Josh's Blog

HPP, coaching and boat testing

Hi Guys,

Ive just got back from 2 weeks up at Nottingham training for GBR Selections. The time up there was really constructive and I learnt loads. On Tuesday, Dennis Newton (BCU Level 5 coach, GBR and SWE Freestyle Team Coach) came along for the day to give me some tips and help me dial a few new moves. His coaching was excellent and I now have a new training model that I will be working with to maximise my time on the water.

During the week I also helped Ross and Jay test a range of "all river boats", look out for the review in issue 115 and on the videos section!

The next trip out for me will be the Cardiff YFS on the 15th, hope to see you there!

Josh
www.pgl.co.uk
www.canoeandkayakstore.co.uk

Posted by Josh Wedgwood

My paddling over the last few months!

Once again I have managed to neglect my blog writing so I thought an update is long over due!

Over the last few months there have been lots of competitions starting with the Nene YFS. I came 3rd in this event as well as the next YFS Event at the Washburn.

There have also been two British Championship Events the first one being on the 22nd/23rd May. On Saturday morning everyone started arriving for the freestyle event. Two different competitions were being held; the Open Event and Elite Event for all those aiming for GBR Team Selections. The day started with free practice, this enabled the 50 or so competitors who had turned up to have a go at nailing a routine. With demo boats provided by Pyranha the top hole was a mass of colorful boats. Time flies when you’re having fun so it was time to move on to the main competition.

Despite the cold water, the competition was on fire. There were many great rides being thrown down but everyone had to be careful, one unlucky flush and the ride was over due to the small eddies. With great tunes and Seth on the mike everyone was having a great time.

As usual the judges were tough but fair. This rewarded the technical paddlers who were able to make all the ends vertical and loops straight. In the elite men’s event Sam Anderson scored a run away victory with nearly 1000 points obtained from Phoenix Monkeys, Mc Nasties and huge Space Godzillas

Emily Wall led the way in the elite ladies scoring Felixs, Loops and Cartwheels. The junior men’s event is always a close call, with several paddlers all having the skills to win. This event was no different with James ‘Weetabix’ Benns emerging as the winner scoring a very respectable 493 points. I managed to come 5th giving me a place in the final.

The junior ladies struggled in the difficult feature but Kim Aldred managed to make the most of the 45 seconds to take the win.

The ‘Fun Final’ followed for those who had made it into the top 5 of each category. Despite a slight water level problem causing a small delay, those people who stayed to watch once again witness a massive aerial assault from Sam Anderson with Ben Aldred coming second. All of the juniors stayed for another close event, again Benns took the win.

I spent a week at HPP from the 2-6th July, including the PeakUK Sausage Sizzle. This was a fun event with lots going on. During the 5 days up there I learnt to Orbit (back McNasty)... this should help push those scores up. I also improved by Back Loops.

More recently I have been at Boulters Weir competing in the Boulters Weir organized by Jacko and the KJO Team. The weekend (10th/11th) consisted of two events; “British Championship League Event” and the “Youth Freestyle Series”.

On Saturday the British Championship event was held. The C1s were up first and gave the other competitors an opportunity to see what was possible. Jamie Burbeck showed he could throw down taking the top spot! Following the C1 were the Junior Ladies. Kim Aldred took her second win of the series, making her place in the GBR Team for the Plattling Worlds look very likely! The Juniors then took to the dance floor. After all the competitors had shown the judges their moves Bren Orton finished first closely followed by James Benns and myself! The Ladies event was the most closely fought battle of all the categories, with any of the paddlers having the skills to win. Claire O’Hara finished on top by linking together splits and clean ends. Despite the difficult feature Matty Nicholas threw down a 600 point ride beating James Weight and Sam Anderson.

After all the heats a fun final was held to crown the Boulters Rodeo Champion! A big thumbs up must go to Sam A who snapped his Ophion Paddles during his ride but carried on to take the title!

On Sunday it was the turn of the youth paddlers en mass to have a go and get stuck in! Once again Jacko organized the event. The morning consisted of freestyle coaching including; “Preparing the Mind” with Jacko, “Flat Water Freestyle” with GBR coach Sam Ward and “Competition Rides” with the GBR Junior Team. With Demo boats provided by Pyranha everyone was having a whale of a time! After lunch it was time to put the newly learnt skills into practice. Big smiles, paddle spins and enders scored highly in the novice event! If it is your first freestyle event the novice category is perfect... the aim being have fun! In the main competition noticeable performances came from James Weight, Brendon Orton, Jake winning their categories! I managed to finish 3rd again. With lots of prizes given away from the sponsors; Dagger, Big Dog, SquareRock, Palm, Pyranha, KJO, K3 and DM, everyone got something from the day whether it was some new skills or a nose plug!

A big thanks must go to Jacko and the KJO team for organizing the event!

Over the next week I am heading up to HPP for another week of training... hopefully I should dial some new moves!

See you on the water

Josh
www.pgl.co.uk
www.canoeandkayakstore.co.uk

Posted by Josh Wedgwood

Easter Paddling

Over the holidays I have been doing lots of paddling. The first week I took part in intensive training week with Jacko, Sam and Kimme. The aim of the week was to learn new moves and find the "best version of me". We spent a couple of days at Hurley on 4. McNastys, Phonixs and Donkey Flips were what we were working on. We hade some great evening sessions with the Thames boaters. Mid-week we headed up to HPP to work on some more hole moves. I learnt to hit the Space Godzilla which is a great point booster for my runs. Heading back down south we found Hurley on 3. During a night session I started trying clean blunts, these worked well so I spent the final days getting these nailed. On the Saturday we headed down to the weir to join in the party for TV Freestylers. This was great fun, Sam and I managed a second in the synchronized freestyle event!

This weekend GBR training was on. I headed up to HPP on the Friday to get some more practice in. On the Saturday I did workshops with Den (combos) and Sam (hitting moves). The usual dodgeball followed the paddling in the evening. Unfortunately the North won the game but it was still great fun! On the Sunday I did a session with Matt on competition runs. This was really useful and my paddling really improved because of it.

Overall a great holidays paddling but with my GCSEs coming up in a month maby I should have done some more revising!

See you at the Nene YFS next week!

Josh
www.pgl.co.uk

Posted by Josh Wedgwood

A Rough Ride, Guarenteed

The hype
For those of you who know me will understand that I get very excited about all things paddle related, if Hurley is on 3, I will brave even the coldest of winter days to get on the water. Imagine my excitement when I heard Cardiff White Water Centre was opening this Spring. The grand opening had arrived… and I just had to check it out!

With the aid of the trusty Sat-Nav, Sam and I arrived at the centre to find the pumps flowing and slalomists already weaving through the gates. With crisp eddy lines and tight eddies they were loving it! Eventually we drew our gaze from the course to sign in. The centre is ultra modern. A café is upstairs for those looking to warm up after a cold days paddling and a shop for those who may of forgotten their kit!

Time to hit the water
After snapping on our spray decks we launched into the tranquility that is Cardiff Bay. However this calmness did not last long for following a quick ride up the conveyor belt (very cool) we were at the top of the course. The course starts gently before quickly picking up the pace. The top is perfect for a quick warm up as there are some nippy lines to be taken and even a few cheeky boof spots! At the first bend there is the first main hole. With good eddy access this is sure to be a freestyler’s hang out. Despite its slightly flushy nature we quickly got the hang of it and were entertaining the slightly bewildered walkers passing by! Following on the course gets steeper and more continuous. With on the fly waves to catch and more holes this is definitely an entertaining section of the route down to the bottom. Down at the very bottom is the final hit. A shallow but fast hole is sure to be where the many competitions that are in CIWW’s diary are to be held. For those less confident paddlers who don’t want to experience the upside down ice cream head feeling it is a great spot to practice ferry gliding and other key white water skills. Due to the C shape of the course it is only a short paddle back to the conveyor so you can do it all over again!

We paddled the course many times and in many different boats thanks to Canoe Kayak Store’s flotilla of demo boats. In the short two hours we spent there we had lots of fun even finding time for a quick Boata X!

Excitement for everyone
With just a flick of a switch the pumps can go from 8 cumecs to 12. This means that the course can be adjusted to suit all abilities. There are also many other ways to take the plunge apart from kayaking. The centre provides rafting, hot dogging and hydro speeding. This should prove to be very popular for corporate events and parties.

Overall
So, where does Cardiff sit in the grand scheme of white water in the UK? Having paddled it on 8 cumecs I think that for those paddlers who have paddled the Nene but do not quite feel ready for Nottingham it is ideal. Despite this it will still test the expert paddler’s technical skills. The freestyle spots still need a bit of tweaking but with more omni-floats arriving soon this should quickly be resolved. Overall I think that it is an excellent facility that many people will enjoy using! What are you waiting for, pick up the phone, call your paddling buddies and get yourself down there!

For more information check out www.ciww.com

See you on the water!
Josh
www.pgl.co.uk

Posted by Josh Wedgwood

Hurley Video

Just a quick note to say I uploaded a video of me training at Hurley on the videos section.

See you on the water

Josh
www.pgl.co.uk

Posted by Josh Wedgwood