got the fire back though, beating French team St Nazare 1 6-0, and beating French team Thury Harcourt 2-0. They fought hard and drew with Netherlands team Michiel de Ruyter, 4 all, and ended with a win against Wales team Dragon 5-2. The next day started with a great win against St Omer, 8-1, and another great win against France under 21 5-3. Their next game, to get into the grand-final, was against the French National team. They fought hard and got so close, but lost 2-1, putting them in 4th place. Top 4! Well done lads! After such an exciting weekend I am ready to have a eucalyptus beer, put on my iPod and relax. I don’t know how these guys do it! What champions! Australian Canoeing Canoe Polo would like to thank our major sponsors for their assistance.
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So, here I am on the road again. Australian Canoe Polo Tour - Spike’s Report 19th August 2010And again they forgot to get one extra seat. To the left were the open men in varying colours of blue tracksuit pants (because 2XU couldn't manage to provide all of the ordered uniforms on time. To the right the women, looking like the offspring of a pole-dancer and a smurf, each unpicking their g-strings because no other undies could fit underneath the lycra spandex. Further away were the U21's behaving, as expected like under 21's. I was wedged between two blue muscular bottoms belonging to players who will remain nameless. Normally I wouldn’t have had an issue with being squashed between any pair of bottoms, but on an aircraft a seat of your own is high priority. Not only for the extra space but for the food that comes with it, even if they shove it in your face at strange obscure hours of the night. If my confused stomach wasn’t already unsettling, the accommodation for non-humans was sorely lacking. Heaps of Koalas fly internationally! How could they not serve eucalyptus leaves?! I suspected my seating arrangement was to blame, so I stole some of John Moore and Matt Perrin’s vegi dinners in revenge (which soon turned into a fight for survival as the flight time stretched to a gruelling twenty-four hours) . On the bright, side I got a window seat with Libby, who took very good care of me until she left for the bathroom in the middle of Shrek 4. While waiting for Libby to return I was abducted by the U21’s (by now you would think I would have seen it coming…) and tortured with bad jokes before being stuffed inside Luke’s bag for old time’s sake. Later I learned this was supposedly for my benefit as trying to sneak a koala into England may not go down well with the customs officials at Heathrow (regardless of whether my insides were all plushy or not). While cramped next to Luke’s budgie smugglers, I wasn’t completely convinced. Thankfully Libby rescued me and I was soon safe between her bosom once more. Relieved I had not been given over to the sniffer dogs as a new chew toy I thought it would be wise to refresh myself as the girls applied perfume from the duty free section at Heathrow. Shock- Horror!!! When I opened my bag to take out my can of eucalyptus Lynx (for the ladies) I noticed Little Spike was missing. All that remained of my faithful apprentice was a ransom note scrolled in between my PJ’s and thermals. Little Spike would be returned unharmed only if two bags of FroChocs were brought to the Aus Womens 1st training session at Danson Park – the location for the Betrayed and broken-hearted I figured Little Spike (having usurped my position) would be well taken care of, regardless of what the letter said. With this in mind, I kept the FroChocs for myself while watching the Australian Teams pile eighteen kayaks onto four cars. With a fully belly I was packed into a car with CJ, Lou, Steph, Nikky and Von. Ten minutes later CJ, the U21’s coach, had successfully lulled the girls to sleep as we cruised along the M20 and M25 to Welling. As the only passenger still awake I had a heart-to-heart with CJ reminiscing our past adventures and reaffirming our hatred of European drivers. We soon arrived at the 1st Welling Scout Hall—declared by the chipped and faded red, green and white sign on its roof. As it turned out, the sign was about the only thing still half-way intact in the venue. With trepidation Australian Teams took in the boarded windows, the broken chickenwire fence and the rusted padlock securing the gate. On gaining entry it was discovered half the culinary utensils were missing. Ken and the other managers leapt into a flurry of management activity to procure pots large enough to accommodate the appetites of twenty-three athletes, four managers and three coaches. The earlier betrayal of Little Spike and the girls still gnawing inside me, the English weather, our “accommodation” and the absence of eucalyptus leaves left me feeling so depressed that I decided to hang myself. Enlisting the help of Chris I was soon fluttering from the eroded flagpole on the rooftop. However my fellow conspirator was guilt-tripped into removing my noose and I was thrown (literally) into the waiting arms of the Women’s Team with hugs and kisses. With the girls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Wallace brings home Australia's only medal as Aussies finish up at the World Champs in Poznan. World Championship Wrap5000m Results Ken Wallace (QAS) showed his kayaking supremacy with an impressive display in the 5000m race to take Australia’s only gold and his first world championship title in Poland. After a disappointing 1000m final which saw Wallace finish 6th behind Tim Brabants of Great Britain and German, Max Hoff who won the event; Wallace went home with a world championship title and a gold medal round his neck after winning the K1 5000m final on Lake Malta in Poznan. Wallace was no doubt motivated by the strong performance of his younger sister, Bernadette (QAS), who raced strongly to finish 4th in the women's K1 5000m event. Wallace finished just 4 seconds out of bronze medal contention behind Anne Rikala of Finland. Hungarian Vivien Follath took the win ahead of Maryna Paltaran of Belarus. 1000m Results In the men's K4 1000m final, Tate Smith (QAS), Matt Urquhart (QAS), Murray Stewart (NSWIS) and Jacob Clear (QAS) raised strongly to claim a 5th place just half a second from the medals, Australia's best result in the crew boat for more than a decade and a strong indication of the growing depth of 1000m paddlers in Australia. Luke Morrison (SASI) and David Smith (QAS) won the Men's K2 1000m C final which was a small consolation after finishing 7th in their semi-final and missing the A final. 500m Results In the men's K2 500m A final Murray Stewart and Jake Clear improved on their result from last year finishing in a creditable 5th position behind Belorussia, Portugal, Serbia and Germany. Elsewhere, there were mitigated results with a 7th place finish for Ken Wallace in the K1 500m event, unable to get away freely from the start gate, Wallace could not make up the lost ground and was frustrated with the race outcome. Sweden's Anders Gustaffson took the win ahead of Slovakian surprise, Peter Gelle, with Adam Van Koeverden in 3rd. 200m Results A shoulder injury kept Jo Brigden Jones (NSWIS) out of the water on the final day of competition at the canoe sprint world championships. Brigden-Jones struggled in the K1 200m semi final qualifying for the B final however she was unable to recover fully, and withdrew from competition. In 200m B finals, the Western Australian pair, Jesse Phillips (WAIS) and Steve Bird (WAIS), finished 4th, Murray Stewart 5th, C2 pair Ferenc Szekszardi and Sebastian Marczak also finished in 5th position over 200m and in 9th position over 500m, with Alyce Burnett (QLD) and Hailey McGinty 7th. Torsten Lachmann finished 7th in the C1 200m C final. Paracanoe Results David Rolfe finished 9th in the Men’s Paracanoeing A Final in his first ever World Championship performance.
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 Paddlers interested in competing in the Mauritius Ocean Classic are urged to get their entries in ASAP and no later than Thursday 2nd September. Last call for Mauritius Ocean Classic entriesThe second Mauritius Ocean Classic, a World Surf Ski Series event will take place on the 11th of September 2010 from Souillac to Le Morne (28 kms) in the South of the beautiful Island of Mauritius. Accommodation, rates, airfares and packages are available as part of the event. Download the Island Shamaal Mauritius Ocean Classic Program below and refer to page 5 for all your travel and accommodation bookings. For any further queries please contact Rebecca at Above and Beyond Holidays on rebecca@abhols.com.au or phone 02 9651 3066 and 1300 362 166Website link: http://www.aboveandbeyondholidays.com.au/MauritiusOceanClassic.aspx
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 Lawrence sisters claim Bronze in Bratislava The Lawrence sisters bring home Bronze in Bratislava. Bronzed Aussies in BratislavaThe Australian Slalom Team finished the final day of the Slovak Open in Bratislava bringing home 2 bronze medals. The event served as the Pre-World Championships and demonstrates the Aussies are on track for a strong performance at next months’ World Championships.
Rosalyn Lawrence (NSWIS) took bronze behind Chinese pair TENG Qiunqian and CEN Nanqin in a competitive Ladies C1 final. The standard in the Ladies C1 was high on the challenging new left channel.
Following on from the success of her sister Kate Lawrence (NSWIS) produced a quality run to take bronze in the Ladies K1 behind Violetta Oblinger Peters and former Olympic champion Stepanka Hilgertova.
Missed gates and penalties proved to be costly among the remaining team results.
Leanne Guinea was unable to reproduce her fantastic semifinal run which saw her leading the way into the ladies C1 final. A missed gate resulting in her 5th place finish.
C2 pairing Kynan Maley (WAIS) and Robbie Jeffery (WAIS) finished 10th in the final after also missing a gate in their semi-final run.
Lucien Delfour placed 14th in the Men's K1 Semifinal and Will Forsythe (NSWIS) was further back in 17th.
Sarah Grant (VIS) was 26th in the Ladies K1 semifinal. Her raw time would have seen her progress, however a crucial gate touch kept her out of the final.
In the Men's C1 semifinal, Kynan Maley was also hampered with penalties costing him a finals berth. He had to settle for 17th whilst Robin Jeffery and Christian Fabris (NSW) failed to progress past the qualification rounds.
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 Stewart and Clear in K2 500m Murray Stewart and Jake Clear finish 5th in K2 500m in Poznan, Ken Wallace in 7th. Aussies miss medals on final day in PoznanA shoulder injury kept Jo Brigden Jones out of the water on the final day of competition at the canoe sprint world championships. Brigden-Jones struggled in the K1 200m semi final yesterday and missed the A final but qualified for this morning's B final. Unable to recover fully, she made the decision to withdraw in consultation with the team physio and coaches. In the men's K2 500 A final Murray Stewart and Jake Clear improved on their result from last year finishing in a creditable 5th position behind Belorussia, Portugal, Serbia and Germany. Elsewhere, there were mitigated results with a 7th place finish for Ken Wallace in the K1 500m event, unable to get away freely from the start gate, Wallace could not make up the lost ground and was frustrated with the race outcome. Sweden's Anders Gustaffson took the win ahead of Slovakian suprise, Peter Gelle, with Adam Van Koeverden in 3rd. In 200m B finals, the Western Australian pair, Jesse Phillips and Steve Bird, finished 4th, Murray Stewart 5th, C2 pair Ferenc Szekszardi and Sebastian Marczak also finished in 5th position over 200m and in 9th position over 500m, with Alyce Burnett and Hailey McGinty 8th. Torsten Lachmann finished 7th in the C2 200m C final.
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Australia have a strong presence in the semifinals after a successful qualification day in Bratislava Slovakia. Aussies through to Semi-Final at Pre-WorldsMoving into the Semi finals are Leanne Guinea and Roz Lawrence in C1W, Will Forsythe and Lucien Delfore in K1 Men, Kate Lawrence, Sarah Grant and Roz Lawrence in K1W, the C2 crews of Kynan Maley and Robbie Jeffery and Guinea brothers Scott and Chris, with Kynan also qualifying in C1 despite taking only one run in each class as a result of illness.
The Pre Worlds in Slovakia is a vital test of the upgrades to the course in Bratislava for the 2011 Worlds and olympic qualification event. It is also an important warm up race for the Australian Team before the 210 Worlds in Tacen Slovenia. " the Team is happy with the new course in Bratislava, I am pleased with todays qualification although we have clearly got plenty of improvement to come" said coach Druce.
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 Ken Wallace world champion in K1 5000m Ken Wallace has backed up his 6th place finish in the K1 1000m to take Gold in the 5000m final. Wallace takes Gold over 5000mWallace overcame the German K1 1000m champion Max Hoff and Italian Maximilian Benassi to take the win 2 seconds clear of the field. Sister Bernadette Wallace just missed a medal placing 4th in the women's K1 5000m event. Wallace finished just 4 seconds out of bronze medal contention behind Anne Rikala of Finland. Hungarian Vivien Follath took the win ahead of Maryna Paltaran of Belarus. Earlier in the day, Ken Wallace finsihed 6th in a tough race which German, Max Hoff, won ahead of Tim Brabants of Great Britain. Brabants went out hard and set a pace from lane 2 which Hoff struggled to match, it was only in the final 250m metres that the world champion was able to overhaul the Beijing Olympic gold medallist and retain the title he won last year in Canada. Belorussian, Aleh Yurenai was third. Wallace racing in lane 9 was never able to make an impression in the race and was clearly disappointed. Coach, Jimmy Owens said, "Kenny is much better than he showed today and this will only fuel the fire for next year and London". K1 1000m men http://kayak2010.com/regatta/116.HTM In the men's K4 final, Tate Smith, Matt Urquhart, Murray Stewart and Jacob Clear raised strongly to claim a 5th place just half a second from the medals, Australia's best result in the crew boat for more than a decade. "Our target was top 6 and we met that so we are pretty pleased, it is only our third race together, we stuck to the race plan and it worked well again and there is still more to come", said a buoyant Tate Smith after the race. Matt Urquhart said, "we only had a short time to prepare together so we are pretty stoked with this result, it shows we now have a good crop of 1000m athletes in Australia who know how to race together". Murray Stewart and Jake Clear did not hang around after the race, Stewart has the heats and semis of the K1 200 later today and a K2 500m final tomorrow to think about but the Manly athlete is so far having a great championships. K4 1000m men http://kayak2010.com/regatta/120.HTM Earlier, Luke Morrison and David Smith won the Men's K2 1000m C final this morning in the first race of the day which was a small consolation. http://kayak2010.com/regatta/106.HTM While there is some disappointment at the lack of podium success in Poznan, it is clear that midway through the preparation cycle for London the 1000m men's squad has demonstrated its versatility and depth over the past two seasons in all three 1000m events and the prospects for Olympic qualification and success in London.
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 Scott Smith Scott Smith and Jess Fox made it to round three of the sprint competition at the Youth Olympic Games K1 stars out in round three at Youth OlympicsAustralia’s kayak/canoe team of Jessica Fox and Scott Smith got competition off to a flying start this morning but were both knocked out in the third round in the figure-eight canoe sprint at the Singapore Reservoir for the Youth Olympic Games. Hungarians dominated the morning session with both the men’s and women’s events featuring the Eastern Europeans as the fastest finishers. Fox was the first Australian on the water this morning in an event new to her placing eighth in qualifying from a field of 24. Fox completed the course in 1 min 46.15 secs, with Ramona Farkasdi from Hungary ranked first in a time of 1.40.64. Farkasdi ended the day breaking 1.40 with a time of 1.39.65. Normally a slalom competitor who excels in white water, Fox was excellent in her first ever effort at the event. She moved through to face Singapore’s Nan Feng Wang in the second round, where the local girl could not stick with Fox who powered around the figure eight course in 1.46.54. Wang finished 3.60 later. After his first run, Smith said he would be looking to fine tune his run and shave a couple of seconds from his initial time of 1.33.74. “My start was ok, but I was aiming to go about 1.32 which I missed but I think I can shave a couple of seconds from that,” Smith said. “On the first turn I hit the buoy and then the second I was way too wide so we will see how things go this afternoon.” Hungarian Sandor Todke blitzed the field in time trials coming through the figure eight course in a time of 1.29.39 – the only athlete to break 1.30.00. Smith’s second round victory over Singaporean Brandon Wei Cheng Ooi was a much more dramatic affair, with the Wollongong teenager initially being announced as the runner up on the stadium’s scoreboards. In a technical malfunction, the scoreboard announced Scott finished in a time of 1.32.89 with Ooi just 0.01 faster in 1.32.90. While there is little debate the race was tight, a photo finish was called and on further inspection it was found Smith actually took the race by 0.26 in 1.32.66. “I could see him and I thought I had him,” Smith said. “Then at the end the announcer called his name out and I was like ‘what?’”. Smith’s good run was ended by Spanish paddler Inigo Garcia, who powered through the course in 1.32.70. Smith finished in 1.34.31. Fox’s time of 1.46.60 was eventually beaten in the third round by Belarusian Allakaandra Hryshyna from in 1.45.27. The fourth and fifth sets continue tomorrow morning as well as the medal events. Elliot Woods AOC Related Content
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Follow results online Racing underway at Slovak OpenWill Forsythe and Lucien Delfour through qualifications phase in K1 men. Leanne Guinea and Ros Lawrence qualify in women's C1. K1W, C2 and C1 men to follow.
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Singapore Youth Olympics - the ones to watchSYOG: The Ones to WatchThe Youth Olympic Games has received such praise and positivity in all corners. Thanks to the super-efficient organisation, the infectious enthusiasm of the 20,000-strong network of volunteers and the fun Culture and Education Programmes, the first ever YOG seems a storming success already. But who are the Ones to Watch?Tony watches over the athletes on the Starting Ramps Having been on the course with the athletes, Canoeing's Athlete Role Model, Tony Estanguet said he is expecting strong performances from Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Australia. We will of course be looking out for a few athletes who have done well in this year's Canoe Slalom Junior World Championships and European Championships and Canoe Sprint Junior European Championships. Starting with Canoe Slalom specialists, Slovenia's Simon Brus who won a convincing silver medal in the Men's K1 at the 2010 ICF Canoe Slalom Junior World Championships, will be revving up the competition. As will Australia's golden girl, Jessica Fox. A superb year for her, Jess has performed well throughout the Senior World Cup series and took both K1 and C1 gold at the Canoe Slalom Junior Worlds. All eyes will be on her when Canoe Slalom kicks off on Tuesday 24th. Canoe Sprint and Canoe Slalom Specialists Will Compete in both Disciplines
Other SYOG athletes from the Canoe Slalom Women's K1 category performed well in the Canoe Slalom Junior European Championships. The Czech Republic's Pavlina Zasterova won a silver medal at the event held in Markkleeberg, Germany just two weeks ago. In the same race, Austria's Viktoria Wolffhardt won a respectable 5th place. In the Canoe Sprint races, Russia's Igor Kalashnikov won a respectable 5th place in the Men's K1 1000m in this year's Canoe Sprint Junior European Championships, which was held less than three weeks ago. Keeping up the Hungarian appearance will be Sandor Totka, he took 5th place in the K2 1000m in the same competition, which was held in Moscow. Moving to the Women's Canoe Sprint specialists, Hungary, Russia and Poland all have strong athletes racing this weekend. Representing Hungary, Ramona Farkasdi took first place in her K2 at the Junior European Championships and is clearly at the top of her game. A fact not lost on competitior, Kerry Segal from South Africa who told the ICF, Ramona is the one to watch. Also racing in the K2, arriving in 5th place was Poland's Joanna Bruska. In the K1, Russia's Natalia Podolska won a respectable 4th place in the K1 500m. The Canoe Sprint time trials start tomorrow at 8.30, Singapore time (GMT+8) with finals on Sunday 22nd from 3pm. Canoe Slalom Time Trials begin on Tuesday 24th at 8.30 with the finals on Wednesday 25th from 3pm. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This will be Emily's first World Championships having only started paddling 2 years ago. Athlete Profile - Emily Bews
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Berry Marathon race 11th SeptemberOut and back course, in the deep waters of Broughton Creek Berry WHEN Saturday 11th September WHERE Broughton Creek, Wharf Rd Reserve, Berry TIME RACE STARTS 11AM
ENTRY FEEPNSW & AFFLIATED CLUB MEMBER $20
Come and stay the weekend, enjoy the wineries and the waterways For accommodation and winery information For More Information contact | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 At the AC Board meeting on the 11 August, the Board ratified a update to the Selection Procedures Bylaw. Selection Procedures Bylaw updatedThe main updates were:
There were also minor changes to:
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The 2010 Freestyle National Championships will be held on 4th December 2010 at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium. 2010 Freestyle Nationals Date AnnouncedThis event will be the Selection event for the 2011 World Championships. There will be the following categories:
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Do you know somebody who deserves recognition for their contribution to canoeing? Nominations close Friday 9th October. Nominations open for the 09-10 Australian Canoeing AwardsAwards will be presented for 2010, covering the nomination period of period 1st July 2009– 30th June 2010.
You can nominate someone who you think is deserving of an award here
Nominations close by 20th September 2010
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The Selection Summary outlines the draft dates for selection and Team Tours as well as other useful information. Slalom Selection Summary released
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Leading in to the 2010 World Marathon Championships in Portugal, we are featuring some of the team that will be competing in Banyoles, Spain. First up, Kate McGrath. Athlete Profile - Kate McGrath
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Anton is Australia's #5 and up until this point has been the Team Goalkeeper. He is going to be a key player in Australia's World Championships Team. Player Profiles - Anton Holmes
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 The 2011 Australian Wildwater Racing Championships are to be held at the Nymboida Canoe Centre from 2nd January 2011 until the 5th January 2011 2011 Australian Wildwater Racing ChampionshipsThe programme will include a timed practice run the 2nd, with the classic race to be held on the 3rd. Team classic races will be conducted on the afternoon of the 3rd with raid sprints being held on the 4th and a final race on the 5th. The Rapid Sprint Course will commence at "B Start" below Tennis Court rapid, and end following Cork Screw II. It is intended to run the classic race over the tennis court rapid if there is sufficient water levels. If not, the race will commence below the rapid and end at in the straight following "hay stack way". The course duration will be approx. 11mins for men's K1. Junior paddlers will have a modified start should the classic race srat above TC rapid. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Check out the Slalom Wiki, Ranking and Events sites to keep yourself updated with slalom in Australia ...The Australian Canoeing Slalom Technical Committee (Canoe Slalom Australia) has a brilliant wiki, designed to keep you up to date with all things slalom in Australia ... To check out the CSAus wiki, click here - don't forget to bookmark the site! ... There is also the ranking website which is a comprehensive listing of where you are currently ranked. For the latest Event news check out slalom.canoe.org.au for start lists results and more.
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