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ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup 1

Can Nicholls repeat her 2011 Poznan performances?

World Cup 1 provides the perfect opportunity for the Aussies to benchmark their performance against the best in the world just months out from the London Olympics.

Jacob Clear and Ken Wallace will depart from their 1000m Men’s Munich training camp on Thursday to join the 200m group of Alana Nicholls, Steve Bird, Jesse Phillips and Joel Simpson who are currently training at the AIS purpose built European Training Centre in Varese, Italy. The six Aussies will arrive in Poznan on Wednesday & Thursday in preparation for this weekends’ race on Malta Lake.

200m coach Ramon Andersson is pleased with the progress of his charges following several solid training sessions in ideal conditions. The group were put through their paces with some time trials over the weekend and are in taper mode now ahead of the first competition.

"There is going to be some great racing at the World Cups where we will be testing ourselves against the world's best and look to execute our race plans to the best of our ability to give us a good idea of where we stand as we work towards the London Olympics,” said Andersson.

Beijing Olympians, Ken Wallace and Jacob Clear should be strong contenders in the K2 over 1000m whilst Wallace will face off with fellow Beijing Olympic medallists Tim Brabants (GBT) and Eirik Veraas Larsen of Norway in the 1000m men’s field in what promises to be a star-studded affair. Brabants, who’s yet to secure his Olympic berth needs a strong performance in Poznan where he faces fellow Brit Paul Wycherley for the chance to compete on home turf in August.

Alana Nicholls will have her work cut out up against reigning 200m world champ, Lisa Carrington of New Zealand and home crowd favourite Marta Walczykiewicz of Poland who took silver in Szeged over 200m last year. Nicholls comes off the back of a hugely successful domestic season in which she qualified for and earned herself a place in both the 200m and 500m women’s spots on the Olympic team.

TV broadcasters including Eurosport will be televising several 1000m & 500m A Finals fuelling the public’s interest in Canoeing leading into London 2012.
 

Olympians shine at Team Farewell

A host of London-bound Olympians were joined by past greats at the dinner which helped raise over $600,000 to support the athletes in their bid to win gold in London.

The star studded room was entertained and inspired by an array of leading sports men and women, host Karl Stefanovic, Olympic commentators and iconic Australian entertainers Christine Anu, Mark Seymour and Shane Jacobson.

Athlete Liason Officers Steve Waugh and Layne Beachley both provided the next crop of Australian sporting stars with some inspirational words as the days count down to London 2012.

"There is no greater feeling than victory, I certainly know that too," said Beachley.

"Surrender yourself to the world of limitless opportunity that awaits you in London. Allow your talent to be your guardian and allow your team to be your pillar of support. Do your nation proud and do yourself proud. Good luck to the Australian Olympic Team."

On debut in London, Canoe Slalom athlete Jessica Fox, still only 17, spoke of her dream to carve her own piece of Olympic history.

“Now I’m lucky to follow in my parent’s footsteps and compete at an Olympic Games, but it won’t be as they did. It won’t be representing France or Great Britain, but my country, Australia,” she said to a rapturous applause from the patriotic crowd.

“As champions and coaches they inspired me and now it’s my turn to live the Olympic dream, this amazing journey, and to be part of such a great Australian Olympic Team.”

Beamed in from afar, IOC president Jacques Rogge and Chairman of LOCOG Lord Sebastian Coe sent their best wishes, while AOC president John Coates spoke of what attendee John Treloar and his 1948 Olympic teammates endured at London’s last Games.

“Those were the post-war years. The athletes lived in army barracks and schools and accommodation and food were in short supply,” he said.

“Our athletes hitch-hiked to their Olympic venues and one team got a ride on the back of an army truck.”

Coates signed off giving the athletes heading to London this time around some guidance.

“We have very close ties with Great Britain, England as the mother country but don’t let that stop you. I want you to get over there and give them a real touch up. Let’s rain on their parade.”

Olympic commentator Ray Hadley had a great time with the crowd as he played guest auctioneer, selling off some money-can’t-buy prizes to the generous guests. One prize - an Olympic Games package even featured a personal tour of the Athletes’ Village by Chef de Mission Nick Green.

With the pressure beginning to build for the world’s biggest sporting event, the night was a chance for the athletes to get glammed up and have a night off from rigorous training schedules.

“We’re very excited to be here and it kind of reminds us that the Olympics are coming up and it’s getting closer and closer by the day so we’re very happy to be a part of something like this,” said taekwondo athlete and Beijing Olympian, Carmen Marton.

“We’ve been working hard for this for the last five years, six years, so to be able to finally be here is just an amazing feeling,” added taekwondo teammate and Marton’s husband-to-be Safwan Khalil.

Aussies prepare for Poznan

For more information, or to view the timetable, follow the links below:

Helmet cam catches gator jumping out of water, ramming kayak [Video]

Thomas Swiader was fishing in the lake last Wednesday when the alligator rammed his kayak, knocking the Yorkie named Buffy into the water. He caught the incident on his helmet camera.

"I had a line out at the time. I was just sitting' there relaxing," said Swiader. "It happened so fast, I didn't know what happened. It hit me so hard; it whacked me in the arm. My arm was throbbing. I'm surprised I didn't go in the water," said Swiader.

Swiader was able to grab Buffy's leash and pull her back into the boat.

"I looked over and she was swimming in the water, so just immediately I grabbed the leash, pulled her back to me and threw her in the kayak and at that time she was pretty frightened," he said.

Buffy was not injured.

Swiader said he won't forget what happened, and kayaking won't be the same from now on.

"It definitely worries me because it happened and you can't take that back. But I'm sure I'll be back out there eventually," he said.

Swiader said he called Florida Fish and Wildlife about the incident.

Florida Fish and Wildlife said the incident may have been caused due to mating season, but Swiader said he believes the gator was after Buffy.

Top Paracanoeists to Defend World Titles in Poznan, Poland

World Champions Fernando Fernandes, Patrick Mahoney, Sandor Szabo, Christine Gauthier and Christine Sellinger are just a handful of top paracanoeists that will be in Poznan, Poland next week to defend their titles at the 2012 ICF Paracanoe World Championships.

The Championships will be held at the impressive Malta Regatta Course from 16-17 May and 100 athletes from 31 National Federations, a major step up from a year ago. All athletes will be vying for the accolade of World’s Best in their category.

This is the fourth year that the World Championships will be held, and ahead of Paracanoe’s inaugural Olympic Games in Rio 2016, Canada, Brazil, Hungary, Italy and GBR continue to be the leaders in developing the sport. All four countries stood on the podium twice last year at the World Championships in Szeged.

Great Britain’s Pat Mahoney, 2011 ICF Paracanoeist of the year, will be looking to hold on to the V1 Men’s 200m (LTA) title he won last year.

" It's great to see that even more countries than last year have risen to the challenge of Paracanoeing in 2012. This sport has grown every year and with that the levels of commitment,training, drive to do and be your best is ever prominent."

" There are no boundaries in Paracanoeing, just the person in front, and if that happens to be you then it's you versus the clock, (just as it is in able bodied racing)!"
Last year Hungary’s Sandor Szabo and Katalin Kajdai took first place in the V1 Men’s 200m and K1 Women’s 200m (A) respectively and both Marta Santos and Fernando Fernandes starred for Brazil, as they won the K1 Women’s 200m (LTA) and Men’s 200m (TA), respectively. Canada’s Christine Gauthier and Christine Selinger both took home gold medals in the K1 Women’s 200m (LTA) and the V1 Women’s 200m (LTA).

Italian paddler Stefano Chiozzotto won the V1 Men’s 200m (A) and teammate Sandra Truccolo was victorious in the V1 Women’s 200m (TA). Austria’s Markus Swoboda also impressed with his win in the K1 Men’s 200m (TA), but it would be Romania’s Iulian Serban who won over the crowds with his performance in the K1 Men’s 200m (LTA).

The Paracanoe World Championships in Poznan will be held alongside the European Qualifiers and are the season openers for ICF competitions, the Championships will be followed by the Canoe Sprint World Cup I (18 – 20 May).

Q&A with new AIS Director Matt Favier

Matt Favier

Matt Favier joined the Australian Institute of Sport as its director in late March, almost 20 years after he held a sponsorship, as a track athlete, at the then-nascent high performance sports factory.

The AIS was world leading in its early days but has now been caught, and some say passed, by similar organisations in rival countries, and Favier acknowledges Australia did not take sufficient strides forward after the Sydney Olympics and hit a “flat spot” between then and now.

Favier, 46, comes home after almost a decade in Britain working for UK Athletics and then as UK Sport’s head of performance solutions.

Although new to the AIS role, and his focus is towards the end of a five-year contract and the 2016 Rio Olympics rather than the games in London, he has started forming his vision for a makeover of the institute; targeting a fresh approach to how money is invested in Australian high performance sport.

Favier tells SBI that there are challenges ahead for the AIS and many Australian sports, adding “What we also need to do is align our resources in such a way that every dollar we receive sweats hard for the nation and the return on that investment is consistent with our national aspirations.”

SBI: What changes have you noticed from when you arrived at AIS as an athlete?

MF: The time I was first here was quite pioneering for high performance sport in Australia. The AIS played a significant role in developing what high performance actually was, and what excellence was, in Olympic sport at the time. What’s changed a lot is the quality of the expertise that the AIS now delivers. There are more people in very discrete disciplines who have developed a world-leading expertise that the AIS has become renowned for.

I left Canberra 20 years ago and was in the AIS almost 30 years ago, so of course the facilities have evolved. But as well as that, the rest of the world has moved on.

So despite the AIS being, at the time, far ahead of the curve from a performance point of the view, the rest of the world, probably for the last eight years or so, has ramped up its performance. We were ahead of the curve and cutting edge but now we’ve got to look at the next crest of the next wave. And that need to be a different wave to what the rest of the world is riding.

SBI: So is there a sense that we’ve been standing still while others have powered on past? When did this start to happen?

MF: The Sydney Olympics was a significant milestone for Australia. Leading up to it, it allowed for a lot of things to happen for sport, particularly high performance sport in Australia, as London will be doing for the UK.

My observations are that Australia probably wasn’t as proactive in planning for the post-Sydney period as it could have been. While that may be slightly unfair on the one hand, I don’t believe that as an entire high performance sector in Australia we adapted as well as we should have, or could have, in order to remain really cutting edge and moving forward. I believe we have hit a bit of a flat spot somewhere between Sydney and where we are now.

SBI: Was that complacency, or did it take so much funding and effort to host the Sydney Olympics that it was simply too difficult to sustain?

MF: There is a combination of reasons. There was a lot of change after Sydney and we have to remember that it’s not to say we’re poorly funded. Of course we could always do with more resources in terms of financial investments, and, certainly moving forward, there will be strong arguments in increasing our investments, not decreasing them.

What we also need to do is align our resources in such a way that every dollar we receive sweats hard for the nation and the return on that investment is consistent with our national aspirations.

I’m very clear, as is our CEO Simon Hollingsworth, on what we need to do to present a strategy that helps and supports an Australian ambition to retain a seat at the top table of international sport. We’re in the process of defining what that might be. There may be some challenging decisions ahead of us and not all of those are going to be popular.

SBI: What experience do you bring from UK Sport in particular that you think the AIS should be considering?

MF: One of the things I was involved with in the UK was around how investments were made for higher performance. UK Sport as an agency is very different to the set up we have in Australia– not better, just different. One of their approaches to investment was very much around investing in a future performance based on a credible business case, to understand what the return is on that investment.

By return on investment we’re looking at performance outcomes that can be measured a number of ways and is prioritised based on the overall national aspiration; we would immediately then look to those sports that can deliver medals, top 8s, top 16s, athletes who can qualify and make the teams.

Sports that deliver multiple medals and consistently deliver performances in the international arena should feel confident and safe in the support that would be available to them.

One of the ways the UK have approached this, as do Australia is to have very clear performance expectations. The UK is very focussed on Olympic and Paralympic sports, their investment is tied to a performance outcome at those events. We have a broader remit in Australia where we need to account for a different expectation. One of the things the UK has is absolute clarity to linking investment to a performance outcome at Olympic and Paralympic Games.

SBI: Doesn’t our area of strengths change over time? Is there a danger that we might concentrate on what’s hot now and neglect a sport with great potential?

MF: No. Once we know the amount to invest we will know what our capacity is. We know how many medal events are available at Olympics and Paralympics, if I can use those for example. We know what the medal profile is for each sport. We can do a number of things in analysing the performance potential, taking into account past performance, looking at emerging athletes, new disciplines in which we have to have flexibility around.

We can do a reasonable job in identifying those sports that matter most, those sports that we should invest in, new opportunities that will present themselves, while needing to have to flexibility to invest as well.

It’s important for any nation to have that flexibility but you also need to base your actions on credible evidence and performance profiles so we are making the best investment decisions for the best return.

SBI: Should more money go to fewer sports?

MF: Only if there is a need to do that, by which I say there is a point of saturation at which more money won’t necessarily achieve better performance.
There is a balance to be struck where we not increasing investment for investment sake. It should reflect an increase in performance opportunity. That should only ever come when we review performance up to a point and if there is a change in medal profile opportunity that should drive a change in investment in terms of increased support.

If there is a decline in medal opportunity that may be the lever that needs to be looked at, or a reason you might decrease investment in sports going forward.

SBI: The sport you competed in, track and field, is relatively well funded but does it warrant the levels based on Olympic results?

MF: When it comes to that, I believe there are two relevant factors we have to separate out. Firstly, I’m interested in looking at the overall investment approach and understand how we approach it going forward. I’m not that close to it yet, I’m still learning about it, given I’m only several weeks into the job and it’s not the main area I’m engaged with.

Athletics is a four medal sport for us at the Olympic Games, that’s what it has typically produced, and it is certainly capable of delivering and achieving more, if we’re looking at medals.

It’s more than that too; it’s about supporting emerging athletes. A lot of sports, particularly track and field, find retaining high quality athletic talent long enough so it performs at Olympic Games by making finals and hopefully converting to medals, is challenging.

At the moment, there is no expectation that if you are a world junior athlete that you will go onto be a world senior potential medallist, it’s not impossible but it’s very low.

The male population particularly can drift off into AFL, rugby league, rugby union and a number of options including other Olympic sports.

The issue facing track and field is that it can take anywhere from eight-12 years for emerging potential to realise performance outcomes. We as an agency, or as a sector, need to consider what is our role in supporting that pathway and how do we as a nation engage young people to stay involved long enough so their performance potential can be realised.

One of the areas I’m interested to further explore is to what extent do we need to reach further down the performance pathway to support athletes in discrete disciplines and sports across the board.

We have a responsibility as a nation to retain high quality athletes for long enough so their potential can be realised. I don’t think we do that as a nation.

Again, I don’t know our strategy well enough yet but my observation is we could do better at it.

It comes at a cost because, as an extension, I believe the idea that we should provide resources and support to allow athletes in a daily training environment to participate and engage with their own performance development; I’m not convinced we do that as well as we could.

SBI: The AIS has continued to expand in terms of infrastructure and expertise. Is the priority, then, more of a philosophical makeover?

MF: We need to be clear about what our aspirations are. We are working on that at the moment and it will have a combination of measures that we’re yet to clarify and that are not appropriate for me to talk about at the minute.

There has been broad consultation, before I started, on the back of the Sports Minister’s announcement in January last year on resetting the high performance strategy as well as the role of the AIS.

As a consequence of that there has been a significant engagement from the ASC and AIS with a number of stakeholders, including national sporting organisations and the state institute and academy network, in order to engage and discuss and consult around our performance strategy.

What we have is a consultation document which outlines in broad brush strokes – and some detail – what are some of the key drivers for the nation and some of the areas we need to further explore.

We now need to take that information and present it in a way that clearly articulates the aspiration for the nation, how our investment will align to that and what is the role of the AIS.

SBI: You have spoken about a “knife at the throat” funding model that means many Olympic sports tend to live from Games to Games. Is there a danger, too, that a poor performance in London might see Australian governments losing their taste of sports funding?

MF: We’re not immune to challenges around public money. That’s the environment all high performance sport faces. But I don’t believe this will be the case at all.

In fact I believe Australians would be horrified by any thought that there was a shift away from governments supporting sport as they do.

If they did we would have to cut costs according to that and it would change what we do and would involve very, very challenging decisions.

SBI: How important are the Olympic medals tables to you and and what do think the expectations should be for London?

MF: If we’re looking at the Olympic table, it comes to two ways, the gold medals and overall tally. On the gold tally side, we are capable of finishing as high as fourth. I don’t think we’re strong enough to finish in third but the margins are going to be so tight on gold medals.

I believe we could fall into eighth place but it could be one to two medals different between fourth and eighth. I don’t think we should interpret that to be a failure, but below eighth absolutely we all should be asking very hard questions.

We’re already asking tough questions, but if we fell below that it would advance some of the thinking we’re already considering now. We know we some of the changes we need to make and areas we need to explore. I still believe that Australia can and should perform well in London in both Olympic and Paralympic Games, but that said, we have to reflect on the actual result in London before we move forward with any final strategy.

SBI: Your contract is through to 2017. When it’s up what do you think you will be judged on?

MF: It’s a good point, and I’m looking to really clarify that. Personally, I want to be able to think that if there was a legacy I left that one of those things would be every athlete that aspired to Olympic and Paralympic success in that period was able to reflect on the support they received from the AIS and ASC and valued that support significantly. I’m not saying that’s not happening now but something that’s very important to me, otherwise why do this? This is all about the athletes.

The second thing is that I’ve played a role in evolving the high performance sector in Australia such that it is able to genuinely retain its position at the top table of international sport. And that the AIS, as a brand, continues to be seen as a brand of integrity and excellence and that Australians understand what that means and what our role is in supporting high performance Australians.

On the Subject of Boat Choices for Paddlers

Last weekend I took Gelo out for a surf session. I had my Stellar SR surfski, and I took my Liquidlogic Remix XP10 for him. One is close to 20 foot long and 19″ wide, the other is 10 foot long and over 40″ wide! You just couldn’t image two more different boats, and yet there we were out surfing together and having a blast.

We weren’t alone of course. There were plastic skis, short surf-board like surf skis, SUPs , a few outriggers, a mattering of ocean and spec skis and a couple of sea kayaks. All frolicking in the surf and having a great time.

Most surfski paddlers like to catch runners forward, I happen to like getting sideways

It’s easy when you take up paddling to fall into a crowd and think there’s only one type of boat for you. I’ve had all manner of boats as I try different styles of paddling in different conditions, each with its pros and cons. And whilst on the water chatting to Gelo about what boat he might like to buy, it made me think more about the different boats out there and their uses.

Like me, Gelo is a playboater. He likes a short rush, the adrenaline that comes with speed, and the excitement of froth and rocks. He wants to surf his kayak, and he wants to smash it up rock gardening. My Remix XP10 is a great boat for all that – it loves whitewater, it surfs well and you can take it anywhere. My Stellar SR surfski is another great boat for our type of fun. It will catch almost any wave, surfs like a dream, stays on waves for longer than the Remix does and is easy to get back onto if you fall out. Of course, it doesn’t like smashing into cliffs quite so much – haha!

Is there a better way to spend a sunny afternoon than on the water? I think not.

From all my paddling though, there’s one thing I’ve picked up, and that is that your boat doesn’t matter as much as you might think. Yes, each is better at something than another, but in the end your boat is only as good as the water it’s on and the fun the paddler onboard is having. Play around with lots but don’t get hung up on any one boat – just enjoy yourself and have a great time. Cheer, FP

Trail of the unexpected: Kayaking in Vietnam

Vietnam has had to put up with more than its fair share of intruders: the US, of course, and the French and Japanese before them. But peer back into history and this beleaguered country was repelling enemies when dragons still roamed the earth.

The legend goes that on the eve of a naval attack from China, the god-like Jade Emperor dispatched a family of dragons to protect Vietnam. Spitting countless pearls into the path of the invading fleet, the dragons caused the Chinese boats to founder. It was these same pearls – now transformed into towering limestone islands, or karsts – that I found myself gliding among, as the tropical sun slid into the mist.

An eagle soared overhead, the only sign of life in an eerily silent scene. Emerald-green waters lapped lazily into innumerable caves and grottoes, shaded by trees and shrubs clinging to the vertical walls. I was exploring Halong Bay in north-east Vietnam, a World Heritage site since 1994 – and a kayaker's dream.

Halong means "Descending Dragon", and no one can agree quite how many of the dragon's "pearls" dot Halong Bay – estimates vary from 1,600 islands (according to Unesco) to 1,969 (patriotically, the year of Ho Chi Minh's death), upwards to about 2,500. But each one seemed to be able to raise a gasp as it emerges from the haze, boasting an elegant arch, a dashing curve, intriguing inlets, a green-topped peak or delicate fingers of rock.

The French did their best to name every island during their century-long occupation. Their names include the obvious (Le Dragon, Le Boomerang), the fantastic (Le Pierrot, L'Etoile) and the downright wistful, for sailors stuck at the edge of an empire: La Cathédrale and Les Mamelles (island of breasts).

The core islands lie about 30 miles from the nearest port, separated from it by busy shipping lanes that are no place for dawdling kayaks. The easiest way to access the most beautiful islands was to join one of the overnight tourist boats that leave from Halong town every afternoon. I was lucky enough to be sailing on the Emeraude, a replica paddle steamer oozing colonial style from every inch of polished teak railing and gleaming brass fixture.

The Emeraude carries several two-person open kayaks on board, which allowed me to slip away while more well-heeled passengers were seeking bargains at a floating pearl farm. The water was as smooth as a pond, the sky utterly clear and – away from the boat – the nearby islands seemed to be nudging each other aside to welcome my paddle.

These limestone islands are the result of geological activity that has seen mountains rise up and be worn back down again by millennia of rain and seawater. The current limestone formations have been around only for the past 20,000 years or so, and are still slowly eroding. Real adventurers can arrange climbing expeditions to tackle overhanging cliffs, dropping safely into the water from the top. (Tour operators in Halong town or the heavily touristed Cat Ba island can help with this.)

Clattering through cool, dark caves at the shoreline is great fun, but spotting the decaying wrecks of two small boats delivers a frisson of fear. Rightly so. While my excursion felt completely safe, there have been reports of extremely strong currents at the some of the larger caves in Halong Bay.

Returning to the Emeraude, there was time for a brisk swim in the surprisingly chilly waters before the captain weighed anchor. Most Halong tours feature a stop to look at impressive (but somewhat touristy) caves or to climb upwards for a panoramic view of the bay. This can be a great excuse to stretch your legs or just to jump back in the kayak for another paddle. Either way, by the time your boat stops for the night, you'll be ready for a cold beer.

As the rumble of the Emeraude engines faded away, a higher pitched note started up and the Emeraude's tender sped off into the dusk. Twenty minutes later, it returned and almost immediately the passengers were summoned below for the freshest of seafood dinners, its ingredients sourced from a floating fishing village tucked around the headland. The prawns were an explosion of lemongrass and butter; an unnamed white fish melted in the mouth, and a typically French tarte au chocolat sealed the deal.

All that remained was to select a chair on the upper deck, sit back and watch the moon rise from behind Le Crapaud (the Toad) and cast its silvery light on La Limace (the Slug). Something told me that Halong's colonial cartographers were rather more immune to the bay's charms than its modern-day visitors.

With fish splashing in the night and the lights of tiny fishing boats flashing in the distance, I reflected on the periodical sightings of sea monsters in the area. It is rumoured that the great dragons that formed Halong Bay found it too beautiful to leave, making their home permanently in its placid waters. Nervous kayakers should take note.

Kayaking the whitewater rivers of Chile

 "Chilean rivers have a phenomenal reputation for their quality and for the outstanding natural beauty of their locations," says Nigel Markey, a U.K. kayaker and one of the filmmakers behind the kayaking film Breathless in Chile, up for Kayak Session Mag's "Best Short Film of the Year Award 2012." 

Markey took a three-phase trip to Chile for the 2011/2012 summer season, with fellow  kayakers Sam Makman, Joe Thurgate, Lee Royle, and Rob Moffatt. The crew visited the adventure capital of southern Chile in Pucónand the "classic" rivers: Río Nevados, Río Maichín, Río Puesco and Río Palguín. Then, they drove north to the Siete Tazas national park near Curicó, paddling the 22 Waterfalls and the Entre Saltos sections of the Río Claro.

The group spent Christmas near the grand-daddy of white water rivers in Chile, the Futaleufú inPatagonia, and celebrated New Year's Eve back in Pucón.

Kayaking Chile

So, what did Markey think of Chile's rivers? "Variety!" he said. "The Río Futaleufú is a big volume river set in grand sweeping landscapes. On the other hand, there are points on the Río Claro [in the Siete Tazas national park] where the towering rock formations block out the sky and where the river is no wider than the boat you're sitting in."

Indeed, the footage from Río Claro is some of the most thrilling of the film, as kayakers drop through the famous "Siete Tazas" or seven pools of water that the Río Claro carved from the stone bed.

Markey says his favorite Chilean river was the Río Michimahuida, a tributary of the Río Futaleufú. "This river is long and committing with plenty of challenging rapids," Markey said. "Some groups usually take a couple of days over it, but we did it in about 9 hours. After one of
the four gorges, the river eased up and we were treated to pristine, untouched, spectacular vistas that are only accessible by kayak."

The kayakers were treated to the sight of "numerous waterfalls that cascade right from the glaciers and snow on the mountain tops, towering peaks in front of us and Jurassic Park-like ferns and foliage lining the river banks."

 
Traveling Chile

"Traveling in Chile is really easy going," Markey says. "New friends, new food and new adventures were the order of the day."

The crew watched the New Year's Eve firework show over Lago Villarica in Pucón, roasted a lamb in traditional Patagonia style for Christmas in Futaleufú, and even explored Santiago and Valparaíso.

This was Markey's first trip to Chile, but he's hoping it won't be his last. "I'd love to see the Atacama desert and the regions north of Santiago. In terms of kayaking, I'd love to paddle the Río Baker, but the dam project by Endesa will soon make paddling there impossible. It's a shame - the river is often described as one of the world's premier big water runs."

Being breathless in Chile

"The real power of kayaking on whitewater rivers is that you see and visit places that very few people will ever get to see," Markey says. "Chile has an abundance of these special places. You go with friends to these remote places and regardless of how cold, wet or tired you are, those fantastic adventures are a shared experience. I tried to convey that spirit in the film."

Advice for planning a trip to Chile

"Have a plan," says Markey. "You could spend all your time in Pucón relaxing - it's super chilled - but if you want to see the country, you'll need to be organized."

Aussie kayaker excited for first Games

Murray Stewart has dominated the domestic and will look to do the same internationally in 2012.

Stewart will compete in four events in London. He has been in red-hot form in 2012 winning the K1, K2 and K4 1,000-metre events at both the Oceania and Australian Championships, securing his place in London.

"Today was a bit of a turning point for me, putting on the jacket and seeing what we are going to be wearing is making it very real," said Stewart, speaking at the unveiling of the team uniform at Sydney's Circular Quay.

Stewart leaves for Europe with his team-mates on Sunday for a pre-Olympic hit-out that takes in several world cup races.

"I haven't checked out the Olympic venue yet personally, but there's a possibility we might get a chance to go before heading across to Europe (for the world cup races)," Stewart said.

"A lot of the guys on the team have been there before and I've seen a lot of photos of the course and it looks really good - we will be ready."

The 25-year-old Sydneysider is revelling in the build-up to the Games, but insists the hype will not distract him from his primary goal which is competing on sport's biggest stage.

"When I get onto the water and am racing at the Games, I think that will be quite a surreal moment," he said.

With that same steeliness, he was recently awarded a Masters of Architecture at the University of Sydney, while winning the ICF athlete of the month award in March.

"It's been quite a juggling act, but I've had a lot of help from AIS, NSWIS and Sydney Uni. I've qualified now so I've been able to train uninterrupted for the last few months," Stewart said.

Promising Maroochydore paddler has world at her feet

Alyce Burnett at the 2011 Australian Titles

It all began 12 years ago when at just seven years of age; Alyce Burnett began life at the Maroochydore Surf Lifesaving Club on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

The 19 year old has come on leaps and bounds in the sport since then, following in the footsteps of the likes of Ken Wallace and Alana Nicholls, who are making the popular choice of transitioning across from surf ski paddling to canoe sprint in search of competing at the highest level, the Olympic Games.

After missing out on a maiden Olympic berth in 2012, Burnett has decided not to travel overseas this year with the U22 team, deciding that her role as Development Officer at the Maroochydore SLS Club more important than ever, following the tragic passing of 14 year old club member Matthew Barclay at the Australian Surf Life Saving Championships earlier in the year.

Matt Barclay’s death has had a profound influence on Burnett.

“It really changed my mind on life.”

“It made me realise to really chase your dreams and live every moment as your last.”

Often forgetting that Burnett is still a teenager herself, she has been given the challenging task of retaining the cadets aged 14-17 that she works with.

“My role is really pivotal to the club in trying to make sure the youths I work with are having fun and want to return from one season to the next.”

"Since Matt’s death some club members have been very distraught and are struggling to come to terms with things. It’s my job to encourage them and ensure they get some confidence back!"

“I tell the squad that our number 1 role is as a Lifesaver and secondly as an athlete.”

Equally adept in both a ski and a sprint boat, Burnett has decided to put her sprint career on hold for 2012 deciding to trial for the Ironwoman Series in August, where she hopes to qualify for the first time, and after finishing second behind
fellow sprint paddler Naomi Flood in the women’s single surf ski at Aussies there is no doubting Burnett has the ability to achieve just that.

“It’s something that I have always wanted to do, so I can mark it off my list”, said Burnett.

“The Ironwoman will keep me really fit, provide good cross training for my kayak, and get me a lot stronger.”

Burnett plans to return to kayak properly by September, and after making her senior team debut in 2010 as a 17 year old following a stellar junior career, she headlines a list of strong U22 paddlers coming through the ranks who are eyeing off a spot at the first U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Ontario, Canada next year.

“My aim is to win gold in the women’s K1 events at U23 Worlds.”

Asked what will be in store for her between now to the 2016 Olympic Games, and whether she can step it up to the senior K1 ranks, Burnett responded.

“Between now and Rio I should have three U23 World Championships to compete in where the focus will be on K1, while I’m looking forward to continue to compete in the K2 (500) with Hailey (McGinty) at senior Worlds.”

“I have always wanted to be a K1 paddler, and if I can improve my strength I think I can do just that.”

Burnett’s journey over coming years is set to be an exciting one, as the talented Sunshine Coast resident builds towards Olympic glory in the future.
 

London Canoe Slalom Training Camp

Fox on the Lee Valley course

Two-time Olympian Warwick Draper, young gun Jessica Fox and WAIS duo Robin Jeffery and Kynan Maley were supported by Head Coach Mike Druce, Team Coaches Myriam Fox and Yann Le Pennec, as well as Physiotherapist Pat Weston as they braved the wet, windy and cold conditions!

“The weather was really windy, cold, nothing near what the athletes are used to expecting in Australia,” said Myriam Fox.

After getting over the initial cold factor Robin Jeffery and Kynan Maley performed the demonstration runs at Great Britain’s Olympic selections and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“It was a great opportunity for us to measure ourselves against the Brits on the Olympic course,” said Jeffery.

“It was a different experience trying to perform on a course without any prior training, but it was really valuable because it provided feedback on what we needed to improve throughout the training camp.”

Head Coach Mike Druce was impressed with the setup and course at Lee Valley.

“It's a great course with really challenging white water. Facilities there are excellent and will be a really great showcase for the sport at the Olympic Games.”

“The course is really continuous and quite hard to keep speed on the boat. The key to racing well there is being able to keep online, staying dry in the waves and have a really excellent control in the big moves.”

Overall the camp was rated a success by all coaches.

“I think all the athletes feel really positive about paddling in London and although it is good to be back training in Penrith again we are all looking forward to getting back to London for the next Camp,” said Druce.
 

Olympian IOC Internship Opportunity

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Olympic athlete to apply for a twelve month internship with the Sports Department at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The position will be based at the IOCs headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. and ideally the successful candidate will be available to start in October 2012.

The internship would be for twelve months ideally to commence in October 2012 – October 2012. The successful candidate would be paid on a monthly basis (amount to be confirmed, but approximately CHF 3,000/per month). Accommodation will be provided (a bachelor studio apartment) and the IOC will arrange for the work/residence permit and covers costs associated with this. Ideally the IOC are looking for a past or present Olympic athlete with the relevant qualifications (sports management/admin or equivalent) and a desire to pursue a career in sports administration.

Check out the attachments for further information.

Please send applications via email or post to your State Olympic Council or ACE Adviser by COB Friday 18 May 2012.