Enjoy the CDU Newsletter
Published: Fri, 11/13/15
Issue
484
13th November 2015
Message Bank
I started paddling slalom in 1978 just after the Harvey White
Water Course was developed and it certainly helped with my
paddling skills and boat precision. For a while WA paddlers
had it good. We had flatwater slalom courses at Ascot, Swan
and Darling Range Canoe Clubs and the raging white water below
the Harvey Dam that we could use at weekends in the summer
period. Then we had the Avon and Murray Rivers in winter.
Lindsay Binning was one of the first to take full advantage
of the Harvey course but to become one of the best and four
times Australian Slalom Champion he eventually had to move
to Tasmania where there was all year round whitewater. The
Harvey whitewater course produced so many good paddlers and
it was where Robin Bell and Kynan Maley started their whitewater
career although to become the worlds best they eventually
had to move to Sydney.
When the Harvey whitewater course was closed in 1998 it really
hurt WA's whitewater paddlers as it was a great training ground
for Wild Water racing and play paddling as well, although
in those days there were no short play boats around. To the
credit of Ascot and Swan Kayak Clubs WA slalom is still going
strong even though we don't have the white water we used to
have. Both clubs run excellent programs for juniors and the
results at National Championships are outstanding. Incredible
really considering the lack of water.
Paddlers like Olympian Robbin Jeffery didn't have the advantage
of the Harvey whitewater course, he was brought up on the
Ascot flatwater slalom gates and the sparse whitewater at
Walyunga National Park where the slalom committee have a winter
slalom course erected. Nevertheless it didn't stop Robin from
realising his dream, but he also had to move to Sydney to
better his training and chances of becoming one of Australia's
best.
Junior paddlers like Josh Kippin, Ben Pope, Georgia Rankin,
Demelza Wall, Georgina Collins, Nick Rankin, Tiki Ewing, Brody
Crawford and Steven Lowther who have all represented Australia
at a junior world championship haven't had the pleasure of
training on a facility like Harvey so they have had to contend
with flatwater gates, the Walyunga winter slalom course and
have had to fly interstate for all competitions and training
camps. But yet they still fight on and are some of Australia's
best.
Paddlers like Bevan Dashwood, Peter Dear, Les Taylor and
others were paddling slalom kayaks (a lot bigger and bulkier
than the ones of today) in the 1960s. In 1969 Bevan became
the K1 Champion, in 1974 WAs Alan Julian was the C1 champion
and in 1976-77 WAs Mark Hewitt was the Australian C1 champion.
In C2 1971-72 Peter Dear and L Cole were the C2 champions
and in 1972-73 Kremer and Davis were C2 champions so in the
early days of slalom WA was fairly active.
It was the Harvey Whitewater Course that created a lot more
interest in the sport attracting not only local and interstate
paddlers but international paddlers like the legend Richard
Fox, 10-time World Champion (5 x K1M individual, 5 x K1M team)
who would visit Perth to train and coach at Harvey.
**************************************
If you want to get your child into a sport that is skilful,
exciting and fun, slalom kayaking is the sport to try. Even
if your child decides to get into marathon, or sprint kayaking
the skills that they would learn in slalom will stay with
them for ever and make them a much better paddler on the whole.
Contact Ascot Kayak Club or Swan Canoe Club for more details.
**************************************
WA Slalom Kayaking
Andy Griffith
Andy Griffith was a force to reckon with in
the 1970s. He is a past Swan Canoe Club President and an extremely
good slalom paddler but now lives in Colorado where he paddles
extremely big whitewater. Picture Brady's Lake, Tasmania 1979.
****************************************
Lindsay Binning
In the 80s Lindsay Binning (Ascot Kayak Club)
was the paddler to beat. He was 4 times Australian Slalom
Champion 1985-86-87-88. Picture Brady's Lake, Tasmania 1979.
****************************************
Robin Bell
In the late 1990s & 2000s Robin Bell (Swan
Canoe Club) was WAs best slalom paddler.
3-time Olympian and Beijing Olympic bronze
medallist
(L-R) David Florence (silver) of Great Britain,
Michal Martikan (gold) of Slovakia and Robin Bell (bronze)
of Australia pose after their medal ceremony for the Canoe
Single (C1) Men Final at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing
Park on Day 4 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August
12, 2008 in Beijing, China.
30-year-old Robin Bell was the nation's best
C1 slalom paddler for nearly a decade; he's competed at three
Olympics and dozens of international events, and is the first
Australian to win a world championship in what remains a fledgling
sport in this country.
Robin avenged the disappointment of Athens Olympics where
he came 4th by claiming bronze in the men's C1 slalom event
at the Shunyi whitewater course, Beijing.
The Sydney paddler finished one place out of the medals in
2004, but would not be denied this time. Cheered on by a large
Australian contingent, Bell held onto third place behind Michal
Martikan of Slovankia, and Britain's David Florence to claim
Australia's first ever Olympic medal in the event.
"It's awesome," Bell said. "I was sweating
it out at the line in Athens. I crossed the line and thought,
'I'm not going to get this one'. It's such a hard course out
there that people started making mistakes and it ended up
being my lucky day. I think I would swap every medal I have
in every other competition for an Olympic medal."
Bell's relatively incident-free time of 89.43sec in the final,
which added to his semi-final time made for a combined 180.59sec,
propelled him to first place with four competitors still to
race. The ensuing wait was as nerve wracking as the paddle
and mirrored his experience in Athens. Four years ago, Bell
watched forlornly as three others surpassed him to deny him
a place on the podium. But after Britain's David Florence
immediately knocked him out of gold medal contention, the
Australian's prospects of silver rose dramatically as each
of the next three competitors struggled with the first upstream
gate.
Bell grasped a tenuous hold on second place when Michal Martikan,
the six-time world champion from Slovakia, commenced the final
run of the final. Martikan incurred a two second penalty along
the way, but still managed an over all time of 176.65sec to
hold on for the gold, relegating the Australian to third.
********************************************
WA's Kynan Maley
2012
6th C1 – 2012 Olympic Games (London, GBR)
10th C2 – 2012 Olympic Games (London, GBR)
Kynan Maley (Swan Canoe Club) finishing sixth
in the C1 slalom Olympic final at the Lee Valley White Water
Centre, London
The London Olympic dream was a case of fourth
time lucky for Kynan Maley. After 12 years of campaigning
the 30-year-old secured Olympic selection in 2012. Kynan competed
in the men's C1 and C2 events and became the first Australian
man to compete in both the single and double slalom canoe
events at the same Games (due to a change in IOC rules in
2012).
Kynan seized his opportunity and qualified for the men’s
C1 final where he finished sixth. Combining with Robin Jeffery
in the C2 event, the Australians finished tenth overall after
missing a berth in the final.
After finishing eighth in the semi-final, Kyan executed a
clean run clear of penalties to finish in a total time of
107.08 seconds. First out of the gate, he then had seven more
athletes to watch to find out his eventual place – in
what was a nail-biting race for the medals.
As the next few paddlers negotiated the course it became
evident that despite the valiant Aussie’s superb effort
in pulling of a clean run, the time would be too slow to put
him on the podium.
“It [the time] was slower than some of the ones with
penalties,” Maley said. “I just got stuck through
the middle – didn’t quite get the boat moving or
tracking through the moves but there was a lot of good stuff
so I’ll take that into the C2.”
But, medal or not, Maley was incredibly pleased with his
performance and overwhelmed by his Olympic final experience.
“I’ve got so many emotions going through me,”
the 30-year-old West Australian said. “I’m incredibly
happy with that result, I didn’t quite get the run out
that I was capable of but I’m happy to have got that
close.
“It was an amazing experience for me and just great
to be a part of this whole final. The top guys paddled, just
did amazing runs. I didn’t quite get mine out there today
but came close in the field and it was fantastic.”
The ‘top guys’ refers to the highly decorated European
paddlers who have dominated canoe slalom for over a decade.
For years the 30-year-old paddler was overshadowed by Robin
Bell, who took the sole canoe slalom spot on the Australian
Olympic team three Games running.
But after Robin won bronze at the Beijing Games, Robin retired,
allowing Maley to finally realise his dream.
Come on Aussie - Kynan 6th place at the London
Olympics
For more Kynan results go here: http://canoe.org.au/2011/05/16/kynan-maley-c1/
********************************************
Robin Jeffery
10th C2 – 2012 Olympic Games (London,
GBR)
Robin is still paddling at a high level and
is hoping to claim a spot on the 2016 Olympic team
I've had an awesome life so far, thanks largely
to the opportunities provided by my sport, Canoe Slalom. I
have a diverse background. I have always been crazy about
sport, and it has been my dream to compete at the Olympics
for as long as I can remember. Although I have competed in
several World Cups and World Championships, London 2012 was
my first Olympics.
Senior debut? 2009 in C1 only. 2015 will
be my sixth year on the senior team competing in C1 and C2
but mainly C1.
When/Where/Why did you begin the sport? I started paddling
with my friends in 1996 at Ascot Kayak Club, when I was 8
years old. I really enjoyed it, but it was a year later when
I damaged my knee and wasn’t allowed to run for 2 years,
then Canoeing became my passion.
Greatest Sporting Achievement? Before coming 10th at
the London Olympics which was an amazing highlight, coming
8th at the first World Cup in 2011 in C2. It was a huge achievement
considering it was only our second season paddling together,
and it gave us the belief and motivation to push for a medal
at the Olympics.
What are your future goals? To win an Olympic gold
medal and hopefully inspire more Australians to start paddling.
I’d also really like to one day coach Canoe Slalom at
an elite level.
Greatest Influence on Career? My parents trust and
support, financial and emotional, have had the greatest influence
on my career. I moved from Perth to Penrith straight after
year 12, which was tough but necessary in order for me to
have a sporting career in Canoe Slalom because there isn’t
any white water that is suitable in Perth. This move would
not have been possible without my Mum and Dad.
Competitor you respect/fear the most? Peter and Pavol
Hoechshorner (SVK). It’s hard to go past triple Olympic
champions!
Best Advice you’ve ever received? Fast in fast
out (Zlatan Ibrahembegovic)
Who inspires me? Kurt Fearnley. The man’s a machine!
If you were not a Kayaker what would you be? Playing
Rugby for the mighty Western Force!
Education/Employment? I am currently studying Health
Science at the University of Western Sydney.
WAs Kynan Maley and Robin Jeffery at the London
Olympics
10th C2 – 2012 Olympic Games (London, GBR)
For Robbies results go here: http://canoe.org.au/2006/09/13/robin-jeffery-c1-c2/
***************
Robin - Tuesday, 31 July 2012
Today we qualified for the semi-finals at
the Olympics by just 0.03 of a second! That was too close!
Yesterday I watched as Kynan qualified the last boat in the
C1 semi-final. It was so nerve wracking watching him that
I promised myself that we would qualify more comfortably.
However, it turned out to be even closer and more excruciating
for us in C2.
Our first run was less than ideal. My mind was racing and
I allowed myself to analyse during the run rather than staying
in the moment. Hence the less than ideal run. I was furious
with myself for falling into these, old, bad habits. Lucky
it was quals and we had a second run to improve.
It seems obvious to say that we were desperate to improve,
but when you have invested so much, you want to see a return
and that first run wasn't satisfactory. We approached the
second run with renewed focus and fire in the belly. We still
had two touches but the focus and energy was much improved.
Then the agonising wait to see if we qualified began. We were
in 10th but the German crew were protesting a 50 second penalty,
if they were successful we were out. 5 minutes passed, then
10, finally in what seemed an eternity we got the nod from
our coaches. It was sheer relief, followed closely by joy
that we now have another opportunity to compete in front of
that incredible crowd.
Training & Courses
Saturday Morning
Fitness Training
7.30am start on the dot
Sandy Beach Reserve, West Road, Bassendean
PFD must be worn
$5.00 for paddlers who have bought a boat from CDU
$10.00 for other paddlers
Don't forget your PFD
Fun, fitness and a great group of people
Last week's times at the end of newsletter
Race Times at end of newsletter
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********************************
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********************************
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*******************************
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Stories
WA Slalom Kayaking
the early days
You only have to look
at this photo of Lindsay Binning at 12 years old to get the
impression that one day he was going to be a slalom champion.
Colin Vucak, Alan Peters,
Fred Vucak and myself erecting the slalom poles at Ascot Kayak
Club in 1979/80.
The poles were replaced
in 1997 by Lawrence Greed, Ken Sheldrick and Wayne Wright.
Ascot Kayak Club member
Mark Vucak in the canoe was a very good slalom paddler in
the late 1970s/80s
***********************
The AKC course today
Ascot juniors on the
flatwater slalom course. It's ready for an upgrade.
**************************
Lindsay Binning
***********************
The Evolution
of a Slalom Paddler
Robin Jeffery - the beginning
Robin Jeffery when he
started to get serious
Robin Jeffery now
Coaches
West Australia doesn't
have a full time slalom coach but Zlatan Ibrahimbegovic is
WA's most experienced part time coach.
Zlatan has a long-standing commitment to paddling. He has
competed internationally, representing Yugoslavia and now,
living in Australia.
Known throughout the slalom world simply
as Zlatan, Ibrahimbegovic has worked closely with the National
Centre of Excellence program athletes as well as with junior
and senior slalom teams over the past few years and is a familiar
face to many on the river bank in Australia and overseas.
He was previously contracted to coach
athletes in the Victorian Institute of Sport and Australian
Institute of Sport programs, the NSWIS and the NCE programs
and has completed university studies in Sports Coaching, Physical
Education, Teaching, Law and IT and is fluent in 4 languages
An accomplished K1 paddler and former
member of the Yugoslav national canoe slalom team; Ibrahimbegovic
competed at the 1972 Munich games in addition to contesting
5 Canoe Slalom World Championships in 1969,1971,1973,1975
and 1977, and 3 Down River World Championships in 1969, 1971
and 1973.
Having coached extensively in Australia,
Slovenia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, his broad international
experience is extremely valuable for our West Australian paddlers.
***********************
Several of WAs slalom
paddlers like Robin Jeffery, Ben, Bevan, Issac, Jeremy, Cody,
Steven, Brody, Alex V, Nina, Genie, Tarryn, Tim all do some
coaching at differenet levels.
Coaches Bevan Dashwood
and Ben Pope oversea paddlers on the Collie River
***********************
Back in 1995...
John Bell is very pleased
with the prowess of his son Robin, 17, who came 7th in the
junior pre-world kayaking championships in Lipno, Chzech Republic
in July 1995.
In the 16 days leading up to the championships Robin trained
at the 1972 Olympic site just outside Munich, Germany and
in Nottingham, England with the Australian senior team and
the US and English Slalom teams.
He competed as a kayaker at the Australian national championships
for 2 years but switched to the Canadian singles class a year
ago and after one year racing in the new class, he is ranked
Australia's best junior Canadian canoeist.
Robin trains by himself for about an hour every day and once
a week with his coach Lindsay Binning. He is a student at
Holywood High School and was the only WA paddler in the 9
member Australian team. He achieved Australia's best result
in the competition, racing against a field of about 50 in
the Canadian singles.
What We Are
Missing
Harvey Whitewater course
was hatched in 1976 with the National Championships being
held there for the first time in 1978
The water flow was extremely
fast and one mistake was often very costly
At one stage Harvey was
the best slalom course in the country
Juniors of the 1980s
took advantage of the brilliant white water by playing in
the Slot at Harvey
Perth
Whitewater Park
The Dream
is to have
a whitewater park
like
Lee Valley , England
Whitewater Park
or the
Athens Whitewater Park.
Artists impression of
Perth Whitewater Park
Meeting rooms, Convention & training
area, Canoe WA office, Park admin. office,
Pro shop
Cafe/kiosk
Education area
Change rooms
Boat conveyors
Grade 3 rafting & canoeing channel
Grade 1,2 rafting, canoeing & body boarding channel
Water playground
Boat storage area
Picnic/BBQ area
Outdoor amphitheatre
Canoe polo pool
Artifical beach
Canoe WA promotional video for the Perth
Whitewater Park http://wa.canoe.org.au/white-water-centre/
************************
Fitness Times
this week were on a 4km course at Claughton Reserve
************************
The West Coast
Downwinder
At present the main
race (open to all craft) is on Saturday 21st and the doubles
only, 11Km event is on Sunday the 22nd. Stay tuned in to our
website as the weather may predicate a change of days to ensure
the main event is the best we can deliver.
Don’t delay, get your entry in
and reserve your chance for glory ( well, at least some deep
satisfaction ! ). You can enter online by visiting https://www.webscorer.com/register?raceid=56140
or following the link on our event page .
***********************
The Epic Kayaks
Doctor Race
28th November 2015
The Epic Kayaks Doctor in Perth, WA is Australia's most exciting
ocean paddling event from Rottnest Island to Sorrento Beach
covering 27kms (or vice versa depending on wind conditions).
This year The Epic Kayaks Doctor will also feature as the
Australian Canoeing Ocean Racing Ski National Championships
for 2015. Please see information below.
The event is scheduled to race on Saturday 28th November 2015
starting at Rottnest Island and finishing at Sorrento Beach.
This will be reversed if strong off-shore conditions prevail.
In the advent of dangerous conditions on Saturday the event
will move to Sunday 29th November.
Events Program
The following events will also take place around the same
time as The Doctor. Take advantage of travelling to WA by
competing in all these events.
Saturday 21st November 2015 - Fenn West Coast Downwind
Thursday 26th November 2015 - Statewide Oil Sunset Surfski
Series Race #1 (evening race)
Saturday 28th November 2015 - The Epic Kayaks Doctor
Wednesday 2nd December 2015 - Statewide Oil Sunset Surfski
Series Race #2 (evening race)
***************************
2015/16
Marathon Series Race Dates
15th November - Moore
River
13th December - Claisebrook Race
28th December - Champion Lakes
14th Febuary - Canning River Race
12/13 March - State Champs
25/26/27 - National Champs QLD
24th April - Pinjarra-Ravenswood
29th May - Double Barkers
5th June - Perth Paddle 50
19th June - Middle Swan Race