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Devizes to Westminster
2018/2019
Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.
Sunday 18th November saw a very early start for 12 DW students leaving at 04:00am to head to Reading for the National Schools Kayak Championships.
We are the only state school that enter this event and are competing against other This is a big competitions and very early on in our training programme so the students have very limited experience, particularly compared to the other schools. All our students did very well all finishing mid-table in their races ending in our novice crews coming second overall in the team category which takes the combined times across the sprint and marathon races. The experience for the students is very useful as they get to see an important part of the course they will be paddling for the Devizes to Westminster race in April. Well done to all our paddlers: Myles Redwood & Ollie Bath Archie Clarke & Monty Duncan-Adams Max Dinnis & Talan Skerry Jack Baker and Harvey Aldridge Hannah Davey and Millie Hollidge
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Our second attempt at a Waterside C replacement is taking place on Saturday 10th March on Bude canal.
Please arrive at Bude canal for 09:00 for a 09:30 start on the water. You will need one support crew per boat (both are of course welcome if they want to). Mr Gilbert will be there to manage the race. There will be no transport from College, the boats are kindly been driven down and back by a parent. It’s a 23 mile timed race with 35 portage’s which we expect will last approximately 4 - 4 1/2 hours. Current forecast is for light rain throughout the race, so please ensure crews and support are dressed appropriately, and spare clothing is carried as necessary. Well done to everyone who took part in the Celtic Cup at the weekend!
This is an annual race that we run with Mount Kelly College on the Grand Western Canal. After they won the inaugural race last year, it was a fantastic achievement for our crews to bring home to the cup this year. Further congratulations to Ieuan for taking the fastest crew trophy two years in a row! As the Waterside Series approaches next weekend, I thought it would be valuable to confirm the arrangements that I have discussed already with most parents and crews.
All of the races finish in Newbury at the Waterside Centre (RG14 5AS) For Waterside A (13 miles, 21 portages), crews must be in Great Bedwyn (SN8 3PE) at 8am, when check-in opens. This is essential to ensure that the boat is organised and the paddlers are ready for the start at 9am. Waterside B (18 miles, 19 portages) starts and finishes in Newbury at the Waterside Centre (RG14 5AS). Start time is at 10am, with check-in opening at 9am, so this is when paddlers need to arrive. Waterside C (23 miles, 35 portages) starts at Pewsey (SN9 5NT). Paddlers need to be there 8am as check-in opens, and be ready to start racing for 9am. There is no parking in Pewsey Wharf, but you will be directed to park in St Francis' School opposite. Waterside D (34 miles, 35 portages) runs from Devizes Wharf (SN10 1EB) and is the full extent of Day 1 of DW (plus another half a mile!). There is a very early start to allow the race to finish at a decent time, so crews must be in the Wharf for 6am, ready for a 7am start. It is very much advised to book accommodation for Waterside C, D and the night before DW; this makes it a more relaxed experience for both supporters and paddlers who will feel much fresher having stayed in the area locally the night before. http://www.watersideseries.org.uk/documents/SupportCrew-Etiquette.pdf - This document is very important reading for supporters and will give you lots of helpful advice, along with ways that we can help the race run better by reducing congestion and keeping portages clearer for racers. Any questions feel free to get in touch - Mr Gilbert Let's start with hydration. Ideally, you need to be consuming 1 litre of fluid per hour you are working. However, just turning up to your 6-8 hour Waterside D race with a few massive bottles of water isn't going to help that, nor drinking loads and loads and loads the night before. You need to arrive hydrated and then use a specialist drinking system to ensure that you can keep drinking throughout the race with the least disruption possible to your paddling. There are two main options, and with slight variations too.
Camelbaks are a popular choice and it has some real advantages over other systems - mainly that it allows you to carry lots of water without feeling the real weight of it, as it's spread across your back in a small pack that can fit on the outside of your buoyancy aid (some companies make a system that can attach to a buoyancy aid and reduces the straps that can make them complicated). However, these can be difficult to refill as they are often hard to screw on properly under high pressured situations, and changing hydration packs in the rucksack can be fiddly too. The other option is to use a bottle with a long straw mounted in front of you on your chest. These hold about 500ml of liquid, but due to their cheap nature, you can buy several and change them regularly throughout the races. Your support crew can refill them as you are going along. These can either be mounted in a material pouch that attaches to the buoyancy aid, or via a long rubber necklace that goes around the neck (my preference). Fluid-wise, water is a perfectly realistic option, however if you find that you begin to cramp up towards the end of a race, this can often be caused by a lack of electrolytes due to dehydration. I've done races with water and felt like I've drunk plenty but have still had these cramp issues. Adding a simple electrolyte tablet that dissolves into the drink is a very easy way of increasing your electrolyte consumption, or even just a small sprinkling of salt in a few drinks can make a big difference. This is an advantage of the small bottles as you can have a range of flavoured tablets that can allow you to change what flavour your drink is so you are less likely to be bored of it - which in turn will encourage you to drink it more! High5 are a company that sells these tablets at good prices that work well on DW and Watersides. My personal preference is Precison Hydration, as they have different levels of Sodium in different tablets so I will 'preload' with sodium and water the night before and an hour before my race to ensure I'm fully hydrated before I get on the water. Food is equally, if not more important. You will be burning between 600-1000 carlories per hour whilst you are racing. So even if you consumed this exactly over the course of the race, you would just break even, and not lose any weight. You need to be regularly consuming food that is high calorie with a range of fast and slow release. Bananas, flapjacks and tiny sandwiches are slow release and will give you energy over a long time. Jelly babies and energy gels will give you a quick burst of energy when you feel low or tired or just need a bit of a boost. Avoid carrying any food with you and leave it all with your support team except a few gels that you could gaffa tape to the deck just in front of your cockpit so you can access them easily when you're paddling or not seeing your support crew for a while. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/high5-zero-electrolyte-drink-20-tabs/ http://www.wiggle.co.uk/high5-energy-gel-sachets-20-x-38g/ https://www.precisionhydration.com/pages/why-personalise-your-hydration-strategy (Go through the sweat test on the last one, really useful and individualized). With Christmas looming, some of you might be asking Father Christmas for some kayaking gear!
Icon Sports, (http://iconsports.eu/) is a local company based in North Devon. Their range of base layers are fantastic and good value for money. Another popular choice for baselayers are Craft Sportswear (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/craft/base-layers-thermals/), a Scandinavian brand that supply many kit to many international athletes for winter sports, and are very popular with lots of marathon kayakers. The link I've used is for Wiggle, a triathlon order shop, that's got lots of discounted kit that can be perfect for DW. For legs, I tend to use running leggings, and if it's very cold, some neoprene shorts over the top. Brand isn't too important, but please avoid cycling shorts or leggings. The padded area does seem like a good comfy idea, but makes running on the portages very awkward and can lead to some quite painful chafing! Hands can get quite cold during some conditions too. Pogies are a sort of gauntlet that attaches around the paddle that the hand fits into comfortably, and whilst these are great for training, they can be fiddly when under high-pressured situations like portaging mid-race. Icon Sports (previously mentioned) make a super warm one from Aquatherm material - top notch! Another option are open-palm mitts. Some of our crews are already using these, and are a piece of kit that I use during the night time on DW. These are neoprene and keep the wind off your hands whilst still giving you the grip you need on the paddle shaft. Available from http://www.aswatersports.co.uk/shop/product_info.php?cPath=36_64&products_id=652&osCsid=39429923cc54bd9742289fcbd5d0b374 Also attached is a link to the Marsport website (http://marsport.co.uk/). This is the shop that was based at the National Schools Championships site in Reading. They've got lots of good racing kit on there so have a browse. You also need to start thinking about drink systems. "Hydrate or Die" sounds like quite an extreme mantra, however without taking on vital electrolytes and water, as the distance increases for training and racing you will find your performance faltering due to dehydration. Two main options would be Camelbak, which holds more water with a tube on your back, or small bottle with a straw around your neck. I have used both, and will continue to use both at different times. For long, unsupported sections, a Camelbak is perfect, but during the Watersides, a small 500ml straw bottle is better as these can easily be changed at speed. Having several of these that you can replaced every time you see support can be a real edge - it also allows you to change your drinks if you find you get bored of the same one easily. Please ask any questions you have, to ensure that what you have is fit for purpose! See you all on Sunday for training - Mr G On 19th November, several of our DW students were leaving the college at 4:30am to head up to Reading to compete in the National Schools Championships. We raced over 500m, 200m, and a marathon (novice 7 miles, experienced 12 miles). Well done to all competing, especially Abbie and Ellie for taking 3rd in the Novice marathon Ladies class.
On the back of the fantastic times at Exeter, we have decided to select all seven crews to race at the National Schools Championships in Reading. Please see the attached letter for all the details, but if you have any questions please get in touch either by the contact form or my normal email. To confirm your place, you have paid the fuel cost by Wednesday 15th November. Any later and transport will have already been arranged and you may have let your partner down. See you all at training on Monday - Mr Gilbert
A huge well done to all of our crews who paddled their first 10 miles at the weekend, from Exeter Quay to Turf Lock and back. The wind really was against us, but despite that everyone finished between 1hr 41mins and 2hr 16mins - nearly an hour quicker than some crews in the last few years who have gone on to complete the DW itself. Good work - Mr Gilbert
At the end of half term, three of our faster crews were selected to race at their first event - a 4 mile race around the estuary conditions. Although the crews had previously paddled this distance, there was a big step up in the size of the water; moving from the 8 metre wide Bude Canal, to the River Fowey with sections over 400m wide! Our crews had a though race in windy conditions, and took 4th, 5th, and 6th in Division 7 K2. Well done to Charlie Waters/Owen Hill, Myles Redwood/Ollie Bath, and Ella Tomlin/Ruby Mead. A further congratulations to the winners of Division 8 K2 (in a time that beat our Div 7's!) Mr Jackson and Mr Rush. |
Mrs Reade
This blog is a record of Launceston College DW training and gives useful information out to the students and support crews. Archives
November 2018
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