Aghast that facebook is not allowed and struggling with internet speed Rosie has sent us this great post from China, read on…
We have arrived in China!
Flown over on an all expenses paid trip by the local Chinese government, Suzie and I have arrived in Zixi County in Eastern China to represent GBR in the Dajue Mountain Natural Water International Rafting Competition 2012.
'What the river looks like in the tourist catalogue'
We actually felt pretty lucky to arrive in one piece as it seems drivers in China are all boy racers – and there was a lot of water on the road! It’s been raining since we got here – first days training was today so we were bussed up high into the mountains with the other international teams – Czech, Hungary, Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand and America.
And the river was like nothing any of us (despite rafting and kayaking all over the world) had ever seen! In Suzie Jackson’s words ‘I love China! Big river pimped up with maaaasive slides! Safety = bedraggled man in poncho with bamboo stick. I Love CHINA!’
'Raft coral at the top of the river'
'Those that didn't make it...'
Early night tonight for race day tomorrow – and who knows what that might bring, with the mini two person rafts nigh impossible to keep straight down huge 10m slides, spinning out of control at every opportunity!
'We Love Rafting In China!'
Exciting! Will be posting up how we get on very soon.
Rosie Cripps, our girl in the jungle, sent through this little round up from the World Rafting Championships in Costa Rica. The Palm sponsored GB ladies got fifth overall, a result they know only to well having manged it twice before. It sounds like the racing has been tough and the challenges of getting to and from the river even tougher – read on!
World Rafting Championships, Pacuare River Costa Rica, 2011
Sorry for the delay in posting updates on the competition – internet has been hard to get to and we became seperated from the person with the photographs!
The first day of competition went really well with us taking home a silver medal in the sprint discipline. This put us into a good place for the next days racing, giving us lane choice for the head to head. Our first race was against the home nation, Costa Rica which was a bit of a crowd pleaser! We got fast off the start and stayed ahead all the way to the finish with a good lead. Our time wasn’t fast enough however to give us lane choice against our old rivals Canada. In the last world championships we beat them to win gold however this time without lane choice we had to fight harder out of the eddy and ended up coming out just behind them, overtaking was tough and we were on their tail the whole way down. I think it was one of the best battles as the noise from the crowd was overwhelming! Well done to Canada for beating us, and to Japanese ladies for taking the win. After an exhauting day of racing we all hiked out from the river in the dark, for over an hour up a steep muddy trail. Tractors were the only vehicles capable of making their way halfway down the trail to pick up the ill and wounded, due to an intense tropical downpour.
Slalom was the next days challenge – and the Costa Rican’s certainly know how to set a tough one. The course was the hardest any of us had seen, and with limited time to scout everyone’s first run involved a bit of trial and error. There were some spectacular flips, especially from the Columbian mens team who finished an incredible run with a flip through the last gate. Unfortunately the course favoured those who strategically missed some gates due to its difficulty – not ususally the way we roll! However it was great to see all of the teams so challenged, and we were all fully exhausted by the end of 2 runs. We came in 7th out of 19 ladies teams. This was followed by another mud entrenched hike out of the river to the buses waiting high above the river. In case we weren’t tired enough, the evenings entertainment consisted of being chased around a rodeo ring by a variety of small energetic bulls! For those brave enough to take on the challenge a few horns were received to various limbs, the rest of us stayed well behind the bars and watched the chaos ensue.
Endurance was the final race of the competition. There had been a rolling debate as to how long it should be, with opinion divided between one hour 30 minutes vs a 40 minute stretch. In the end the finish line was moved to make an hour long race along one of the most spectacular sections of canyon in Costa Rica. Massive boulder gardens provided an awesome opportunity for us to overtake the USA, in one of the most daring moves of the day, mid class 4+rapid we battled for the central line through a boulder pinch and boofed a big hole whilst USA were fighting for the right line. We had a super fast exit from the hole and came out in the lead, just metres in front of them. We gained more and more ground from them over the next 30 minutes and finished 5th, only 12 seconds from the medal place over an hour long race. One of the most surreal moments of the endurance came as we rounded a corner deep in the jungle clad gorge and a helicopter swooped round in front of us with a couple of camera men hanging out of the doors rambo style, only 10 metres of so off the water. Amazing!
The final party was completely insane. There was more bull riding, this time with anyone and everyone having a free for all riding this massive muscled bull with huge horns bucking and bronking around the ring. Then Chino, one of the safety kayakers would appear on his Appaloosa stallion galloping into the ring (making Rosie and Georgie weak at the knees!) to lasoo the bull and return him to the pen for the next willling victim. Only in Costa Rica!
Overall the competition was very well organised, especially in such a remote location with very difficult logistics. The section of river they used was stunning, its setting deep in the jungle and incredible whitewater gave us all an experience we would never forget. The entertainment was second to none and atmosphere throughout the competition was brilliant. One of the best things about the whole operation was the way the safety was organised. Each day a team of over 20 safety kayakers and rafts set off to the river, set up pully systems, throw lines and safety boats to keep us safe. They all knew the river well, covered all of the danger spots and rescued numerous swimmers. They worked tirelessly all day, and still gave us a smile and cheer everytime we made a good line (or bad one!). Thankyou safety kayakers (we love you!) and to all of those who helped make the event possible. Pura Vida. We will be back.
To keep up-to date with rafting around the world take a look at the International rafting web site here.
