Who would ever want to leave New Zealand? We didn’t. So most of us (plus the Italian boys) travelled to Murchison and the West Coast on South Island for a few more weeks of world class kayaking. We met up with legend Mick Hopkinson and then local lad Jordy Searle and paddled our hearts out on the stunning rivers of the Buller, Kokatahi, Totara, Toaroa, and Kakapotahi.
We managed one ‘A-Team’ inspiring heli trip with kayaks and a raft into the Landsborough which took two days to paddle out. Mid way, we had use of a readymade campsite with beds and everything! All we had to do was collect firewood. It seems the thought that we might perish in the wilderness spirited us into wood collecting maniacs. Chancing a log infested swim, the phase ‘packed to the rafters’ has never seemed quite so fitting.
We wouldn’t want to run out would we?
Our drivers didn’t look too happy
Upon successfully arriving at our camp, Adam ambitiously suggested we go deer stalking for evening entertainment. It was a nice idea, but trying to instil quiet in a gang of 11, with our matching Palm luminous green jackets, and Fran’s novel idea of wearing plastic bags over her socks to prevent getting wet feet, we failed spectacularly.
Fran’s novel, but noisy idea
The cheaper alternative to a helicopter shuttle was the epic walk in. One particular beauty was a 4 hour Takeshi’s Castle assault course into the Toaroa with kayaks plus camping supplies strapped to our backs. All that was missing were the Emerald Guards, although the sandflies did their best. This time we made use of an awesome hunting/tramping hut at the top of the river, with its very own natural hot pools! As the local boys unpacked their dehydrated sachets of food, we unfurled our two lamb joints, roasting dish, crackers, dips, a litre of milk and not one; but two, vegetarian options. We know how to camp. The river provided just as much entertainment as the walk in, and we emerged relatively unscathed, but mentally exhausted at the final obstacle – an electric fence at the get out.
The smiles faded after about 10 minutes
An exhausting walk
After all the excitement of the West Coast, we went our separate ways and I ended up back on North Island just in time for Christmas at Kaituna. This annual event is a day of ridiculous racing on one of the best rivers in the world! Events included a progressive boater cross, big air freestyle (I won!), 8-ball challenge, a team race and finally, the hotly anticipated inflatable race. After a tip off, myself and a few others invested in a sturdy 2-handled armchair, but there were aeroplanes, giant turtles, crocodiles and dolphins gradually falling to pieces throughout the event.
Classic carnage on the Kaituna. Don’t try this at home kids!
Kaituna hole is perfect for looping creek boats
We are all back in the UK now, training again in earnest for the forthcoming R4 European Champs in Bratislava, and World Champs in Brazil! Where our next adventures await……
The event was held in Rotorua New Zealand and our athlete village was a very nice touring campsite on the outskirts of town. It had its own Thermal hot pools and swimming pool and our little hut was right next to both! SCORE! The opening ceremony started as all should, with a Haka!
Wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of this lot!!
We were so fortunate that we had so many supporters who had flown out especially to see us (and have an awesome holiday). Not only did we have Team Husboyfriend who included fellow Palm Team Dude Phil Clegg, Adam Sambrook, Dave Kohn-Hollins and Bob Marchant, we also had 3 sets of parents and 3 sets of siblings and partners and a couple of friends dropped in along the way too! And we can’t forget the mascot baby!
Racing started with Sprint on the first day on the lower section of the classic Kaituna run. After much debate and controversy it was finally decided that the Waterfall would not be included in the race – a wise decision when you consider how much training each team had put into this event. The spectators watched the widescreens as the rafts came belting down the river with speed and once our Team had done their run there were rumors and whispers that we had got the fastest time. Never wanting to believe it until we saw the official results it felt like years standing around and waiting until we saw the glorious Results List – GBR Women in Gold!!! Well you can probably imagine the jumping and screaming that we all did then. What an amazing start to an event! We proudly stood and sang our National Anthems – Georgie making sure our flags were all the right way up (who new there was a wrong way!) – and received our beautiful Gold Medal. Good Job GB!!
Day 2 took in the Head to Head race, once again on the Kaituna, but this time starting from the Dam and finishing above the water fall. As we were ranked number one we had a buy on the first round which gave us the chance to watch the other teams racing and try not to get heat stroke! Sadly it was not our day. Once again we were pitted against our local rivals Slovakia and their experience in H2H racing won out. They went on to win the competition we finished in overall 6th place. The disappointment was great and we all went home a little deflated that evening but with hope for the 2 further events.
Day 3 was the Slalom, held on the Tarewera river in a town called Kawerau. The town had put on a massive funfair for everyone and there were so many spectators. The atmosphere was fantastic and made us very excited. Our first run down was a great run, just with a few too many touches of the poles and poles mean time penalties! We were placed in 4th place but with the fastest time on the course. So it came to our second run. and an error in judgment meant that we missed a gate and so lost our grip on the podium. It was thoroughly disappointing especially when we had been so close. But you must take learning points from these experiences and ours would be, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! We ended up finishing 6th in Slalom.
Day 4 brought us the the Downriver race on the Rangateiki. Usually we set off in pods of 4 and battle down the river with the other boats, but on this occasion the water levels were deemed to low for that to be safe as there were a couple of must make tight moves. But we did have the added intrigue of a Le Mans start…did they want us to do a handstand and some sit ups as part of the race too?! Our start was good and we had some sweet lines down the harder rapids but we just couldn’t shake off the experience and skill of the Japanese, Kiwis, Slovaks or Czechs and so we finished 5th overall in the World. Again. It was so bittersweet. 5th is not to be sniffed at when you look at who the top 4 teams are but we had trained so hard and wanted to get in the top 3. It was also a sad moment as it signaled the end of an era. Deb Cook, Rosie Cripps and Georgina Preston are all retiring and that was the last time we were racing together with them.
But, lets look on the bright side, we won GOLD in the sprint and got to race against the best teams in the world where we held our own and are still one of the best teams around. And we did it all in the most beautiful country in the world with the best kit anyone could ask for. Thanks Palm for the gear, we were DEFINITELY the most professional looking team on the water, thank you Deb, Rosie and Georgie for all the hard work you have put in over the years and thank you to everyone who supported us, from the bank side and from their sofas at home.
And finally a massive well done to the whole GB Team. The Masters and Men’s Teams were amazing. Here is to more GB success!!
Bring on 2014!!!
Our final training weekend before we all fly out to New Zealand was epic. As always it started with (for some) a horrible drive early in the morning, this time to get to the National White Water Course in Nottingham. We were also lucky enough to have Coach Dave back with us again after his enforced absence by work. We rocked up, put our game faces on and got warmed up for out first session of the weekend – a sprint session in our sprint formation. Many of us had been ill in the past month so we were a little concerned that this would have a negative effect on our performance. We needn’t have worried.
One of our favorites: Happy Cat Angry Cat. Only works if you make the noises
Keanu Reeves looks really cool when he does this…we don’t quite pull it off.
Flat Water Warm ups are important too.
The training we have been doing really showed up as we managed to knock a big lump of seconds off our time compared to earlier in the year. The raft looked and felt strong and the ladies flew down the course.
Everyone is so in time.
Guns out!!
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!
After the main part of the session was over we had a go at practicing what we would do if we snap a paddle during a run. Last year in Lipno at the R6 Euro Champs we were amazed at one of the men’s team who snapped a paddle but recovered their spare and only missed one stroke!! So we had a go! This sort of thing is really important for a team to practice. If we know what is going to happen we wont panic and we will have a better chance of not letting it damage our race. After a go on the water we had a go on dry land!
See the paddle tied in the back, Just in case…
I think all this training has made the girls go a bit crazy…they don’t even realise they arn’t on the water…Awkward!! – Bry goes for the switch.
We then had a stop for feeding time and then onto Slalom. Dave, Nerys and Bry set us a problem solving session. Problem was it was a tough problem and we took a long time to solve it! Slalom is a discipline that has such an impact. It can be really positive, but it can, if you let it, lead to frustration and negativity. But we are a close knit team and despite some lows we always manage to find the positive and come away feeling good about a session. This session was tough on our brains but we conquered it, solved the problems and nailed the run.
Walking and talking the course. Thinking about the problem we need to solve.
Doing everything we can to make the boat go where we want.
Finishing on a high and a pep talk by Coach Dave.
We ended the day in the most brilliant way we could. We had decided to do a flat water endurance from Nottingham down river to HPP. Except just as we got the raft on the water, the heavens opened. And I mean they OPENED! Along with the rain came a HUGE thunder and lightning storm. This made it so exciting for us racing down the river, but I’m sure poor Coach Dave was having other thoughts as he ran alongside us on the river bank!! I’m sure he doesn’t realise what he signed up to sometimes! But the Raft felt incredible, strong and one big unit. We were all pretty broken at the end. A good sign that we gave it our all.
Proud to represent Great Britain.
We went back for a yummy dinner and chat with Etienne-Olympic-God-Stott about tapering and planning our training week in NZ. Then we all went to bed. Cream Crackered.
It was a bright and early get up the next morning for some more Slalom. This time it was a race course session with 12 gates – 4 upstream gates and 8 downstream gates. We had some good runs and it was a positive session.
Making big moves requires alot of effort – Nezza hanging out the raft!
All eyes on the next gate.
Boofing to keep the nose up so we don’t get full of water and slowed down.
Why can’t Nottingham HPP have an escalator?!!!
Slalom is a real lesson in team work. Each person has a different ‘eye’ on the course so everyone has to come to some agreement of how we want to make a certain move. But the main thing is having full commitment to moving yourself around the poles. This can result in some interesting acrobatics some times!!
Punting off the side/rocks is not illegal. It can give you just the push you need
Getting around a pole means moving around the raft. Also being on the upstream side in a hole means to need to move your bum as well, otherwise EVERYONE gets wet!
Team talks. Having 7 people with 7 different ideas can be tricky, but it is important to listen to everyone and then come up with a plan.
This is why we have to do so much core strength work!!
Driving out of a move with speed.
Bry asked us all to go and get a watch and Nezza came back wit ha matching one to Bry! I think their partnership has now reached a telepathic level!!
Our second and final session of the weekend was Head to Head. And lucky enough for us the lovely GBR Masters Men’s team were on hand! We did 4 H2H races with an upstream pole to go around (to give them a fighting chance 
) in the middle of the course. We beat them on 3 of the 4 runs (they did some ‘illegal maneouvering’ on the 4th) and they won the 4th. It was fantastic. Nothing like a bit of a battle to get everyone fired up!
Hill Sprints warm up…not sure how Nezza can smile :)
H2H Starts with a held start, then it is fastest wins.
It leads to some awesome battles…technically you are meant to be looking for ‘future water’ but often your future water happens to be the other teams boat/paddle/hand…
The one time the Masters got ahead of us…they look pretty angry. Well they were beaten by Women 3 times!! :)
The breakout round a pole in the middle of the course made it even more exciting!
The boys must have decided the pole wasn’t worth the effort :D
DONT LET THEM GET AWAY!
It’s alright, we didn’t :D
And that was it.
We are going to have the biggest contingent ever at this years World’s. The Senior Men and Women (that’s us), the Master’s Team, the Youth team and the Junior Team. It is going to be unbelievably exciting!
The next time we see each other all together will be for The 2013 World Rafting Chapionships in New Zealand. As a team we have never been fitter, stronger or hungrier than we are now to bring you all home some gold. Keep an eye on our Facebook Page GB Womens Raft Team or the Palm Facebook page for updates. WISH US LUCK!!
A MASSIVE thankyou must go to Palm for helping us get to this point. Without their support we wouldn’t look half as good as we do. They really are inspirational when it comes to promoting women in sport. Also thanks to our other sponsors 9Bar, Teva and Bamboo Clothing and Capita.
And another HUGE thankyou must go to our Partners, Husbands, Boyfriends, Children and families for all the support and encouragement. We won’t let you down.
Words by Fran Kohn-Hollins
Photos by the GB Womens Raft Team.
You may have already seen the video released of our London training weekend. If you haven’t here it is thrown in for good measure : thanks to Moss for this!
We had a full on weekend with our now usual 6 training sessions! We definitely are ramping it up for the lead into the worlds. Saturday started early and fairly warm (for a change) but still pretty bleary eyed! It was Slalom Saturday and on the big powerful LV water it wasn’t only our muscles that hurt at the end, slalom is a brain drainer!
We were so lucky on the Saturday to have GBR Mens Team Paddlers Matt Blue and Pas Blackwell giving us feedback and coaching tips. It always makes such a different when you have someone on the bank watching. Also we were being filmed, so best camera faces ladies!!
Giving ourselves 2 more sessions on slalom over the day we worked on big sweeping moves and tight technical courses. All the gates were ‘live’ and so we were throwing ourselves around the boat to get away from them.
Nezza working her way around the pole!
We all headed to the Family Cook House in the evening for a DELICIOUS dinner and also some Strictly Come Dancing! Sunday morning was a very early get up…but once again we had the sunshine!! Matt Blue of
Blue Paddle Fame was our coach for the Sunday. He is an inspiring tour de force!
The first session he had planned for us was a technique session in our R2s. Once gain he and Paz gave us some awesome tips and advice on how to balance our power, have the best stroke possible and Matt was even so committed he was in the water with us!!
But then Matt added another dimension to resistance training!!!
Matt was adding resistance. I think he just wanted to coll down a bit.
Getting to the other side of the lake is much easier if you walk Matt!
Our middle session was another Slalom session set by Matt making big moves and using the river and the water. Even we get a bit nervous making big crosses. One false move can cause us to flip which means we would be out of that race! Scary stuff. But Matt got us confidently high crossing and surfing so now BRING IT ON NZ!!
Here we are working the waves! HIGH SIDE!
Going for a surf…this training is such hard work
There is a raft in there I promise you.
Do we have to write everything down now, so we stop talking so much ?!
Driving through those waves.
We barely had time to breath between our second and third session (entirely our fault) which was all about river safety. It is an unfortunate fact that we need these skills as this is an extreme sport and often in a race it is only us who are going to help ourselves! So Matt had us swimming the course, making eddies, throwing throwlines to each other (Fran threw a corker right into Georgies face!! ooopss!!!). We also had to flip and re-flip the raft (something we hope never happens in a race as that essentially means you are out!) AND THEN Matt had a flat water make-or-break session to finish off with. And we thought Coach Dave was mean!
A huddle of rafters?
Do NOT lose your paddle!
Nez- Dammit I’ve been spotted! I was going to make a run for it then!
Flat water training is very important for fitness.
The weekend ended on a high!! We felt so strong and together, but we got the kick up the bum that we needed from Matt. Rest and recovery is essential and quality is important. Since that weekend most of the team has been wiped out with a cold!! Time to down the Vitmamin C and get back on it!
But now for our final interview of this racing season: Last but by all means not least, is Deb Cook. Longest serving member of the team and front left goddess:
How long have you been raft racing and what has kept you dedicated for so long?
I have been racing since 1998 when I went out to the first ever World Championships Race in Costa Rica. It was also a Camel Challenge race and the first time they had gone somewhere other than the Zambezi River. I had such an amazing time, met so many great people and just enjoyed being on the river in a team so much. I love the competitions, but also the whole thing of being part of a team and working so hard together to achieve what we do makes it really hard to give it all up! Every year I think that this will be the last time, the last competition, the last event, but then I keep on going. We are really lucky to have such a great team where we all get on and have a lot of fun racing and training together, but also loads of experience and skill in the boat, so it just seems to keep getting better – it’s hard to stop!!
How did you get into Raft Racing in the first place, there must be a good story here?
Well, back in the day when it was the Camel White Water Challenge, nations used to be invited to send teams and a group of girls got put together from paddlers in the UK and represented GB. When I was working as a raft guide at Holme Pierrepont, I heard about this and wanted to know how come they were the British team. I wanted to be the British team! So I organised a British selection event and got a team together and challenged them. We trained really hard and raced against them, but we lost!! But I then ended up working a season abroad with one of their team members, and another one of their team had dropped out so they were looking for a new member and invited me to join them. So, I did! The other girls I raced with understood and knew I had just been in the right place at the right time! So that is how I got started, and then that original team stopped racing and I took on the mission, formed a new team and here we are!
Where would you like to see the sport of Raft Racing go in the UK. How do you see it developing?
In the past few years we have started to run our own raft race events, which has been a huge amount of work, but a massive amount of fun. We have had such great support from people coming along and taking part, as well as really generous hosts and sponsors that help make the events great. The paddling community have really enjoyed coming and doing something different, as well as complete newcomers to the water who have now started their own teams! Next year we have four events planned, as well as an Alpine training camp, which is really exciting. The BCU have awarded us some funding to buy more equipment to make these events even better and help more people access sport, so things are developing and the arrival of of youth and junior teams means that the sport is becoming more sustainable and feels like it has a real future. Hopefully we can keep building on our success at home and Internationally and create something that more people want to get involved with, and that will attract more sponsorship so we can ensure we remain a force to be reckoned with as a nation!
You have competed in so many different sports. What is it about competing that you love so much?
I have always enjoyed competing as a team, I find it much more motivating knowing that your team mates are relying on you to do your absolute best. It is an amazing feeling when you get a good result and everyone is buzzing because they know they have given it their all.
It makes getting off the sofa and going for a run or a training session easier, as you know there a six other girls out there having to do the same! I love the competitions and the buzz of the events, sitting on the start line and getting ready to paddle as hard as you can and put all that training to good use! I love pushing yourself to the limit and it is always amazing what you can do when the element of competition comes in! Suddenly there is just that bit more in the tank!
How has the GB Womens Raft Team changed over the years?
In many ways we haven’t changed that much, we have managed to keep a team that is really close and we are all really good friends. I have definitely made life long friends that I will always keep in touch with and have adventures with. We have always managed to maintain the fun and enjoyment, but I guess the main difference over the years has been the level of training and dedication. We have always been dedicated, but the level of commitment to the team now is incredible. Everyone trains so hard, not just at the weekends that we meet up at, but also every day of the week in between. Having a coach has made a huge difference to us as a team, and when there is someone willing to give up their time and energy just to make you better a as team, it definitely makes you more committed and determined to be the best you can be.
Most memorable rafting experience?
There are so many, it is hard to choose! Team GB won double gold (men’s and women’s team both got the gold) in the Head to Head in Austria, and then again the next year in Bosnia. It really felt like we were finally getting recognised as teams to look out for which felt amazing. We walked into the marquee for prize giving in Austria and all the teams stood up as we entered and gave us a standing ovation – this was amazing as some of the best teams on the world are based in Europe, and there they were cheering us! In Bosnia when we won the double gold, we were interviewed live on tv, featured in the national newspapers and everyone wanted to shake our hands, have their photo taken with us and generally just be a part of us! Incredible! So many more memories that will last forever, but it is always just such a proud feeling to be walking in the parade at the opening ceremonies to these events, wearing our kit and flying the flag, representing your country!
Most memorable moment with the team?
It’s difficult to say, as the team has constantly changed and evolved. However, the team as we are now going into this World Champs feels stronger and fitter than anytime before and I am really proud of how we have all stepped up to the mission. Last year we went to the European Champs in Czech Republic, and for two of the girls it was their first competition, yet we had our most consistent results ever! We got to the bottom of the downriver endurance and had raced the best race ever, sweet lines, well paced and held off the Belgians who were on our tail all the way down the river. Although we didn’t get a medal (we came 4th), it felt like it didn’t matter because we knew we had raced the best race we could, and that is a great feeling!
Thanks Deb!
Words Fran
Photos: Fran and the Team.
What a weekend!!! Our September training weekend found us once again in North Wales with low water (there is definitely a theme emerging here!). But we not going to let that hold us back!! We were on form and on fire. ‘Dim faffio’ was the catch phrase for the weekend! (No Faff!) and we most certainly did not.
Suzie, Nez and Fran showing off our lovely kit, ready to rock and roll!
Suzie playing the ‘what’s in the bag?’ game!
Nez didnt actually arrive like this, except for the lovely smile!!
In The Zone!!!. Photo: Matt Cooke
Like a well oiled machine we rocked up, did the shuttle and promptly set down a time for an endurance run from Horse Shoe Falls to Trevor – 1hr 7mins. BOOM! We were pretty exhausted at the end of that, but we were only 1/3rd of the way through the days sessions! So we drove on up to HorsShoeFalls again and set off doing 4 minute sprints (the expected time of the sprint course in NZ) with 4 minutes rest back down to Town Falls. Pheweee!!
It gets a bit flatter and lot harder work after town falls! Keeping our motivation going can be a challenge. Photo Matt Cooke
Any normal team would probably have called it a dy there at 2 high intensity training sessions…but not us, I don’t know if you have heard but we are the GB Ladies Rafting Team and we have some Gold Medals to go and win!!! So we packed up the cars and drove over to the Tryweryn where Pyranha Fest was being held and all our Palm Team mates were hanging out and we put down two awesome, solid Slalom runs Competition style!
Hopefully Bry is paying attention to where the poles are going otherwise this could be an interesting slalom!!
Afterwards we went back to Debs for a BIG feed and a BIG sleep, because guess what, we were doing it all again the next day!!
Sunday came around very fast, and all feeling a little sore we headed over to the Tryweryn and set ourselves 2 long and challenging slalom runs. we then had a nice break just long enough to make getting back into wet kit bearable, then we did chipper to Bala endurance run. It was so lovely having everyone cheering us on on the way down. At the bottom we were pretty much cream crackered, but no-one wanted to be the one to suggest we leave t at that, so we headed to bala lake and battled against the wind to do 6 x 3 min sprints with 3mins rest!
So to add it all up that means we did 2 world championships in 2 days!!!AMAZING!
Just 2 training weekends left now…. Then it is competition time!!
Thanks so much to Canolfan Tryweryn and their patient raft guides for always letting us get on and train, and to Matt Cooke who took some of the photos,
SO it comes to our Penultimate Interview with none-other than the face of Palm, Rosie Cripps!!
Hi Rosie! You, along with the rest of the girls, spend 6 days a week training, all towards one competition a year. Why?
Easy answer…It’s because the competitions are so epically awesome! The scale of them is massive compared to any in the UK (and any that I have ever competed in when kayaking!). It’s such a fantastic and exciting spectator sport; as well as paddling, I love watching the other teams and the head to head battles are my favourite. They are so fierce and primal – sometimes I imagine that we have all turned into Vikings! To meet people from all over the world from different cultures and background is also a really rich experience, and very unique to this type of events. It’s hard to sum up in an interview all the reasons why we train so hard, but it’s great to be working towards a goal with other like minded and ace people that you have a lot of respect for.
You used to do a lot of kayaking – why have you changed your focus to raft racing? Can you use your experiences in a kayak to benefit you when you are raft racing?
I still love kayaking, but change is healthy and rafting is such a new challenge. It is great to be learning new skills again and feeling progression. Also, you need to be much more physically fit for competition; the standard of racing is very high on the international circuit. I love the training and health benefits that it brings. I think it is good to have a strong focus on something that is going to improve you as a whole. For example not only do you have to be as fit and healthy as you can be, which means you have to learn about fitness, how to train and nutrition, but you also need to learn ways of preventing injury and staying flexible (yoga) in the body and mind (meditation). All these things are going to benefit you in every area of your life, not just the sport. It gives you a good motivation to improve yourself! You also need to learn to get on with others in stressful situations. This is good life experience!
What’s it like running hard rivers in a raft with others, rather than on your own in your kayak?
Most of the racing isn’t on very technical or difficult whitewater, but it was different at the 2011 World Championships in Costa Rica where we were rafting on class 4+ every day. There were many definite lines to make. If you’re used to kayaking you’ll probably feel less secure in a raft to start with, but as you learn how the boat will react in different situations and what a raft is capable of getting through the confidence builds! I don’t think I get as nervous at the top of a drop, because I know that there are six other people in the raft, so if I make a mistake it is unlikely to mess up the line massively, and it’s unlikely that all other five people will also get it wrong at the same time (fingers crossed
Can you explain how Palm came to get involved with the team and what the partnership has enabled the team to do?
Palm are always one step ahead of the game and wanted to get involved with us early on. The partnership we now have with Palm is just fantastic for both of us; we get to test out women specific gear to the max with all the hard training and competitions we do, and we get the chance to use the best equipment available on the market today. Palm are really forward thinking and there is a real potential with rafting as a sport; it is so inclusive and we are raising its profile to enable more people to enjoy it. PS we can’t get enough of the Neo tops and strides at the moment…they are just so awesome!!
Most memorable rafting experience?
Costa Rica. Blue butterflies. Double Gold medal in Bosnia in the head to head with the GBR mens team. Reporters were following us around afterwards trying to interview us and take photos of us as we were trying to eat in a restaurant, and photos of the race were all over the papers the next day – bizarre but entertaining!
Most memorable moment with the team?
See above, or possibly ridiculously dancing around a remote and overgrown field in Bosnia with Georgie and the girls; all much fun until we realised we were bang in the middle of the landmine territory of an old war zone. You can only imagine the difficulty we had trying to tiptoe our way back to safety!
Best/worst thing about being in an all girls team?
Best: being lucky enough to travel to incredible places with lovely people, being able to do an extreme sport out on the water and still be able to chat about flowers, fluffy kittens and ponies all day. Also having just one person bring the hair straighteners when we’re abroad saves on luggage. Some of the parties are hilarious.
Worst: Having to stop chatting to train, or having to tell my boyfriend that the next weekend I’m free is in about 4 months – training commitments can be tough, but we sure do need them!
Thanks Matt Cooke and Deb Cook for the Photos
Words by Fran Kohn and Rosie Cripps
It is getting so close to The World Championships now and with only 4 training weekends left together in total we are going to make everyone count!! Our weekend in August was the bread to our Rafting Sandwich (sort – of!). We had a training weekend in North Wales Yippee!! Followed by a 14km race for 9Bar who sponsor us with yummy snacks for training (this weekend also included raft training around Port Meirion), then the 2nd rafting wedding of the year for Fran and Dave! But what a fab weekend we had in Wales! We had sunshine (occaisionally), good water (always at the Tryweryn) and amazing company (we do really like each other)!
Training weekend!!!!!
Part of our Rafting Sandwich!
Check out the Raft Paddle Cupcakes!!!
Our personal training has been strength based and Raft specific and it is really paying off. We had a slalom focused day on the Saturday and making all the big powerful moves felt amazing!!! It left us pretty knackered in the afternoon though. We had a 3rd Flat water session planned but decided against it …shhhh don’t tell Coach Dave!! We did some long 16 gate slalom runs and also some split sprints breaking out part way down the Upper Tryweryn. We did our very best not to run people over, but they often looked quite confused when they realised we didn’t just want to go straight, we wanted to dance our raft around the poles!!
Raft Slalom; trying to make a rubber bus look elegant!
Going for the up gate!
After all the water time it was a good thing Deb had hooked us up with Pizza at CFC (Stands for Conwy Falls Cafe -aka the Best Cafe in North Wales!!) we over ordered, over ate, and felt very happy as we all trundled off to bed at Raft HQ North Wales – Deb’s home.
We had thought we would ease in to training on the Sunday morning but, seeing as Nezzas car battery ran down over night, we ended up pushing the car around to do a jump start. Thanks Nez – she is just so keen for us to be the best we can be and she is always thinking up new ways for us to train!
Nezza definitely planned this, and Deb must have been in on it because she landed the easy job! :)
Bry and Suzie give moral support :)
On the river on Sunday we did some endurance runs and we once again did sprints, but proper ones this time, without stopping. Poor Rosie wasn’t feeling too well so Fran had to sit in her place. This is a real issue that we (and all the oher teams competing) may have to deal with during a race or event. That is why there are 7 of us to give us the flexibility should something like that happen, but it is a horrible thought, and one we don’t like to think about. We all train so hard in the positions we are in and the sides we are on that our bodies are effectively moulded to our seats. Literally, I think we are all a bit lopsided!! So, our tactic for the Worlds? Deal with whatever happens but above all don’t get ill and don’t hurt yourself!
Guns blazing!! They didn’t know it but we were racing them…we won :)
We had an awesome and strong weekend in North Wales. Thanks Canolfan Tryweryn for being so supportive of your National teams. Bring on New Zealand!!
As a team we will be self funding ourselves to New Zealand. If you would like to help support and sponsor us getting out there please contact us on facebook.
We can’t wait to see what the rivers have in store for us in NZ!
So we totally forgot about the interview last time!! OOOPS! But carrying on where we left off in the raft it is time for us to interview middle left paddler Fran!
You are one of the ‘newer’ members of this team, how did you get into rafting and raft racing? Well I moved to North Wales to be nearer to all the rivers for Kayaking and as a way of earning a bit of extra dosh I trained up and became a raft Guide at the Tryweryn. Here I joined the lovely Welsh Dragons with whom I got my first taste of Raft Racing and I was hooked. I then got a chance to try out with the GB girls, got a place and that was it. I’m a raft racing addict and there ain’t no cure It has brought together so many of the awesome elements of Kayaking with the added bonus of sharing the experience with some gorgeous and amazing ladies!!!
You have been on loads of travels with your kayak…where is the best destination you have been to? Without a doubt Chile. I have done 2 long seasons out there and it has everything. AMAZING white water – the best water falls in the world, gorgeous and friendly people, and they LOVE a good steak I just wish it wasn’t so far away! Colombia is also pretty amazing, definitely want to go back there, and Nepal, that was gorgeous too and very reasonably priced :)…d’oh so many places to go and not enough time!!
It has been decided that when Bryony hands over Captaincy after New Zealand you will be taking that role on, how are you feeling about this? To be honest all my thoughts are going into the World Championships at the moment! I just know that Bry has done such an amazing job I just hope to be somewhere near as competent and level headed as she has been. It has got to be one of the most difficult jobs in the world having to take 7 womens opinions into account for every descion! Prime minister eat your heart out! But I do love organising things and no-doubt my filofax will start overflowing.
Most memorable rafting experience? Going down the flume through the Dam just above Devil’s Steams in Lipno during the European Championships!!WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
Most memorable moment with the team? Competing in the Europeans last year in the Czech Republic during our Endurance race and loving EVERY painful minute of it. I have an abiding memory of Deb shouting quite near to the finish line “come on you BEAUTIFUL ladies!!” always being surrounded by these amazing positive girls is the best ever!
Best/worst thing about being in an all girls team? Best is the sleepovers!! Hah! always having 6 other girls to give you a pick me up if you are struggling. Worst is trying to time the feeding times so we don’t all get hangry
Thanks Fran!
Photos by Rosie Cripps, Alan Tucker and Ken Oliver.
In July we had 2 girls who were MIA. Deb was missing due to a festival where she was seeing some unknown band (Mumford and Sons! J ) – originally the weekend had been booked for the previous one but then Georgie went and organised the wedding of the year for that weekend! - and Suzie, who was on board an Icebreaker somewhere in the Artic, Polar Bear spotting (well actually she was working taking important biological samples of something but I think that’s just her cover story!). So we invited some girls along who had shown an interest in becoming a part of the squad to give us numbers and try to fill the massive holes left by our team mates.
Missing 2 of our girls!
On a more serious note, after the Worlds some of the ladies will be taking retirement both temporarily and permanently, so we are looking to build on the team and start training as a squad. We believe in this way we can be even more successful and hopefully attend even more events. So we invited the girls down to train in a boat alongside us to see what we put ourselves through for this fantastic sport.
Kate doesn’t look too impressed with the pre-session warming up…
Amid the heat wave it seemed Nottingham was the only place where we had cloud and rain! This was probably a good thing as our first session on Saturday morning was Endurance, Dave Brown Style, and the much loved/hated milk bottle session!! 6 sets of 5x100m sprints, each 100m one more milk bottle would be thrown into the water (tied to rope) to create resistance. The spare person would rotate into the middle and do either squats or the plank!! The newbies had a go at this but then set about working on technique…we don’t blame them, baptism of fire or what!
The Newbies setting up for a sprint start. Looking good!
That afternoon we had slalom sessions and were lucky enough to have stand-in coach ETIENNE-OLYMPIC-GOLD-MEDALIST-STOTT!! (and newly wedded husband to George CONGRATULATIONS!). His input was invaluable and it is so good having someone external watching from the bank.
Fran goes for the gate! Let’s hope she doesnt pull herself out!
Our hero! Putting it to us straight :)
The New girls getting some pointers
…then laying it down!
That evening was spent in the pub having a lovely dinner, can you imagine us cooking for 11 people? Nothing would get decided on and we would all get so hangry (hungry anger) that we would end up having a massive fight! As it was, the pub was so busy and some of the girls waited about an hour for their dinner.
There wasn’t a photo of us in the pub… but this is us thinking about food, hopefully this sets the scene…serious stuff!
Day 2 we were joined by both our Coach Dave and Etienne! Double Whammy. Once again working on Slalom in the morning. But the big session was our Head to Head training in the afternoon. Dave set us a one gate course which we had to race down repeatedly, GB boat verses the New Girls, and it shows we invited along some of the right people because we didn’t always win!(clearly I’m not going to show you photographic evidence of that!) We had some awesome battles and the gate certainly made it anyone’s race.
Everybody loves a good battle!!
Not bad, Newbies, not bad!
Showing why we do put in all that training!
The weekend was a great success, and although we now won’t see the Newbies until after the worlds, they have had a taste of what it is to train hard for the title of GB Ladies.
A great weekend, some familiar faces and some new ones!
A couple of months ago we got given our new Wairoa Tops and Energy Pants. We have been so impressed with them that we can’t stop raving about them! Never beore has Neoprene been so comfortable to wear, flexible and great in so many conditions. The Women’s specific cut of the Energy Pants are flatering and they arn’t hard to put on at all (like other strides in the past) and the combination of the tops and bottoms makes us all look like ninjas!!
Ninja Rafters!
They are sure to become our racing staple, but are great for just cruising around as well when the weather outside doesn’t require dry pants! In fact our Captain Bryony has become so in love with hers that she wears them underneath her dry pants!!!
The Wairoa top, although very snug (to keep you warm) is not uncomfortable and despite our bigger than average shoulders, fits perfectly and does not chafe. When wet they become even more flexible and keep you warm. We are BIG BIG fans! The only problem is that when it is hot and we wear our short sleeved versions we end up with awkard tan lines….
Nezza feeling Olympic in her Wairoa Top.
Rosies Verdict:
These tops are immense!! Never before has rafting felt so good…the Wairoa top is super sleek, warm, comfy and the flexibility and freedom of movement you get when paddling in these is second to none! I also love the blue detailing.
Neo strides: I’ve worn these kayaking and rafting, and just hanging out on the campsite! They’re stretchy and soft to wear, and feel amazing on the water or warming up. Goodbye resistance, and hello freedom! Ooh and they look very lovely too
Bryonys Verdict:
Wairoa tops: I’ve really enjoyed wearing this in the raft, it gives me that extra bit of warmth whilst not taking any flexibility away. The lining is really soft so it feels lovely on, and the black and turquoise combo means that it looks great too.
Energy Strides: I love these, I’ve worn them every time I’ve been in the boat since I got them. Soft flexible material which is thick enough to provide warmth and protection from any knocks or bangs. And teamed with the wairoa tops makes you look like a ninja!!
There you have it. You need these in your life!!
Our Alps training week started as all Alps trips do: emails and frantic phone calls, long car journeys and plenty of faff (from us trying to sort out what items should go with who, and who was bringing what). There were also disturbing reports of rain on the continent!! HOLD THE PHONE, WE DID NOT SIGN UP FOR RAIN! What we got though was a fantastic week of (mostly) sunshine, awesome river running , training sessions and great company.
SUNSHINE!! quick get your pasty white British skin out!
BEST. SPORT. EVER!
The week was the brainchild of GB Mens’s team Matt Blue who arranged for us to have a developmental week for the GB teams and any other teams who wanted to go out and get some top raft coaching, some river running experience and, let’s face it, a holiday- albeit a pretty painful one !
A HUGE thank you to Matt who put in so much effort to make it all happen. His enthusiasm was infectious.
Not only did we have a GB Training camp, we had a Van with sign writing on it!! Albeit one in need of a good clean!
Over the weekend people arrived in drips and drabs some at more ungodly hours than others, but on the Monday morning we got up and were ready to work it!! The GB Ladies resident Yoga/Cross fit/Stretching secretary Rosie Cripps and Matt organised a WOD for us on the first day (Work Out of the Day) starting at 7:30am. It involved jumping over rafts, doing press-ups (ALWAYS the narrow ones) and getting really really out of breath. I think for the members of the other teams this was a bit of a shock – they haven’t had the time spent with Coach Dave doing Abs 500’s or Body Rock. But it was ace and it got us really pumped for the first day’s rafting, which we spent on the Durance. Through the day we worked our way down the river finishing at the Rab’ wave. There wasn’t a glum face anywhere!
Run Forest Run!! The Warm up. Very necessary.
Our WOD! It was even Raft themed!
After that WOD we were happy to finally be rafting. Day 1 on the Durance.
Day 2 started with Yoga. And wow was our yoga room the best ever!
The Downward Dog. One of the more doable Yoga Poses, yet not the most flattering…
‘Dude, don’t mess with my Chai!’
R2 Sprint Races. We are always competitive, even against each other!
Working on equalising power is really important for raft racing as you want to use all that power to go forwards not around in a circle!
The Red Rose Ladies getting some input from Suzie Jackson.
Day 3 was our ‘event in a day’! We trained doing sprints in the morning, raced endurance against the Masters in the Afternoon and then did 2 ‘race day’ slalom runs in the evening! All before going out for Georgie and Fran’s joint Hen Do! We went out on the town and got thoroughly merry on a glass of shandy! Rock and Or Roll!!!
Deb and Suzie creating some resistance for Bry and Nez. Not saying they are heavy or anything…
…but they are not doing our image of athletes any good – Jeeze Deb at least try to look like you are doing something!
Blue was definitely the theme of the week. Blue Bouyancy Aids, Matt Blue, Blue Water, Blue Sky!! We loved it!
The GB Mens Masters team did a great job at keeping up with us. Definitely new friends made.
Walking the Slalom course, and looking fairly dapper at the same time!
Getting going on the Slalom. It is great to practice on such powerful water.
Not a blow up willy in sight…but I think we still lowered the tone somewhat!
Unlike most hen dos no one had a hangover the following morning which was a good thing too as we were practicing technique on the lake with Matt. Suze, Fran and George had an awesome Eureka moment where body rotation was concerned and were “accessing their core’s “ all over the place!! The afternoon was a little more chilled out for some of the GB Ladies whilst others went and did some coaching with the other teams, but we all got back together for an awesome, adrenaline pumping run down the Guil!
Proper Rivers!!
Don’t let the shrinker vision fool you! That is some tight white water!
Some hard moves to make in a raft, but such good fun!
Celebratory team squats or ‘New Suits’ shot gone wrong? you decide.
Friday, came all too soon in Raft Camp GB. But we definitely saved the best until last. With reports that the Ubaye had a “surprising amount of water” in it, we got up bright and early and set off en-mass to run one of the classic sections for rafting. We had tight technical moves to make, wide open water to sprint on and lots of high-side hazards to avoid. We decided to do run number one of the Ubaye Racecourse like a good box of quality sweets, all mixed together. This meant we had experienced and less experienced people in the same boat because for a few people this was the biggest water they had done in a raft – or anything else for that matter! So with safety in mind we set off and had a fab run. There was much elation at the bottom and a definite desire for double the run, double the fun!
Mixin’ it up. Deb enjoyed being at the back for once…it meant she stayed dry :)
Fran on the other hand got completely soaked without Deb-the-body-shield in front of her. Well I say competely soaked, she would have been if it wasnt for the Palm Swirl cag.
Team Red Rose!! The awesome Northern girls.
The GB Masters Men’s Team. We are so excited they are joining us in New Zealand! Well done boys we know you will do GB proud.
This time the GB Ladies went flat out for Endurance practice, with Matt paddling along in a kayak giving us motivation as we went. However, although it felt fast and powerful, you could tell it was the end of a hard week as the usually ‘loudly vocal’ raft (Susie and Fran!) were very quiet, using the last of their energy to paddle as hard as they could. Once at the bottom there were almost tears (of joy!), loads of smiles and a fair bit of falling over – the seating position does nothing for your joints!
Fran and Suzie’s faces say it all. Thoroughly broken, as they had requested.
The happiness of such a good week was definitely tinged with sadness that we would all be going home soon, and the inevitable and impending, long and tedious drives did nothing to make it any better. But with a wider rafting family having been properly established we definitely have loads to look forward to – especially for next year!
Friends, sunshine and rafting. what more do you need?
Bring on Alps training camp 2014!
For us the ride home was a mix of Elton John, Joseph and the Techni-coloured Dream Coat and very early morning Spanish lessons (in the car at Calais). So not so tedious after all!
Our continued gratitude goes to Palm for kitting us out in the best gear for all occasions and weather.
AND FINALLY…
…our next installment of who’s who on the team:
Georgina Preston, one third of the middle crew, soon to be wife of an Olympian, and all round classy lady answers our questions.
You are one of the longest serving members of the team, how did you get involved ?
I started kayaking at school because the boy I had a crush on also did it (yes, 16 year old girls really are stalkers; but it paid off!). And that was the start of it all! I joined the amazing Whitstable Winter Wallies Canoe Club (also home ground of my later GB Freestyle coach and legend, Pete Catterall), who taught me how to roll and introduced me to rafting. I ended up working as a raft guide at HPP throughout uni and was approached by my friend and fellow raft guide, to start up a women’s team. There had been a women’s team a few years before, but it had fizzled out. I joined up with original members Debs and Nez and we gathered a few more to make our team! Our first competition was the Worlds in Ecuador in 2005 and we’ve been going ever since.
What is it about rafting that inspires you to keep training and pushing the sport?
Honestly – the main thing is the trips away with my best friends! I love being abroad with my chums, meeting up with all the other national teams and having a great time. That is what keeps me going throughout the winter misery of freezing hands and cold splashes in the face! I like to think the training also keeps me buff, but sadly, my rate of eating tends to match and exceed any calories burnt.
Being a Slalom and Freestyle paddler have you found any transferable skills that you can use for rafting?
I would not exactly class myself as a slalom paddler (I eventually reached premier division in C1 Women’s before getting injured and haven’t started competing again yet), but I certainly think that paddling C1 has been good for developing my core strength and flexibility! I train on the left and right to keep me balanced which is really helpful in the raft as I can plop in anywhere. Paddling in general really helps you read whitewater properly. I have also learnt a lot from my super Olympic champ fiancé Etienne Stott who bravely coached me in C1 and taught me so much about the nuances of slalom!
Freestyle is just ace and is really all about getting stuck in, which means I do tend to enjoy a cheeky surf and flips in the raft (summer time only).
What is your most memorable rafting experience?
Floating down the crystal waters of the Tara River Canyon in Montenegro, winning a Gold medal in Bosnia alongside our men, being catapulted from a raft at the top of Okere Falls on the Kaituna, NZ.
What is your most memorable moment with the team?.
Hitting the beach in Costa Rica for 2 weeks of cocktails, chocolate, snorkelling, biking, swimming and monkey watching – after the competition had ended!
Best/worst thing about being in an all girls team?
Team showers! But getting the rubbish shower head.
Thanks George!
Words (of the blog) by Fran Kohn
Pictures by Deb, Georgie, Bryony, Team Red Rose and Chris Dalby of the GB Masters.
The English Rafting Committee are committed to growing the sport of Raft Racing, and over the years the social races put together to include and encourage people within the sport have been growing in popularity. Last years’ race in Llandysul was a great example of the British Raft Race Series, but more recently in May we had a Rafting Extravaganza in Matlock, Derby on the River Derwent. Development within our sport is really important to us, we want people to love Raft Racing as much as we do, and better teams who race frequently in the UK will only improve the standard of racing and ensure this great sport grows and continues!
The GB Women showing full commitment to their Slalom
The Junior Team putting some effort in!!
There were 9 Teams racing over the weekend all of whom brought support crews and groupies! It was a fantastic social event with loads of networking, swapping of training ideas and general sweaty rafting
Officially it was the Youth and Junior selection weekend to decide the young teams eligible to go to New Zealand, but everyone wanted the chance to race and we really love seeing the development of our sport, so we got together and put on an event. After all who is going to carry the baton once we are all too old?!!!
Being in time is really important! – so is smiling at the camera Rosie!!!
Yes this is what it looks like…we got beaten at the head to head…none of our chimps were happy with THAT race!!!
The Red Rose Girls line up for the slalom moves.
Team Oarsome are so good they only need 4 people and a dog!!!
GB Rafting, The Next Generation?
We held a full event over the 2 days and also gave teams time for training. Deb Cook and Hoopla from the ERC also did a spot of coaching here and there. Highlights of the weekend included en-mass warm ups in the sunshine led by GB Women’s very own Miss Rosie Cripps, Bracket the rafting dog and some Kick Ass racing!
Is it a Yoga convention?
Yes, this actually was part of the warm up. Inspired.
Thankfully Health and Safety were taking the day off :)
The girl who was making it all possible, the more we stretched, ROSIE CRIPPS!
Bracket the rafting dog…reducing everyone to wobbly knees, very very cute.
Well Done to the Youth and the Junior Teams who showed their skills and are now eligible to go to New Zealand!!
The GB Juniors Team. Well done Boys.
Well done to the GB Youth Team!
But a HUGE THANKYOU must go to Hoopla and Deb for putting so much time and effort into organising the event, becasue without their commitment these things just woudn’t go ahead. As usual there were no photos of Deb…I think she is camera shy, but here is a stunning one of Hoops. Model agencies contact the email address below.
Hoopla doing Blue Steel?
And Palm, you have excelled yourselves with the gear this year. The new Palm FX Bouyancy Aid is amazing and we can’t wait to represent at The World Champs 2013!!!
Thanks Palm!! We look so smart we just can’t stop smiling!
And a teaser for the next blog coming very soon from our Training Camp in the Alps…
SUNSHINE!!!
If you want to get a team together and join in please contact Deb Cook at britishraftracing@rocketmail.com
Photos by:
Words By: Fran Kohn
