Alberta Slalom Canoe Kayak

Big Race Preparation - from Sportscene.tv

2012-02-07T12:02:00.000-08:00

For more articles like this go to sportscene: http://www.sportscene.tv/whitewater/canoe-slalom/training/how-to-prepare-for-your-first-international-race

How to prepare for your first international race?

Question athlete: This is my first year of competing internationally – what do I need to do differently to prepare for race day?

Answer from Jonathan Males, Founder Performance1
Many people make mistakenly believe that they have to change their approach to racing just because it’s a big international race. This catches people out even more at the Olympics because it only happens once every four years. In fact it’s more important to maintain a consistent approach to competition.
The most successful competitors, in any discipline, achieve consistency by working out their own competition routine. This is usually pretty simple and helps you keep your attention focused on the things you need to do. It helps you think ahead so you can respond well to any unexpected changes, and stay in as much control as possible. Although you have a plan, adaptability is critical. As a member of a national team you don’t always have total independence and things can and do change around a big event, so you need to be confident in your ability to stay calm and flex.
Your competition plan may start several days, or more, before the event itself. As a general rule, you shouldn’t plan on doing anything in or around a major competition that you’ve not practiced already. You may of course choose to use minor events to test out different alternatives.
Your plan will include your key Process Goals – because these are within your control, you’ve worked on them in training, and you know that they are your best chance of achieving the performances and outcomes you want.
A good plan will also pay attention to
• Your travel to the event, so that you arrive at the right time for you (not too early, not too late).
• Accommodation (if it’s required).
• When and what you will eat and drink.
• When and how to warm up – physically and mentally.
• Timing of any physio or medical input.
• Who you will speak to, or avoid (!), during the event.
• The times you want to withdraw and be on your own, and the times you want to socialise with other people.
• Your technical preparation (e.g. getting boats and equipment scrutineered, walking the course, watching fore-runners).
• Your most important Process Goals (but usually not more than 2 – 3)
• How you will respond to important ‘what-ifs?’; (e.g. What if my coach is late? What if my i-pod goes flat? What if the event is delayed? What if I break a paddle? )
• How you will warm down and review your performance.
Next time I’ll talk more about the specifics of preparing for the Olympics.
Are you an athlete or coach and do you have a question for Jonathan? You can submit your question here and please don't forget to mention 'Question for Jonathan': www.sportscene.tv/contact
Other articles from Performance1 founder Jonathan Males:

Question athlete: During training sessions I perform well and feel confident. How do I reproduce this during an important race?

Summer Job Postings! May through August

2012-01-31T16:36:00.000-08:00

ASCK Newsletter - January/February 2012

2012-01-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

Newsletter #1, 2012

Screen Shot

2012 Innisfail Polo Tournament

2012-01-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

Check out Cottonwood Kayak Club's Polo Tournament!

Innisfail, Alberta - Saturday, February 4, 2012
Registration: 8am

Adult$35 U18 $20

Registration Form

Snow Camp 2011

2012-01-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

Ben Hayward won this year's Snow Camp with a staggering 220km in 4days. While he may have gone the furthest, everyone was on the trails for roughly the same amount of time, so for those who weren't technically proficient, they were still curshing the hours and improving their aerobic capacity. 7am runs followed by gruelling days at the Canmore Nordic Centre, Cascade Fireroad were the norm. Breakfast, lunch and dinner feasts, as well as a trip to the hot-springs alowed everyone to recover for the next session's push. For our fun morning Mike Shaw took us caving to Rats Nest, east of Canmore. We managed to get un-lost and it will remain everyone's fondest memory of the camp.

Matt Frank and Ben Hayward on Cascade Fireroad after 15cm dump.

Early morning cheer

Caving

Resistance Training

Paul Manning-Hunter compilation video

2012-01-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

Winter Camp Preview - Dec 16-21, 2011

2011-12-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

November Training Camp

2011-11-25T05:45:00.001-08:00

We're wrapping up the November National Team training camp here in Charlotte, NC. Here's a quick clip of Jessica Groeneveld of Innisfail, doing ups on the hole near the top of the course. Notice the red water. The Whitewater centre dumped a bunch of food colouring in to the water for Halloween, making the river look like there had been a shark attack. It was supposed to go away on it's own, but after three weeks it was still bright red. Yesterday they finally got sick of the red and dumped a bunch of chlorine in. Now is back to a nice green river, but everyone needs to rinse their gear to avoid it being eaten by the chlorine.

This weekend the camp wraps up with a race that will include nearly all the top American and Canadian paddlers. From Alberta are Paul Manning-Hunter, Jessica Groeneveld, Purcell brothers, Ben Hayward & Chris McTaggart. They're all looking good on the water and I wouldn't be surprised to see them bringing home some hardware on this the (US) Thanksgiving weekend. I big thanks to the US Team for hosting a delicious turkey dinner last night. It was the first time i've ever seen three turkeys in one place (add your own joke about any three individuals here).

I'm off to Ottawa for the Canoe Kayak Canada AGM & Comp Intro development committee meetings.

Fall Pictures

2011-11-09T14:20:00.000-08:00

2011 ASCK President Joanne judges at National Championships (photo Dan Groeneveld)

Darius Ramrattan of Innisfail at his first National Championships (photo Dan Groeneveld)

Levi Severtson of Innisfail at Nationals (photo Dan Groeneveld)

Paul and Jess with grade 2 class @ Clear Water Academy

Hayden teaching beginners with Waterwerks Kayak Club @ Inglewood Aquatic Centre

Thanksgiving Training Camp at Kananaskis

Fall colours at the Kan

Strategic Planning Survey

2011-10-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

The Board isundertaking a Strategic Planning process and your input is important as wechart the course of slalom kayaking in Alberta. Please take a few minutes to complete the anonymous survey by Saturday October 29th, 2011.

If you would like to provide further input, pleasecall Karen Hirl, ASCK Vice President, at 403 247 8215 (home) or email

karenhirl@shaw.ca

THANK YOU for your interest and continued support of Alberta's paddlers as theystrive to achieve their full potential through theAlberta Slalom Canoe & Kayak Association.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dER5WF9HYXZZZkYxWE5oeFJVS09pUnc6MQ

Sent on behalf of the ASCK Board of Directors

ASCK AGM

2011-10-03T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

This note is to serve official notice of the upcoming Annual General Meeting of the Alberta Slalom Canoe Kayak Association on Saturday, October 15^th , 2011 from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm in Calgary.

Location: Bow Waters Canoe Club (time donated by Waterwerks)

The meeting will be followed by a potluck supper and gathering with our National and Provincial team members from Alberta. Come join us and meet our future Olympians and hear their stories of the road to London.

Meeting Agenda:

1. Greetings and Introductions

2. Presidents Report

3. Treasurer’s Report

4. Directors Reports

5. Head Coach Report

6. 2011 Year in Review

7. Upcoming Plans

a. HP and winter training programs

b. Changes at CKC and impacts to the RDC program

c. Club Coaching programs

d. Alberta Cup series

e. National Junior Team Selection race

8. Election of Officers – vacant positions

a. President

b. Vice President

c. Director at Large

9. Adjournment

Chuck Lee

Executive Director

Thanksgiving camp

2011-10-03T14:36:00.001-07:00

ASCK will be offering a Thanksgiving Training Camp, October 7,8,9 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). From what I know, most schools have the 7th off so we should take advantage of it. Monday is also a holiday, but I want to leave that for Friends and Family time. Cadets, Junior, Seniors, Masters - Lets all get together one last weekend and paddle and have fun! I'll find coaches as necessary. Pass along to anyone additional who you think might like to paddle or coach (Roxanne).

Sign Up by October 6th- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ag_BLM7FVcUodHVQUzduUlNBZEU2VUI2REFrY0JaSnc&hl=en_US

Cost

$100/3days or $40/day
$65 Winter Program athletes
$0 HP athletes

Accommodation

Friday night, Homestay Calgary - Mike can take 3 (others ??)
Saturday night - Stoney Nakoda Hotel ($32ea based on 4 in a room) Will ask for better rate.

Food - Bring Sandwiches, Snacks, Breakfast stuff.

Transport - AWA Van + Trailer (from Calgary) + personal vehicles

Boats - If you don't have a slalom boat, talk to your club, or let me know.

Draft Schedule (weather/water permitting)
Friday - Calgary

CKC fitness tests (running, + gym) Mt Royal
Deerfoot Meadows (Harvie Passage, if open)
Eve - Alberta Team meeting

Saturday - Kananaskis

Technique x 2 + Hike
Evening stories at Stoney Nakoda

Sunday - Kananaskis

Fun Race/Full Lengths
Slalom skill challenge (TBA)

Boats, etc, for Sale

2011-10-03T10:20:00.000-07:00

2011 Vajda Kapsyl 2 -K1- Large, blue with red maple leaf - $1550 + possible shipping expenses from Europe - Ben Hayward - bengrh@gmail.com

Sold 2011 Galasport Sonic -K1- Med-Large, Carbon with white maple leaf - $1500 - David Ford -

2010 Vajda Kapsyl 1 (360cm) -K1- Large, carbon with yellow stripes - $1400 - Chris McTaggart - chrismct7@hotmail.com

2x 2011 Caiman Storm -K1- x-small, white & pink - $1550 - Jessica Groeneveld - jessicamgroeneveld@gmail.com

SOLD 2008 ITomCo APS -K1- small - $350 - Marissa Dederer

2008 Jackson Star -playboat- $650 - Marissa Dederer - marissatiel@gmail.com

2008 Jackson Fun - Big Playboat, Yellow, mint condition - $550 - Mike Holroyd - mholroydcoach@gmail.com

Sold 2008 PaddleOne Ergometer with Computer- $1100 - Marissa Dederer

World Championships - Wrap Up

2011-09-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

The Canoe Slalom World Championships are all wrapped up in Bratislava, Slovakia and everyone is safe and sound in their homelands. Canada went into these Worlds with the hopes of sealing Olympic berths and avoiding a trip to the PanAm Championships, and last chance Olympic Qualifier, in Brazil in March. Unfortunately, Canada is going to have a big team in Brazil with some serious work to do because they were unable to qualify in any of the Olympic disciplines.

Paul Manning-Hunter of Edmonton, was joined in the K1 men's Semi-Finals by John Hastings of Ottawa, and hopes were high. It wasn't their day. John cut the lines too much and incured 50sec penalties putting him at the back of the semis, while Paul had touches bumping him to 35th place. This wraps up a very consistent first season for Paul, where he place between 24th and 39th in every race (as well as a 14th in the Qualifier in the French leg of the World Cup circuit). Consistency is not something which often comes easy, but Paul has been a model for it in 2011. From Team Trials, through 4 World Cups, the Olympic test event and the World Championships he's been a rock. Add a little extra speed over the next six months...and look out!

Haley Daniels of Calgary, showed very well in her Worlds debut. She was 22nd in the C1 womens class, which is working towards inclusion at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Her team-mate Alexander McGee of Ottawa, finished 6th in the final, showing that the Canadian ladies are headed in the right direction. Haley said afterwards, that she never expected to do so well and is looking forward to a hard year of training so she can join her compatriot in the finals.

In the C2 class the Purcell Brothers from Innisfail, have the PanAms date in Brazil etched in their minds. No C2's qualified from North or South America so there is one spot up for grabs in March. They will be spending much of the winter training in North Carolina and Brazil in order to put their mark in the spot.

In K1 womens, Jessica Groeneveld was unable to hold her form of the last two World Championships (22nd, 19th) and will also be in the hunt for an Olympic berth in Brazil. She was 21st after the first runs on Wednesday, but the results were nullified and the race re-run on Friday, due to high winds. Friday was not her day, and she finished well back. Jessica has been the most consistent woman from Canada for the last three years, so she has lots of experience to draw from going into the Olympic year.

The biggest story of the 2011 World Championships was the success of the French pair of Gargaud and Levefre. Together they were 2nd in C2 & 3rd in C2 Team; Gargaud is the World Champion in C1; and Lefevre was 3rd in K1 & 2nd in K1 Team. Amongst them they medaled in 5 races!

Till Brazil...

Qualification

2011-09-09T13:56:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's your day, sometimes it's not.

Paul Manning-Hunter continued his consistent streak of making Semi-Finals today with a 26th place in the World Championship Qualifier. He was the top Canadian, while fellow team mate John Hastings also squeaked through to Semis in 39th place. Both will race Sunday for a berth in the Final and they will be racing to make the Nation sport for Canada at the Olympics. We need one of them to be in the top 15 countries. Who goes will be determined next April in North Carolina.

Purcell/Purcell had some great paddling today but were unable to make the top 20 semi-final. The C2 class is the hardest to qualify in recent years and today was no exception. The racing was tight and there was no room for error.

In the women's class Jessica Groeneveld was unable to repeat her performance from Wednesday (when the race was cancelled) and did not move through to the semis. Canada did not qualify an Olympic spot in K1W or C2 and will now have to race off against other countries of the 'Americas' in Brazil in March. Luckily in K1w, the Americans Did qualify a Nation spot, so we don't have to race them in Brazil.

Tomorrow, Haley Daniels makes her world Championships debut in C1w. Good Luck!

Weather Delays

2011-09-08T01:03:00.000-07:00

The Worlds started yesterday here in Bratislava. One run was completed by the C2 and K1 women in rather the trying circumstance of gale force winds. After the run was completed it was decided to scrap the results and start over again. Today, Thursday was the planned new start, but they have again postponed till Friday 8:30am. Team runs will likely be biggest casualty of the event, as the organizers and ICF do everything possible to preserve fairness and quality for the Olympic Qualifier.

The Canadian C2's and Women enjoyed their practice runs and are ready to perform, whenever they are told to go. Jessica was 21st in the unofficial runs and Thea Froehlich of Ottawa was 29th. While those results don't count towards the final, it shows they're going in the right direction.

We'll keep you updated!

Provincial and World Championships!

2011-09-06T01:44:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all who competed in the Provincial Championships over the weekend! Thank you to all the vounteers and coaches who made it happen. Full results to follow shortly. Now our attention shifts to Bratislava, Slovakia.

Paul Manning-Hunter in the Big Drop - Thanks to Kelly Vanderbeek for the great shot!

Tomorrow is the beginning of the XXXIV Canoe Slalom World Championships. Canada has it's biggest team in since 1999 including 5 Alberta athletes. Paul Manning-Hunter, Jessica Groeneveld, Thomas & Daniel Purcell, & Haley Daniels, all training out of Calgary, are looking to help Canada secure Nation spots for next summer's Olympics in London. There is much to race for and Canada is ready!

Paul Manning-Hunter of Edmonton, has been consistent all year, in his first season on the National K1 Team. He qualified for the Semi-Finals in all four World Cups with a best finish of 24th. In women's kayak, Jessica Groeneveld of Innisfail has had a string of solid performances in recent years, including 22nd ('09) and 19th ('10) at the last two World Championships. This year she had a personal best World Cup finish of 20th place at World Cup #2 in France, and is now looking to crack into the top 10 finals. The Purcell brothers, also from Innisfail, are looking forward to their first World Championships since 2007 in the C2 class. With four more years of experience under their belts, they're hoping to have a solid performance and help secure an Olympic spot. Haley Daniels, the rookie of the bunch, is helping to pioneer the women's canoe class. It is the class' second World Championship and the progression of the sport has accelerated quickly.

Here's a run down of the major match ups internationally. http://canoeicf.com/icf/NewsGallery/News/Road-to-London-Bratislava.html The stage is set for an epic battle in many classes, and Bratislava is just the course for it. It's fast, technical and includes a big drop right at the end of the course. 30,000 Slovak fans are expected over the 5 days of racing so it will be an exciting and loud event.

Check the International Canoe Federation page for live streaming: http://www.canoeicf.com/icf/Aboutoursport/Canoe-Slalom.html
Results can be found at:

http://www.123result.com/
Or on your smart phone at: http://www.123result.com/Mobile.htm

The World Championships will be aired live and taped, on Rogers Sports Net in Canada at the following times:

Saturday (live)

Eastern Time
6:00 AM	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi

Sunday (Live)

Eastern Time
6:00 AM	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi: (90 min)
6:30 AM	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected
7:00 AM	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected
7:30 AM	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	Sportsnet Connected	World Cup of Darts

Monday (replay)

Eastern Time

4:00 PM	2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi	EPL Review Show	Mountain Bike World Cup	2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi	Prime Time Sports w/Bob McCown
4:30 PM			Mountain Bike World Cup
5:00 PM	Prime Time Sports w/Bob McCown	Mountain Bike World Cup	2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi	Prime Time Sports w/Bob McCown
5:30 PM		Mountain Bike World Cup
6:00 PM	Sportsnet Connected	2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi	UEFA Mag	Sportsnet Connected

1:00 AM

2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi

Sportsnet Connected

Primetime Spo

Tuesday (replay)

Eastern Time

1:00 PM

2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi: (90 min)

Sportsnet Connected

2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi: (60min)

Premier League World

Wednesday (replay)

Eastern Time

5:00 PM

Prime Time Sports w/Bob McCown

2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi

2011 Canoe Slalom World Champi: (60min)

Prime Time Sports w/Bob McCown

Prime Time Sp

Good Luck to all the Canadian competitors!!

World Cup Consistency!

2011-09-01T06:08:00.001-07:00

Paul Manning-Hunter of Edmonton, wrapped up the World Cup Final having gone 4 for 4 on making the World Cup semi-finals. Being his first year on the National Team, he exceeded his expectations. 'We really just focused on the preparation this year and weren't too worried about the outcome' said Alberta coach Mike Holroyd. 'Paul's been in the hunt for a few years and was just waiting for the opportunity compete.' The World Cup tour took the team to Slovenia, France, Germany & finally Czech.

Jessica Groeneveld of Innisfail, made the Semis in the 2nd event but finished just outside in the others. She's looking forward to longer preparation for the World Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, September 7th-11th. The Worlds are also the first of the Olympic Selection events for Nation spots. Canada is hoping for multiple spots in Bratislava to lessen the number of classes needing the second chance race in Brazil in February.

Thomas and Daniel Purcell of Innisfail, raced well in the final World Cup, in the tough to qualify C2 class. This was their second ever World Cup and they too are enjoying the learning curve leading into the Olympic year.

In the only non-Olympic (yet) class, Haley Daniels of Calgary, bounced back from a rough first run in her very first World Cup with a solid run 2. The C1 women's class is two years old this year and she is excited to race in Bratislava on the very tough Danube race course.

Training is now well underway in Bratislava and all the Canadian athletes are looking good on the water and the coaching staff is optomistic about the event. We have the biggest team in years with a number of serious contenders. A number of International rivalries at the top of all classes will lead to an epic battle for World Championship medals and Olympic berths. Set your alarms to watch all the action live!

The World Championships will air on Rogers SportsNet. Check your local listing for the full schedule. http://www.sportsnet.ca/

National Championships - Kids leading the charge!

2011-09-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

The National Championships wrapped up in Chilliwack, BC with Alberta in a dead heat with Quebec for the overall title. Congratulations go to Ontario with a final day of gusto.

Alberta held a significant lead going into the weekend and still after the Juniors held their own on Saturday. Unfortunately the Masters and Seniors were unable to backup the earlier performances and finish off the deal. With the National Team out of the country it was up to the young guns to produce. Michael Taylor (ON) in K1m, Ben Hayward (AB) & Cam Smedley (ON) in C2, Jazmyn DenHolander (BC) K1W, Julian Potvin-Bernal (PQ) C1m, and Alicia Greves in C1w.

In the Junior Class Alberta's Penner family cleaned up. Ryley had a Gold K1Jr men and Hannah a gold in K1jr women. Hayden Daniels won the C1jr men's class with Darius Ramrattan the only Cadet to give it a valiant try on the swollen Chilliwack river. Darius did better in his kayak grabbing up a bronze. Levi Severtson, Sam Hosoya, and Bradyn Jessen finished just outside the medals.

Great job to all those who competed and a huge Thanks to the organizing committee for a great event!

Paul in London - Qualifier

2011-07-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

Can you spot the fantom touch on the outside pole in 9? Win some, lose some, should equal out in the end.

Untitled from P MH on Vimeo.

Sick new profile video for one of the top German paddlers

2011-07-21T14:08:00.001-07:00

Chilliwack Training Camp Video

2011-07-20T19:50:00.000-07:00

Video of our Spring Break training camp. Thanks Lissy!

Wausau Open (Jr Pre Worlds)

2011-07-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

54hrs of Driving. Nothing like it!

Our tour to Wausau took us via Sturgeon Falls, Manitoba for a bit of surfing to break up the two day drive. The water levels were slightly lower than past trips there, but there were still plenty of good waves to be had. Chris was throwing ends in his slalom boat as well as crossing on the green waves with AJ. Thanks for the highlight video from our Videographer AJ!

Sturgeon Falls from Adrian Cole on Vimeo.

From there we dropped down to Wausau, Wisconson for the Wausau Open. The event was also a test event for next year's Jr World Championship and U23 World Championship. Check out the promo video for 2012.

2012 ICF JR & U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships Promo. from Michael Schroeder on Vimeo.

This year's event featured 7 countries including large teams from Australia and New Zealand. Alberta had 6 athletes racing in the competition ranging in age from 14 to 25. Edmonton's Ben Hayward won the event in dramatic style on the last run. Sitting in 6th place after the Semi-Final, Ben threw down a blazer to sweak ahead of the USA's kid phenom Michal Smolen. Chris Mctaggart of Canmore rode a wave of 2nd and 3rd consistency to a bronze medal.

Other Alberta kayak results were: Qualification - AJ Cole (Blairmore) 26th, Levi Severtson (Innisfail) 29th, Ryley Penner (Sundre) 32. Semi-Finals: Ryley 22, Levi 23, AJ 39.

Hayden Daniels had a consistent weekend as our only single bladed paddler and finished 10th in the C1 category.

Camp Alberta

Check out the highlight video of the weekend and see how many of your favorite Alberta paddlers you can find. I found, Ben, Chris, AJ & Ryley

The Wausau Open Slalom from Michael Schroeder on Vimeo.

This weekend we're in the Crowsnest Pass for Thunder in the Valley and Alberta Cup #3.

World Cup #3 Markleberg, Germany

2011-07-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

From an easy river and a relatively straight forward course in France the circus travelled to Germany for the last World Cup before a 2 week break in the schedule. One of the only courses in the world to 'turn' right, the site just outside Leipzig is know for its tough moves. The French coach designing the course this weekend put it all on the line and set a doozie.

Paul Manning-Hunter Qualified solidly in 34th position. In the Semi-Final Paul showed amazing consistency finishing in 26th place. You can see the run below. With a 31st, 24th and 26th place result in the first three World Cups we look forward to seeing a serious jump in his world ranking which was 94th going into the events. Paul is remaining in Europe for the entire summer to train, and compete in the London Test Event, Prague World Cup 4, and culminating with the World Championships in September in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Jessica executed the moves, but lost time in being too careful, costing her a place in the Semi-Final. Jess is headed home for a brief 10day reload, and then will be headed back to London for the first Olympic Test Event. She will then remain in Europe with the rest of the Team for World Cup 4 and right through the World Championships in September.

Well Done Guys!

Paul's Semi Final Run:

Qualifier 1 Leipzig World Cup # 3 from Diago Alps on Vimeo.

Argentiere Update - Personal Best Results!

2011-07-12T16:05:00.001-07:00

A great race for our two Alberta paddlers in the second World Cup. Argentiere la Bessee is a cross between the Kananaskis and Chilliwack. Crisp, clean water & eddies with a constant gradient. Clearly an natural venue would play to their strengths.

Jessica Groeneveld of Innisfail tore up the course to post her best ever World Cup finish. She qualified 28th and then proceeded to 'switch off' and race to a 20th place result. She was extremely pleased with the result dispite a couple of minor time errors.

Paul Manning-Hunter was equally specatacular in France Qualifying in 14th place! In the Semi-Finals he finished 24th in what was one of the tightest races in recent history, with only 4 seconds separating the top 23 men on a long (105 seconds) course.

14th place Qualifing run

Qualifier 2 L'aganteire World Cup # 2 from Diago Alps on Vimeo.

World Cup #2 Argentiere, France

2011-06-30T07:33:00.000-07:00

World Cup 2 is upon us. After a blazing start for Paul Manning-Hunter in WC1 in Tacen, he's looking to improve on his personal best, 31st place finish. Paul's hoping his new haircut will make him even faster!?!

Jessica Groeneveld will be looking for a better performance after missing out on the semi-finals in Tacen. Jessica has been teaching herself french over the last year, so she'll finally get a chance to use it this week in France.

Also having two Olympic medalists in their coaching staff should instill all the confidence needed to throw down! Benoit Peschier won gold in Athens, while Michal Staniszewski won silver in Sydney.

Results, Video, Webcam
http://www.largentierecanoe2011.com/en/

Updated - Live Video this weekend of World Cup #1 - You can watch it all here taped as well. See Paul in the SF, John in the final!

2011-06-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

Live Video Link - World Cup #1 from Tacen (Ljubljana), Slovenia.

Good luck to Jessica, Paul, Thomas & Daniel. This is the first World Cup ever for the later 3, so again congratulations on making the big step up. Jessica was 19th here at the World Championships last September, so she's looking to have another good result to continue her quiet climb up the World Ranking, where she currently sits in 58th. The Purcells are sitting in 59th in C2 in the WR and Mr Manning-Hunter has cracked the top 100 in K1 Men with his spring racing in Europe and currently sits in 94th.

Go Team!!!

http://video.digotel.com/eurovisionbest/icf/index.html

National Team Trials Pics - Thanks AJ!

2011-06-22T20:01:00.000-07:00

The view from our cabins

Catch the wave with your chin? I doubt I said that...

Training behind the Maxi grocery store

Ben 'McGruff' Hayward

Alberta's Senior National Team Members Video

2011-06-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

2011 National Team Trials - Valleyfield, Quebec.

2011-06-14T13:53:00.001-07:00

See the official Canoe Kayak Canada Press release here:
http://www.sirc.ca/news_view.cfm?id=40604

Alberta Slalom Canoe Kayak had a record showing at this year's National Team Trials selecting 5 senior athletes and 2 Junior athletes to their respective National A Teams! An additional 2 Alberta athletes were named to the National B Team. Congratulations to all the athletes!

Thank you to all our partners & supporters who helped make this event one to remember for Alberta.

Thank you Connor and Greg for your coaching and video support.

Thank you to the Alberta Sport Development Center-Calgary, Canadian Sport Center-Calgary, Alberta Sport Recreation Parks and Wildlife Foundation, Undercurrents,

Thank you to our IST providers: Karen MacNeil, Nicholas Simpson, Susan Massitti, Kelly Quipp & Kelly Anne Erdman.

Most of the National Team is headed to Europe this week for three World Cups, followed by another European tour in August, including coach Mike, for a fourth World Cup and the World Championships.

Stay tuned for more results... Good Luck to All !!!

Sweet new vid from Twelve Productions!

2011-05-27T07:36:00.001-07:00

V.H The Machine in B.A from Twelve Productions on Vimeo.

Penguin Race and Picture link

2011-05-11T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Waterwerks Kayak Club hosted the third annual Penguin race at the Meadows Saturday. The first event of the season saw a conglomeration of paddlers take to the river to demonstrate their skills. From young to old, beginner to adept, all were out showing their stuff. The many hours in the gym paid off for some of the older and junior paddlers as they saw their times drop on the challenging 16 gate course, while the cub-cadets, many for whom this was their first time in a boat this season, saw a great improvement to their second runs from their first. Paddlers from as far as France and Japan also came to the local event with a strong showing from the Cottonwood Kayak Club (Innisfail) and the Waterwerks Kayak Club (Calgary).

Volunteers made the event a success with an assortment of chilli and goodies for the athletes to fill up on after their race. In addition to the delicious food (with a special mention to national team athlete Jessica Groeneveld’s penguin-topped cupcakes), penguin-themed prizes were awarded.

Thanks to our sponsor, ATB Financial and to all the volunteers who made this year’s race a huge success and we’ll see everyone back at Waterwerks’ 4th annual Penguin Race in 2012.

Pictures can be found Here. Thanks to Geoff Holroyd. If you were racing, and there isn't a dozen pictures of you, let me know, because I think he was only able to upload half of them.

The Keg - Grant Submission

2011-05-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

We'll see if we get through the nomination process, but here's the video AJ Cole put together for us for this Grant. If we get to the voting round you'll hear lots more about it. Good Job AJ!!!

What a great opportunity for paddling in Alberta!

2011-03-16T12:02:00.000-07:00

Lower Kananaskis River area redevelopment plan

The Lower Kananaskis River area is a popular day use destination, and is recognized for its river-based recreational opportunities. There are four facility nodes within this planning area – Canoe Meadows, Barrier Lake Visitor Information Centre, Widowmaker and Barrier Dam.

The draft redevelopment proposal has been prepared to help address issues related to the increasing recreational use of the area, while minimizing any adverse impacts on the Lower Kananaskis River watershed and area wildlife. The key objectives of the proposal include reducing congestion at day use sites; improving river access for recreational users; increasing camping opportunities; and enhancing the Canoe Meadows site to accommodate special events, river recreation, and to act as a multi-function camping area.

Information on the proposal, and instructions for providing written or online comments are available at http://www.tpr.alberta.ca/parks/consult/consultations/LKR/

The consultation period for this proposal will start on February 25, 2011 and close on April 25, 2011. The website will be updated once all comments have been considered and a decision has been made. Please check back after April 25, 2011 for updates.

In addition to public feedback gathered during this comment period, site management efficiency, cost effectiveness and public safety will be key considerations in making a final decision on the proposal.

ASCK Casino

2011-03-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

Wednesday and Thursday, March 16-17
Calgary at Casino Calgary, 1420 - Meridian Road N.E.near Barlow and 16th Ave.

We need to fill our casino volunteer positions for our casino. As you know all HP and Winter Training families are responsible for taking a minimum of 2 casino shifts each year. But we also need help from our regular slalom community too. This casino is vitally important to providing coaching and support to our slalom team. Without our casino funds we would not be able to offer the excellent program that it has become. ASCK will treat all casino volunteers to meal vouchers at the casino and for out-of-town volunteers, ASCK will pay the normal volunteer mileage rate of $0.26/km to the casino and home and a hotel room if required. If you would like to volunteer for a position I will need to know the day(s) and the time(s) that you are available and the type of position that you would like to work in.

Download:
CasinoVOLUNTEERSCHEDULE.doc
AGLCVolunteerApplication.pdf

You can email these forms back to Sue Penner at rspranch@gmail.com or fax them to 403-335-3160. Please forward this on to anyone that you know that might be interested in helping out.

AJ Cole's Australia Video of Team Canada!

2011-03-08T19:14:00.000-08:00

Check out AJ's sick vid and make sure to watch it in HD if you can.

Untitled from Adrian Cole on Vimeo.

Spring and Good Technique

2011-03-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

It's spring and time to make sure you are starting off the year with impeccable technique. Check out a great site to see how it's done.

http://www.slalomtechnique.co.uk/index.php

A Beginner's guide to Canoe Slalom

2011-03-07T11:57:00.000-08:00

Australian Open Results

2011-02-19T18:17:00.000-08:00

The Australian Open is in the books. It was a hot weekend but us resiliant Canadians managed it well. Seven canadian athletes made it through to the Semi Finals including the Purcells, Jessica, and Paul. Ben had to return home to take care of a shoulder while AJ raced well the Invitational on Sunday after a disapointing first race of the year on Friday.

In the Men's kayak class Paul Manning-Hunter finished in 32nd in the semi-final after a good qualifier, as he looks to crack the top 100 in the World Ranking. John Hastings of Ottawa and David Ford of Chilliwack finished 17th and 8th.

In the Women's kayak Jessica Groeneveld paddled to a solid 14th place finish as she steadily climbs the ranking ladder. The Purcells finished in 20th position in, the cloud of a tough family loss.

One more week of hard training before we head home. A good start to the season and it's been a great measuring stick for the athletes, with the majority of the top paddlers here in Penrith.

Train Hard!

Live Results Thursday, Friday, Saturday (in Canada)

2011-02-16T14:18:00.000-08:00

http://ausopen.canoe.org.au

Teaser 2011 Australian Open Canoe Slalom

2011-02-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

Purcells training on Penrith

2011-02-13T19:29:00.000-08:00

Morning in Australia

2011-02-13T19:27:00.000-08:00

Another benefit of early morning sessions

Pan Am Championsips

2011-02-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

Alberta athletes help Canada dominate the Americas in Mexico!

See the official Canoe Kayak Canada release here

See Jessica's blog here

ASCK Snow Camp - Photo Essay

2011-01-19T15:03:00.001-08:00

Final Tally

Grotto Canyon

From Ha Ling - Jon & Ryley

Going up Ha Ling

Haley and Jessica iced up on Cascade Fire Road

Jessica, AJ and Ryley at the Canmore Nordic Center

Taking over the fireplace!

New Addition to the Paddling Community

2010-11-29T11:20:00.000-08:00

Welcome Erik Paul Holroyd to Alberta. Don't worry it's not always this cold.

First Ski of the Season

2010-11-19T11:25:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our ski friends for their top secret early season training location! Great snow for classic. Only -18 so it was a pleasant easing in to the season.

Snow Time!

2010-11-17T11:45:00.001-08:00

The Alberta Clipper that came through Monday night chased me all the way back to Calgary after a successful evening of training in Sundre. A dedicated bunch of athletes met up in Sundre for 3hrs of hard slalom training. Sprints, Aerobic disguised as Technique, short lactic, core, weights and visualization made for a tough evening. Kudos to the athletes for their energy and enthusism.

The snow is here to stay now! Get out your x-country skis and tune up your technique, before the Snow camp in Canmore.

To those HP athletes headed to the Eastern US for a couple weeks; 'you are going to pay when you come back to ski'. I'll have an extra few weeks, so good luck keeping up.

Mike

ASCK Hell Week - (Winter Snow Camp) - 2010

2010-11-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

ASCK Hell Week - (Winter Snow Camp) - 2010

Camp Dates:

December 17 – 22^nd

This winter camp is open to anyone who wants to see how they can push themselves. It is open to HP and Winter Training athletes, families and coaches. I would prefer all the athletes to start on the 17^th and if you have prior plans you can leave early. Parents are welcome anytime, depending on the accommodations. This year we are going to mainly xc ski, as long as the weather isn't too bitter. We are going to put in as many kilometers as possible, so that the Christmas break is well deserved. If it is bitterly cold we will modify the program to be more diverse and less hard on the lungs. Skate Skiing or Classic Ski will work, though it will be easier to get max KM on Skate. While this all sounds really tough, it we will maintain an emphasis on fun. If you only want to ski 50km, that ok. Weather is likely to be the biggest determinant of activity, so we'll know what it looks like about a week out.

Deposit Due Dec 7th/09:

$150. Remainder due on return. Please make this payable to ASCK and deliver it Chuck Lee, Box 162 Lundbreck, AB T0K 1H0

Transportation:

We will car pool as needed including the Van. Cost to be in the Van for the camp is $30

Accommodation:

Alpine Club of Canada:

The Bell Cabin is booked from the 17-22^nd. $300/nt – up to 15 people

Food:

We will cook and eat together. @ $70. Ten dollar reduction for people bringing a 5 serving pre-cooked meal.

Facilities:

$30-$35 = 5 x $6-7.5 (youth/adult) - Canmore Nordic Center – 10% off for groups of 10

$14 = 2 x $7 Bill Warren Training Center (if cold)

$54-$76 - Sunshine Ski area

Total cost: (approximate, will be based on actual receipts)

Travel: $30

Accommodation & Food: $165

Sunshine Pass - $54 or $76 (-+18)

Facilities: $50

Program fees: HP athletes – included

Development athletes – Included

Other Club athletes - $75 (athletes who bring a club coach will be have the cost reduced by $25)

Chaperones and club coaches: free

Approx total: $290

Approx non-program: $365

Training sites: Canmore Nordic Center

Bill Warren Training Center

Ski trails – Cascade, Moraine lake, Goat creek, etc

ASCK AGM - Come one Come all!

2010-11-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Do you want to be part of an organization looking take on the World? Then become a board member or help support our sport through your club. If you are coming from over 100km away we will be offering a travel rebate.

Alberta Slalom Canoe Kayak - Annual General Meeting
November 6th, 2010

Elbow Park Community Hall,

Calgary, AB

10:00 am to noon - Workshop Sessions - Clubs (Programming, Grants, etc), Coaches (Summer review, looking forward), Athletes/Kids (Agility and core training)

12:00 to 1:00 pm - Lunch courtesy of ASCK

1:00 pm to 4:00 pm - Annual General Meeting including elections; Athletes (aerobic run)

NOTE: An Athlete Rep will be decided upon at this meeting. It is important that athletes attend to pick their representative and to participate in the workshop.

Need directions? Check out the map here: http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=800+-+34+Avenue+SW,+Calgary,+AB&sll=50.928629,-114.090847&sspn=0.008304,0.018067&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=800+34+Ave+SW,+Calgary,+Division+No.+6,+Alberta+T2T+2A3&ll=51.023258,-114.080658&spn=0.132594,0.289078&z=12

Winter Training Day Schedule

2010-10-26T08:34:00.001-07:00

Hello,

The first Winter Training Day of the 2010/11 season is upon us.

What: Full day of training and learning about Canoe/Kayak training
When: Sunday, October 31st
Where: Calgary (various)
Coaching Cost: Program athletes - free ; Coaches Free ; Drop in $40/day
Facilities: Mt Royal $7.09 ; SAIT pool $15 to Waterwerks Kayak Club
Confirmed athletes: Ryley, Hannah, Lissy, Levi , Luke, Darius, Alexandre, Sam,
Confirmed Coaches/Parents: Mike, Jessica,
Transport: Van $5 (Mike, + 4 with boats); Jessica; ???,

Schedule of events:

10am -11am Carburn Park - Forward Stroke (MAP)
11am - 12pm Deerfoot Meadows - 'Other' Slalom moves (Spins, backoffs, bogeys, dives) (MAP)
12:30pm - 2:30pm Boston Pizza - Lunch, Group Cohesion & Training Nutrition
3pm - 4:30pm Mt Royal Gym - Agility & Core (MAP)
5pm - 6pm Subway - Dinner
6:30pm - 8pm Sait Pool session - Halloween Fun + Candy (hosted by Waterwerks) (MAP)

Contact: Mike Holroyd - 403 282 3374 or 403 479 8017

Please Let me know if you are planning to attend and if your parent/coach will also attend. Please forward to anyone else who might be interested.

Thanks,
Mike

--
Michael Holroyd
Alberta Slalom Canoe/ Kayak High Performance Head Coach
http://albertaslalom.blogspot.com

National Training Camp

2010-10-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Michal Staniszewski for coming out and running a National Camp on the Kananaskis over the last two weeks. It's been a great opportunity for the athletes and coaches to work together and forward all our skills. With the exception of one day, the weather has been phenomenal. We look forward to next year's camp!

Message from Our Sundre Dutch Girl!

2010-10-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

On my vacation in Holland I got to paddle with my favorite Olympic kayaker 'Robert Bouten'.
It was AMAZING! I had alot of fun & the water was crazy. He had a great time too & if he finds the time he wants to come to Canada.
Here are some pictures of Dutch Water Dreams.

Dutch Girl~~~~(Lissy)

Alberta Provincial Championships

2010-09-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

Alberta Provincial Championships were this past weekend at the mighty Kanbiezi River in Kananaskis Country. Despite the coming of the monsoon season, the event was well attended and everyone had a smile on their face. It's kayaking--you're wet already!!

The event was action packed to say the least. Eight competitive events, multiple clinics in Slalom and freestyle, and an overall title for the most points across all the events. And oh the food! I personally was in kayaking heaven! Special thanks to all the provincial clubs who brought out their volunteers, stoves, pots and pans and provided us with scrumptious breakfast and dinner daily! I liked the Keg of Grizzly Paw beer, the kids liked the Grizzly Paw Hand Crafted Sodas, and you just have to celebrate 5 types of pasta, steak, corn, pancakes, sausages, bacon and McMuffins!! As Greg Hunter would say "OOOOOOOO DOGGGYYYYY!"

Of course with all that food, you had energy to burn, and you needed it out there on the river. The Boater-cross was the first action-packed, exciting event with a perfect course that involved no shortage of strategy and paddling savvy. Western paddle hero Mikkel St. Jean-Duncan proved this wasn't his first rodeo as he stole top honours in the Open division, holding off five of Alberta's most trained and talented whitewater slalom paddlers-- Quite a feat! Mikkel followed up this win by taking the top spot in the Open Freestyle held on the Green Tounge of Death. Jordie Mackenize showed his bag of tricks to take the runner-up spot. In the overall title Mikkel was off to a big head start.

But the paddlers needed to reach deep-- way down to their fifth pancake and fourth piece of bacon-- to take the prize on this weekend. Next up was the Wildwater sprint-- a very fast and curvy course through the slalom rapids. This time the power of Paul Manning-Hunter shone through as he tackled the oh-so-tippy Wildwater boat class and bested Toby "Kanga" Roessingh and Connor "The Cannibal" Curson. With a strong finish in the freestyle event, Paul was crawling back into the picture.

There was also a novice slalom where some new faces hit the course to try their luck in the gates! The safety boaters were kept warm in the rain chasing swimmers, and I, as one of those safety boaters, got in all the training I need for next year's downriver sprint chasing waterlogged boats down the river! But I commend those brave soles who gave it their best try and hopefully had a fun introduction to whitewater slalom. It is always great to see new smiling faces after they did their first gate sequence in a race! Excellent job guys and hopefully we will see you next year!

The monsoon finally relented on Monday morning-- never has there been soooo much rainfall so late in the season. The B.C. coastal rainforest just crept a few inches closer to Alberta! But it was replaced with the Arctic Cold Front and all those wet tents and paddling gear turned to solid ice! Only in Alberta are the paddlers brave enough to face such climactic challenges! Nothing like drying your gear over the fire at 9 in the morning to head out on the course! Of course it wasn't only Alberta-- Saskatchewanians are pretty tough too, as Cadets Ben Lapointe and Kylie Zirk, and ex-Albertan Brendan Curson of Saskatoon proved by braving all events and showing the Alberta cadets that those flat prairies can still raise some champions. Thanks for coming out guys!

Monday brought the final two events where only the fast and the furious could contend-- Advanced Slalom and the Downriver Classic. In the hotly contested men's class Power Paul proved he had the chops. Mikkel put in an exceptional slalom performance, but it was not quite good enough to clinch the weekend's overall title. Paul ended up being crowned with the Champion's Tiara. Toby Roessingh took top spot in the DR showing he still has some guns holstered under that 9 to 5 suit. In the Cadet categories, Lissy "The Flying Dutchman" Methorst from Sundre stole almost all events in the Cadet Girls. Also from Sundre, Ryley Penner took the top prize overall in Cadet Boys. It is nice to see the resurgence of my old stoping grounds and the resurgence of Sundre in the Slalom game! Good work guys! In the Junior Categories it was the Southern Alberta sweep, as Veronica "Vern" Oczkowski iced the cake in the girl's class, and Adrian "Cookies" Cole took the boy's title (and then stole and ate Vern's Cake). C-2 was also a hotly contested class with more teams combining for the event then ever before. The Purcell brothers obviously won, but another brother duo, Manning-Hunter x2, proved the best of the rest! And let's not forget the decades long dominance of Mr. Greg Hunter, answering all comers in the Masters Class! It was a family day on the podium for the Edmontonion legends. Great job everyone.

So, a special thanks to all the volunteers for making the event one for the books. I'd say, that after attending 15+ provincial championships that this was the best one I've been too, despite all that rain and cold! And I didn't even win my races, so that's saying something! ;-) Thanks Chuck Lee at the AWA for spearheading the event and thanks to all the clubs for pitching in on the volunteering, organization, and food! Let's try to top it next year!!!

Guide to tieing boats

2010-09-07T03:02:00.000-07:00

How to Tie Boats from Dagger

Learn that trucker's hitch and straps are a think of the past!

Sick Vid of Slalom!

2010-09-02T13:29:00.001-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAnEPcd4tMM&feature=player_embedded

Night Training in Brat

2010-08-25T03:20:00.000-07:00

Following the race we had two more days of training in Bratislava. Monday evening we got to paddle under the lights which is always a different experience!

Is that Gretzky?
Start of the Session...that's the moon

Assistant coach

Hastings on a cross

Ben Hayward

Slovak Open - 2011 Pre-World Championships

2010-08-23T04:37:00.000-07:00

A mixed Canadian team represented this weekend at the Slovak Open. Development Team members Paul Manning-Hunter and Thomas & Daniel Purcell joined National Team members Jessica Groeneveld, Ben Hayward, John Hastings and David Ford, in the Pre-World Championships. All but Hastings are Alberta born and raised so it great to see the depth of Alberta's development over the years.

For the first time in 7 years the Bratislava organizers ran the tough left-left channels on the Danubia course. The slalom course here allows for at least 4 different channel configurations. Left-left will be the channel used for next year's World Championships and Olympic Qualifier.

It was a good showing for the Team. All but Manning-Hunter qualified for the Semi-Finals. The Purcell brothers made they're first semi-final along with all the National Team members

From the Semi Finals, Hayward was the one to step up and qualify for his first ever Final! With two good runs, Ben qualified 7th, and then followed it up with a similar run to finish 7th overall. With fastest splits on both runs he was happy to be on an upswing going in to the next month of training and racing.

One more day of training Bratislava and then we head to Tacen, Slovenia to prepare for the World Championships.

Cheers, Mike

Canadian National Championships - Minden, Ontario

2010-08-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

A return to Minden for the National Championships will be the highlight for many Canadian athletes this year. The site, which is arguably the best in Canada, has hosted Team Trials, National Championships, and World Cups over the years. In 2015 it will be the host site for the Toronto, PanAm Games.

Alberta entered 19athletes in the 2010 edition of the National Championships. A good contingent given the three day drive to get there. Our youngest athlete Hannah (12) was just over a fifth of the age of our wiley veteran, Greg Hunter. With three coaches, a strong contingent of cadet, junior, senior paddlers and a cohesive team we put our mark on the event. Congratulations to Ontario in re-capturing the Brian Creer Cup on home soil.

Alberta athletes won a dozen individual slalom medals (Jessica, Ben x2, Purcells, Haley, Marissa x2, AJ, Hayden, Ryley, Hannah, Matt A, Greg). They also won handfulls of downriver medals dominating the points in the DR classic, while Ontario athletes were the ones to beat on the short course. All sorts of teams were thrown together on Sunday for an exciting Team race on the lower course.

Following the race, Mikkel and Brace lead 8 athletes on the Ottawa River and Sturgeon falls for a week on the way home. Superb surfing was had by all, even if some of it was longer and in bigger holes than intended! Thanks to Owl Rafting for putting up the Team on the Ottawa!!

Well done Alberta on a successful Canadian Championships. Next year's edition should be in BC and we're looking forward to a slightly shorter drive and a dominating performance from Alberta.

Alberta Summer Games - Peace River

2010-08-15T11:59:00.000-07:00

As usual the host community put on a great event and were extremely supportive of the Games. A huge thank you to the local volunteers!

51 athletes from across Alberta competed in the Canoe/Kayak events of Polo, Slalom and Downriver. Some great Zone rivalries were re-ignited, yet everyone was very supportive of one another. Many new friendships were born and some long time friends were re-united. Some 150 slalom, polo and downriver boats were brought out by a dozen club coaches who did a great job training and supporting thier athletes.

Three days of setup were required for the different venues and in the end all three worked out great. The biggest challenge was the changing water levels on the Peace River for the Slalom course. When race day came though, the water came up and we were able to host a great event.

Well done to all the athletes who participated. Hope to see all your names on upcoming Alberta Cup races and tournaments!

Southern Alberta Summer Games - Brooks

2010-07-15T10:47:00.001-07:00

Here's some pics from last week's Southern Alberta Summer Games. These games are open to all ages from Zone 1. The site is on a irrigation canal outside Brooks. Good job Chuck and Dan for setting up the course, and thanks to the irrigation district for turning on the water, depite the fact that the farmers didn't need it!

Sam Hosoya - Athlete spotlight

2010-07-12T15:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Sam Hosoya, our newest HP athlete. Sam is 15 and comes from Japan. He has been paddling for about three years and is now attending high school at Bishop Grandin in Calgary while trying to learn some english and improve his kayaking. Please make him feel welcome.

Sam's First Day on the Kananaskis, November 30th 2009 during a reconisance trip to Alberta. Why did he come back you say?

Zone 2,3 Pre Alberta Summer Games Camp

2010-07-12T14:36:00.001-07:00

Great Back Stroke Pivot Technique - Levi

Nice Open Draw - Graham

K1s, C1s, C2s!

The Whole Gang!

A great three days on the Red Deer River near Sundre. Mikkel St Jean lead the team of coaches, Brace, Gayle, Jesse, Graham & Jim to a sucessful camp designed to get everyone ready for Alberta Summer Games. Slalom, Polo & Downriver were all on the agenda and everyone got in lots of paddling.

I saw some great C1 and C2 skills as well and solid river running skills on Thursday. Good luck to all at the Summer Games!

Junior World Championships

2010-07-12T14:26:00.000-07:00

The Junior World Championships were held in Foix, France this past weekend. Alberta had two members competing for Canada, Marissa Dederer and AJ Cole.

Marissa had three very respectable runs earning her a 21st place in the World. AJ struggled on the last couple of gates on the course and ended up 61st.

The rest of the Canadian Team also went well with Michael Taylor of Ottawa in 13, Jazmyn Denhollander of Chilliwack in 15th, Alex Mcgee in 16th.

I hope to get some pictures from them soon to upload. Good Job Canada!

Alberta Cup #3 - Whirlpool River, Jasper

2010-07-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Parks Canada for allowing us to host this race in the National Park. Thank you Al for coming out and talking about the Park. Thank you parents and coaches for helping make this event a success! Check out ASCK.ca for the lastest Alberta Team standings.

World Cup 2 - Seu d'Urgell, Spain

2010-06-30T13:18:00.001-07:00

After two World Cup competitions, Canada is on a roll. This weekend in Spain 4 athletes made the semi-finals. Jessica Groeneveld of Innisfail had her personal best finish of 27th on the World Championship course from 2009. Jess was pleased with her performance and feels that an increased increased internal focus helped her along. Good lesson kids; there's no point worrying about what others are doing, because all you can control is yourself.

David Ford, John Hastings & Cam Smedley placed 13th, 27th and 28th respectively. Unfortunately Edmonton's Ben Hayward acquired a nasty bug in Prague and was not yet on form for the weekend of racing. I guess he didn't drink enough Coke to kill the bacteria in the water.

This weekend is Augsburg, Germany. Clean water, nice forests and lots of spectators await. Good Luck to all!

World Cup 1 - Prague, CZ

2010-06-21T09:18:00.000-07:00

World Cup 1 was run in Prague, Czech Republic despite high water conditions. This is the first of three World Cup weekends with Seu d'Urgell, Spain and Augsburg, Germany following it up.

In Prague, Alberta's Jessica Groeneveld and Ben Hayward failed to qualify for the Semi-Finals after dissapointing runs and an extremely tight field. In the men's kayak class only 4.5seconds separated the top 40 paddlers!!!

The good news of the weekend was Canada's John Hastings dominating the kayak semi-final and finishing 7th in the Final. Well done Johnny! Read the article!

Alberta Cup #2 - Pincher Creek

2010-06-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

Pincher Creek without wind; Is it possible?

Yes! Great weekend for racing in Pincher Creek on the Old Man River at Boulder Run. With barely a breath of wind, conditions were perfect for the second Alberta Cup of the season. A long course, over 2 minutes, was set on this classic Alberta race site.

The race was hotly contested in many classes. K1w cadet was dominated by Sundre as Lissy Methorst snatch the win from Hannah Penner. Sundre also dominated the men's kayak in cadet as Ryley Penner won from, fellow club member, Matt Alliban and Innisfail's Darius Ramrattan.

The Junior division lost National Team member AJ Cole to sickness the night before the race, giving Levi Severtson of Innisfail a clear run to his first Alberta Cup win! Idan Wolach of Calgary and Matt S from Canmore were 2nd and 3rd respectively. In the women's junior class it was hometown duo Veronica Oczkowski and Jordyn Appleby in first and second.

In C1 Hayden Daniels of Calgary won the junior race, while Veteran Vince Osborne of Banff won the senior race and Chuck Lee of Pincher Creek the Master's class.

Haley Daniels doubled winning both C1 & K1 in the women's open class.

Calgary was dominant in the Men's K1 as former Naitonal Team athlete and Alberta Head Coach, Mike Holroyd, eaked out a win over fellow coaches, Toby Roessingh and Mikkel St Jean.

Great weekend of racing! We're looking forward to race three which will see slalom return to Jasper after more than a decade of absence.

Full results will be posted at asck.ca

National Team Trials - Whistler

2010-06-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

Alberta had a solid showing at Senior Team Trials in late May. The weekend got started with Canmore's Chris McTaggart stealing a win in race 1 putting the pressure on the incumbant team. Ben Hayward of Edmonton remained solid through the weekend looking for his third year on the Team. Paul Manning-Hunter was decent through race 2 & 3 but needed something special for race 4 in order to advance.

Paul got the better of race 4, finishing just behind 99 World Champion David Ford, but it was not enough to beat Hayward for the third spot. Manning-Hunter would have to settle for the Development Team. McTaggart struggle to regain his race 1 performance and finished further back. The Men's Team is: John Hasting (ON), David Ford ( BC), Ben Hayward (AB).

In the Women's class it was Jessica Groeneveld of Innisfail taking the top spot on the Women' Kayak Team. Jess tied Ottawa's Sarah Boudens in races but won on aggregate percentage for her first time as #1 boat. Team: Jessica Groenveld (AB), Sarah Boudens (ON).

In C2 the Purcell Brothers were up against the clock to qualify. They paddled well on the narrow difficult course, but finished just outside of percentage and put themself on the Development Team. The Cutts (ON) were the only C2 to make the required percentage.

C1 was dominated by Ottawa, with Cam Smedley sneaking in late in the weekend to beat Julian Potvin. Veteran C1 Vince Osborne of Banff made his return to Team Trials competition after 10 years away. Osborne was the warrior of the weekend continuing to race despite cuts to his hands from Saturday. C1 women was won by the lone paddler from Quebec, Cindy Audet.

Great two weeks of racing in BC and the organizing commitee did a great job of hosting a flawless race. Thanks Shelly & Shonnett!

Mamquam Training & Black Bear Visit

2010-05-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

Junior National Team Trials

2010-05-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

Junior Trials were held over the weekend in Squamish BC on the Mamquam river. Athletes from accross Canada came to earn their spot on the Junior National Team. Alberta had six athletes competing, from the 2x veteran Marissa Dederer to 12 year old Hannah Penner. None disapointed.

Marissa claimed a solid second place for the weekend by making percentage every day and being consistent, for her third year on the Junior Team. AJ Cole of Crowsnest Pass made the junior team for his first time with a great run out of the gate, on day 1. From there on he kept cool under pressure and held his spot.

Hayden Daniels in C1 finished just off the team but has shown great improvement from last year. Levi Severtson and Ryley Penner traded days with some great idividual runs that were 4th and 5th respectively. Hannah Penner improved all weekend and was making some great moves on the final day. All four of these youngsters have a bright future with a combined 15 years of being juniors still ahead of them.

Marissa and AJ will represent Canada at the Junior Worlds in France in July. Hayden and Levi will also be representing Canada at the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore in August.

Congratulations to all!

Good luck to the Senior athletes this weekend in Whistler!!!

Alberta Cup #1 - Kananaskis

2010-05-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

A great big Thanks to Bow Valley Kayak Club for hosting Alberta Cup #1! In generous Alberta fashion the weather took a break from its storming and allowed us to have a great weekend of paddling, food and friends. While only the really brave (I don't count because I had a trailer) camped, Canoe Meadows was full of excitment as everyone geared up for summer. Results

The Alberta Cup races are also opportunities to make the Alberta Team. Through the year you can race to improve your position on the Team and get reductions on swag.

After 1 race the Teams are:
A
Jessica Groeneveld (k1,c1)
Marissa Dederer
Ben Hayward
Chris McTaggart
Toby Roessingh
Paul Manning-Hunter
Ryley Penner
B
Bryce Shaw (c1,k1)
Hayden Daniels (c1)
Graham Jobe
Matt Frank
AJ Cole
Levi Severtson
Idan Wolach
Greg Hunter
Veronica Oczkowski
C
Vince Osborne
Lissy Methorst
Hannah Penner
Roni Wolach
David Manning

This is just the first race and you have three more tries to make the A Team. Train hard and we'll see you in Pincher Creek, June 12th, for Alberta Cup #2.

Penguin Race - by Marissa Dederer

2010-05-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Check out Marissa's Blog at http://theflowofthings.com/?p=410

Calgary Penguin Race

2010-04-26T13:02:00.001-07:00

The 2nd Annual Penguin Race was a great success. 40 athletes competed on a decent day at the Deerfoot Meadows. The moderate temperature and weather held on just long enough for us to leasiurly get the program done, though 15min after leaving the site, I was driving in a full blizzard. Spring in Alberta!

Congratulations to all the competitors! For some it was your first Slalom experience, for some it was a tune up for racing season. Regardless I was impressed with how much everyone supported one another and it made for a great day.

The Overall speed winner was Ben Hayward, knocking reigning champion Paul Manning-Hunter out of top spot. Marissa Dederer again took the spirit of the event to heart and came up with the most creative costume. Both Ben and Marissa have been imortalized on the Penguin Trophy.

Thank you to all the parents and volunteers who help the event run smoothly and fed our hungry athletes. With competitors from Germany, Australia, Innisfail, Sundre and Banff, the Penguin race is quickly turning into an international event. Thanks for travelling to the mighty Bow River.

Full results can be found Here.

I hope to see many of you at next weekend's Alberta Cup at the Kananaskis River!

ASG Zone Trials

2010-04-26T12:51:00.001-07:00

Check out the current Results for Alberta Summer Games zone trials. Some great times there! These will continue to be updated until June 21st. Good luck!

For more info on the Games click Here.

NOC training

2010-03-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

Australia 2010

2010-03-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

The month of February was a warm one for Alberta paddlers. 6 athletes and I ventured down under for three and a half weeks for a warm water/weather training camp. Tons of whitewater and a couple of races felt good after two months of skiing. Penrith Whitewater Stadium is still the place for internationals to go to train in the winter months. The set up is just too easy to train, to pass up.

Days off are always full. A trip the blue mountains revealed Kagaroos, a giant lizard, kookaburas, and big spiders. Swimming at Jelly Bean pool helped to cool us off on a 40 degree day.

As exciting as Penrith is, the beach is the major draw for days off. Those talented enough surfed while the fairer athletes, just soaked up the rays on the beach. Sunscreen is recomended while surfing (Paul, Ben). We also did a full lap of Sydney seeing the madatory Opera house, circular quay, downtown and Darling harbour. One of the highlights of the walking day was trying to watch Olympic results in a random computer store downtown. We watched as Jennifer Heil's sivler medal results slowly loaded up. Not as exciting as CBC coverage, but then the cricket match that was on tv was surely more important?

We were all sad when the camp came to an end and we returned to Calgary. Fortunately the weather in March can be borderline and we should be able to paddle some, before heading to North Carolina for the lone North American ICF ranking race.

Crushing it in the gym!

2010-02-01T15:57:00.000-08:00

Olympic Torch passes through Alberta

2010-01-21T11:18:00.000-08:00

For anyone lucky enough the see the torch this week it was pretty cool. Just the sight of it was enough get the heart racing and brighten the day of all involved. It reminds us of a higher purpose of improving humanity through sport. I saw only saw it on Mcleod Trail but Matt Frank had the great opportunity to touch the flame this week in Medicine Hat. He was one of the chosen ones to run with the Torch last Sunday. Here's a couple pictures.

Jasper Slalom in January

2010-01-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

Thank you Sean and Rebecca for having me up to Jasper for the weekend. We had a great slalom session in the pool with 11 talented paddlers and a circuits session. I expect to see all of you walking on your hands, and rolling the C1 by the time Alberta Summer Games come around!

The drive up the parkway was beautiful, and I was even able to get out for a powder run on Parker's Ridge and a paddle on the Kananaskis on the way home! Gotta love January in Alberta.

Canmore Snow Camp - December

2010-01-19T09:24:00.001-08:00

What better way to go into Christmas than a super high volume few days of skiing. It was an epic 4 days with 18hrs of aerobic work and up to 150km skied (congrats Marissa!). With some amazing training adaptations taking place in just 4days we have proven that we are tough. Luckily the weather was about 20 degrees warmer than last year. Here's a few pics.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T09:16:00.000-08:00

2010 is going to be a great year.

Australia, North Carolina, Squamish, Whistler, Alberta Cups in every corner of the province, Alberta Summer Games, and Nationals in Minden.

Who wants to be National Champion?

WE LOVE TO PADDLE!!!

2009-12-17T09:37:00.000-08:00

New Kayak Ergometer courtesy of ASRPWF

2009-12-16T11:56:00.000-08:00

We have a new Speedstroke Gym! Thank You to Alberta Sport Recreation Parks & Wildlife Foundation for the Development Initialives Grant for its purchase. We can now train more accurately and do physical testing that you will all learn to love!

Sundre Pool Session and Training Day

2009-12-14T13:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday we left Calgary bright and early (well not so bright at 6:30), and drove through a typical winter storm to Sundre for the day. Even with three boats and two ergs, the van seemed empty, but drove well even on snowy roads.

By 8am we had 10 kids zooming around the gates, in the pool, being coached by Jim, AJ and myself. Stroke drills made way for gate drills, and then some timed runs on either a 4 gate course or the Standard Figure 8 course. Ryley, Lissy, Levi, AJ and Hayden, all challenged 10m figure 8 test to see how they stood up against the best in Canada. Pretty well.

Following lunch at Subway, we did a little training seminar on the Energy Systems, complete with real, painful, examples. See the summary here. http://docs.google.com/View?id=df6z2c9x_111f4xggkd5

The day was completed in the gym doing circuits and core. It was great to see so many kids under 15 training, learning, and having fun. The quality of the kids, coaches, and club in Sundre makes me optomistic about the future of our sport. Without having see what all the Zones have to offer, I suggest the Sundre zone is going to be one of the top at Alberta Summer Games in July.

Thank you Jim and Sue for organizing a great day. If any other club wants to organize a slalom training day, feel free to contact me.

National Coaching Institute - Diploma and Level 4

2009-11-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have recently be accepted into the Diploma Program at the National Coaching Institute at the Canadian Sport Centre in Calgary. This will give a vocational Coaching diploma on top of my BSC - Kinesiology, plus it will certify me as a Level 4 NCCP coach.

At the NCI we learn all the bits and pieces that go into high level sports in Canada. There are 13 tasks, or courses to take to complete to the two year program. Each task is about 20hrs of class time plus a paper or report. As I go through the process I will update you on the tasks I have taken and try and relay relevant information to you on a consistent basis. The first two tasks I have started are 'Energy Systems' and 'Canadian Sport System'. Stay tuned for more information on these first two tasks.

Cheers
Mike

It never rains in BC!?!

2009-10-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

Our Camp in Rutherford has been somewhat...dry. We headed out to BC with the promise of rain in the forecast. But alas we haven't seen any. Now for most people that would make for a great trip, however for us it means boredom.

We spent two days in Chilliwack training, battleing fish and fishermen for the eddies. Now we're in Pemberton, hoping, wishing the water would come up.

Provincial Championships!

2009-09-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

Another great Provincial Championships has come and gone. We got the last good weekend of weather for the year and now its time for some hard winter training to get into even better racing shape for next year.

We had 36 racers this year with a few notables missing. While the schedule for Slalom, Freestyle and Downriver was tight, all went off without a hitch. Congratulations to the class winners:

K1-Paul Manning-Hunter
K1W-Jessica Groeneveld
K1jr-Graham Jobe
K1Wjr-Marissa Dederer
K1c-Idan Wolach
K1Wc-Veronica Oczkowski
C1-Bryce Shaw
C1jr-Hayden Daniels
C1c-Idan Wolach
C1wjr-Marissa Dederer
K1M-Greg Hunter
K1wnovice-Hannah Penner
K1jrnovice-Matt Alliban
K1cnovice-Sam Alliban

Thank you to all the volunteers who put the event together, made the races run smoothly and fed the swarms on Saturday night! A big Thank You to the sponsors that made the awards exceptional.

Donors

Aquabatics and Confluence (manufacturer) - Rx boat

Integral Designs - camping items

Undercurrents - Galasport paddle + store gift certificates

Paddle Performance - 3 Galasport helmets

Hi Level Canoes and Kayaks, Lethbridge - Tywarp paddle + nose clips + pogies

MEC, Calgary - 20 dry bags

Also big thanks to HiJinx Toy Shop of Canmore and Gracie and Gruff Fine Toys of Calgary for supplying much sought after prizes for the Settlers of Catan Tournament.

Other donors

Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge, Canmore - 2 x 1 night in single apartment depending upon season

Stoney Nakoda Resort - weekend stay + $50 gift cert

SMS Sports - slalom deck

Wholesale Sports Outfitters, Calgary - gift certificates x4

The Fudgery - 2 gift packages

The Outdoor Outlet, Pincher Creek - Gift Certificate

Level 6 - 3 t-shirts + hat

Glenmore Sailboats - 4 t-shirts

Sobey's and Safeway - gift certifcates to subsidize BBQ

Total prize package was over $4000

Young paddlers shine at Canada's best Slalom Kayak World Championships.

2009-09-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Canadian Slalom Kayak Team had a lot to be proud of this weekend at the Slalom World Championships in Seu d'Urgell, Spain. A mix of veterans and rookies competed in what was Canada's best overall World Championships. Edmonton's David Ford, the 1999 World Champion on the same course, was looking to finish strong again, while half the team were youngsters looking to make a name for themselves.

Alberta's Ben Hayward had the races of his life. Inspired by some strong paddling by Canadian C1's on day two, the young Canadian kayaks stepped up under pressure in the qualifier with some impressive results. In a three minute stretch, Edmonton's Ben Hayward and John Hastings of Ottawa stormed down the qualifier course less than 1.5 seconds apart. They then had to wait for 50 boats to see if they would qualify for the top 20 semi-final. After an agonizing wait, Hayward finished in 17th position, while Hastings finished in 31st emphasizing just how tight the field was. David Ford had trouble on the day and finished well out of contention.

The following day, Saturday, the three Canadian men joined up in the Team race. They qualified easily for the top 10 final and were looking to build upon the Team's momentum from the day before. In the final, Hayward, the last of the three ran into trouble in gate 5 when a camera man accidentally lowered a camera boom into his way and actually hit him, sending him off course. A re-run was issued so the Canadian Team ran back to the top for a run following the last scheduled Team. They had a brilliant re-run till the big drop, 3/4's of the way down the course, and gave the 2nd and 3rd placed British and Spanish teams quite a scare. The Canucks were 2 seconds faster to the last split, but unfortunately a gate was touched in the last section, adding 2 seconds to their time and bumping them into 4th position, just .36seconds out of a medal. This result is the best ever for a Canadian Team and shows the depth and confidence of the squad.

Racing in the individual Semi-Finals, Sunday, along with Hayward, in Kayak, were James Cartwright of Ottawa, in C1, and Sindy Audet of Montreal, in C1women. Cartwright and Audet finished 18th and 15th respectively. Ben Hayward proved that the qualifier was no fluke and cemented himself as a name to watch by finishing 13th. This is the best Canadian Kayak finish since David Ford's Medals in 1999 and 2003 and shows the promise of the young man from Edmonton, and of the Canadian Program. Ben after the race; 'I'm just so happy right now, i can't wipe the smile off my face. This just proves we (Canada) are not slow and the rest of the World better watch out'.

Jessica Groeneveld, of Calgary, was the top Canadian women finishing in 43rd position. Groeneveld was the PanAm Champion earlier in the summer in Kananaskis and will be the Canadian to watch in the women's class. 'I had a lot of fun at my first World Championships' said Groeneveld after the race. 'It's hard to know what to expect at your first Worlds, and now I have a better idea of what we need to do to make the next step'. The other Canadian women Sarah Boudens, and Sara Potvin of Ottawa/Gatineau finished 47th and 50th respectively.

Alberta's Head Coach, Mike Holroyd, was borrowed by the Team, as an assistant coach for the event, as was Alberta native Brendan Curson, now the Saskatchewan coach. 'It's great to see our young Alberta athletes competing and succeeding at the International level' said Holroyd. 'When I look at these results and the depth of the programs here in Alberta and indeed across the country, it really gives me confidence that we are on the right track for 2012 and beyond'.

What a summer for Alberta Slalom!

2009-08-26T22:57:00.000-07:00

What a summer indeed. Since my last post, which was a while ago, we have put 17,000km on our new van, paddled at least 7 different slalom courses, surfed on (arguably) the three best sites in Canada, several creeks and improved our skills at each step along the way.

National Team Trials in Ottawa in May were spectacular in several ways. The weather tore apart our poor little tent, and Alberta paddlers tore up the course. Jessica & Ben made the Senior National Team, while Marissa, Graham and Hayden did likewise on the Junior Team.

Not long after we took delivery of our new spaceship which has been a trustworthy transporter of delicate cargo across Canada since.Farmer Joe's campsite in Saskatchewan

The first three weeks of July saw a full load travel to Ontario for the Summer Series and Junior Olympics. I can't possibly count the number of medals that came from the 4 slalom races, two freestyles, boater cross and downriver races , but suffice to say the van was weighed down by all the hardware.

During the three weeks we stopped twice at Sturgeon falls in Winnepeg and ran the Ottawa giving us a well rounded appreciation for big waves. One of the best parts of the trip was seeing the improvement in Veronica and Levi, who on the way out, were out of their league on Sturgeon, but on the way back were tearing up the wave like they'd been born on it.

The largest congregation of Slalom boats the Ottawa has ever seen, over 30 in all!

Nearly immediately after the trip east it was time for us to defend our own turf at the Kananaskis. The National and PanAm Championships were a huge success. With top European paddlers competing along side our Alberta athletes, it was amazing to be able to directly compare where we stand. We had over 21 athletes competing and were able to finally get our name on the Brian Creer Trophy for the first time since 2001. Well done everyone for your individual efforts and selfless work on behalf of the team.

Fastest Team: Alberta Men's Kayak - Paul, Chris, Ben

Nationals would not have been possible without this wonderful Team of volunteers!

From Nationals, a 12hr turn around led us out to BC to the newly opened Rutherford Creek artificial course. Innergex has built an excellent paddling course that will take paddling in Canada to a new level. The course is not for the weak of heart. It's fast, narrow and with rough concrete, provides a serious element of consequence should problems occur. Alberta took it is stride and by the end of the week were quite at home on the most powerful course in the World. Roughly 20 racers braved the course which will be the site of the 2010 Senior National Team Trials. Jessica was on top of her game, while in men's kayak coach Mike had to uphold the reputation of the Alberta team (thanks for the coffee Paul).

Monday following the race was epic. We climbed The Chief in Squamish, and then proceeded to Skookumchuck for another memorable surf.

As the summer winds down for most, Jessica, Ben, Mike and the rest of the National Team are in Seu d'Urgell, Spain for the World Championships. Three weeks here and then back to the Kan for the Provincial Championships September 19,20.

Till then...

Alberta Cup #2

2009-06-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

The annual Cottonwood race was as usual a great event. The new club site north of Innisfail is ideal for club training. A giant boat storage bin, warm tent and fireplace make this an ideal site for introducing kids to slalom kayak.

On this weekend the two most important things ended up being the tent and heater as the skies opened up after the novice race and deluged us with rain, snow and hail! Great event though and thanks to the Cottonwood Club for putting on a successful event.

Below is the Alberta Provincial Team after two races. Provincial Team Criteria

A-Team
-K1W-
Jessica Groeneveld
Marissa Dederer
Haley Daniels
-K1M-
Paul Manning-Hunter
Chris McTaggart
Ben Hayward
Connor Curson
Toby Roessingh
Graham Jobe
Idan Wolach
-C1-
Vince Osborne
Mike Holroyd
Hayden Daniels

B-Team
-K1-
David Manning
Greg Hunter
Levi Severtson
Jesse Gillies
Adrian Cole
Mathew Frank
-C1-
Chuck Lee
James Waldie

C-Team

D-Team

Need skills signed off: (talk to your coach)
JJ
Darius
Ashley C1
Hanna
Veronica

National Team Trials - Ottawa

2009-06-15T08:26:00.000-07:00

National Team Trials was a great event put on by the Ottawa River Runners. For the first time since 2000 the Pumphouse was able to host a National event, and the new and improved site is impressive.

Alberta paddlers represented their province impressively. A big Thank You to Toby & Karen for helping out with the coaching and logistics.

Congratulations to all the athletes who made their respective National Team.

Jessica Groeneveld & Ben Hayward paddled confidently onto the Senior National Team showing continued success from the Innisfail and Edmonton Clubs.

Graham Jobe, Marissa Dederer & Hayden Daniels showed fine form in qualifying for the Junior National Team. The Calgary atheles saw their hard work pay off.

Paul Manning-Hunter and Thomas & Daniel Purcell qualifed for the Senior Development Team in fine form while their junior counterparts AJ Cole & Jesse Gilles made the Junior B-Team.

See the link below for more news on the event.

Canadian Sport Centre newsletter

Full race results available here:

Directions to Alberta Cup # 2

2009-06-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

Take the second overpass(exit 368 I think) in to Innisfail. After you
loop back over the highway, merge right so you can turn right(north),
at the first set of lights(turn north on to HWY 2A). Head north on
hwy 2A for about 2 miles. You will see a big green grain elevator
with "NIOBE" on the west side of 2A. Turn left(west) just after the
elevator. Head one mile west to the next major road labeled "C&E
trail" on those little blue corner sings. Turn right(north) on the
C&E trail, which winds a bit, until TWP RD 364(township) and turn
left(west). Just before the township road there will be an elk farm
to the west with bird houses on the top of all the fence posts, then a
big pond on the left as well. After turning west on TWP RD 364 head
west all the way to the end of the TWP RD where it will curve sharply
to the left(south). Just after it turns south, turn right(west) down
on to the private road that leads to our site. Our site is all the
way down at the end of the road.

On the google it calls the C&E trail RR 283B, RR 283A and 50th Ave
(which it turns in to in Innisfail).

And if all else fails, here are the GPS coordinates of our site :
52.106317, -113.989463

I know it sounds kinda crazy, and yes, it is in the middle of nowhere,
but the map should help, and we are planning on having signs,

Looking forward to seeing you there,

James.

Driving Directions
Link:

Alberta Cup # 2 - Innisfail

2009-06-04T08:08:00.000-07:00

Cottonwood Kayak Club

Novice Race and Alberta Cup # 2

June 6th & 7th , 2009

*Saturday June 6th *

Registration 9:00 AM

Morning Clinic 10:00 – 11:30 AM

Lunch break

Afternoon Clinic 1:30 – 3:00 PM

Bar-b-que 5:00 PM

Evening paddle 7:00 PM (possible Polo or river trip)

Campfire

*Sunday June 7th *

Registration 9:00 AM

Racers / Judges meeting 9:30 AM

First Runs 10:00 AM

Lunch 12:00 noon

Second Runs 1:00 PM

Awards

Saturday Bar-b-que, buy hamburgers & smokies, potluck desert and salad

Concession on site Saturday and Sunday

Event cost $ 60

Breakdown: Clinics each $ 15 / Camping $ 15 / Race $ 15

Pre-register at _slcgelb@xplornet.com slcgelb@xplornet.com>_

Pay on site

No Camping hook-ups, must be self contained

For info call Mac 403 – 506 – 7502 or email _callmac@xplornet.com callmac@xplornet.com>_

Camping available Friday night

Alberta Provincial Team after race 1

2009-05-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

A Team	B Team	C Team	D Team
Vince Osborne	Chuck Lee	Jesse Gillies	Levi Severtson
Jessica Groeneveld	Adrian Cole		Hayden Daniels
Marissa Dederer	Mathew Frank
Paul Manning-Hunter	David Manning
Chris McTaggart	Greg Hunter
Ben Hayward	Haley Daniels
Connor Curson
Toby Roessingh
Graham Jobe

Alberta Cup # 1 - Results

2009-05-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

The First Alberta Cup of the 2009 season is behind us. It was made a great success by all the volunteers who organized the race and help judge and time. The electronic timing and penalties got its warm up for the Nationals and PanAms held here the August 2009 long weekend. Results were up between runs, adding to the success of the event.

The Alberta Cups are the qualifiers for the 2009 Alberta Team. Below are the results plus your current Alberta Team Standings. Congratulations to all those who made their respective teams! For information on the criteria please visit the ASCK website http://www.albertawhitewater.ca/asck/AB_team.htm. ASCK coaches and Club coaches can sign off on the skills portion of the C and D teams. If your skills have not been signed off yet, please organize a time to have this done.

The quality of paddling was great to see so close to National Team Trials. With 14 Alberta athletes, and two coaches, going to National Team Trials it looks like it will be a great race. We will keep you posted on progress.

The next Alberta Cup is hosted by Cottonwood June 6,7th. Till then, keep your blades in the water!

Alberta Cup # 1 - Kananaskis AB, May 10, 2009
	First Name	Last Name	Best time	Percentage behind class winner (AB Team Percent)	Percent Behind fastest	Alberta Team	Skills signed off by
C1JM	Hayden	Daniels	274.26	227.9	294.0	D	Mike
C1MM	Vince	Osborne	120.32	100	129.0	A	N/A
	Chuck	Lee	186.75	155.2	200.2	B	N/A
K1JM	Graham	Jobe	101.57	108.9	108.9	A	N/A
	Adrian	Cole	120.5	129.2	129.2	B	N/A
	Jesse	Gillies	169.13	181.3	181.3	C	Mike
	Levi	Severtson	254.2	272.5	272.5	D	Mike
K1JW	Marissa	Dederer	123.99	116.6	132.9	A	N/A
K1M	Paul	Manning	93.3	100	100	A	N/A
	Chris	McTaggart	93.45	100.2	100.2	A	N/A
	Ben	Hayward	94.36	101.1	101.1	A	N/A
	Connor	Curson	98.13	105.2	105.2	A	N/A
	Toby	Roessingh	102.33	109.7	109.7	A	N/A
	Jon	Allen	103.01	110.4	110.4	N/A	N/A
	Matthew	Frank	113.7	121.9	121.9	B	N/A
	David	Manning	121.88	130.6	130.6	B	N/A
K1MM	Greg	Hunter	151.93	162.8	162.8	B	N/A
K1W	Jessica	Groeneveld	106.36	100	114.0	A	N/A
	Haley	Daniels	132.18	124.3	141.7	B	N/A

Penguin Race results

2009-05-04T14:54:00.000-07:00

eat Race! 20degrees, sunny, no wind. Can't get much better. We had 27 racers on the weekend ripping it up at Deerfoot Meadows. Prizes ranged from PenguinWine, Penguin books, Penguin chocolate and some cool Peguin etched glass.

Thanks to everyone who helped making food, judging and making it fun and safe for all. This was the first Annual, and I hope it will become a staple of the Alberta slalom season.

We had some new comers, some former National Champions, and lots on the way up in their careers. Everyone raced hard and it showed. I got to be at the finish line for the race and there was plenty of pain during the finish sprint.

Below are the results from Saturday. Congratulations to all, especially those whose first race, on the river, this was. See you back next year!

Name	Age Cat	Class 1	Best total	Percentage

Paul Manning- Hunter	Sr	K1M	74.9	100
Chris McTaggart	Sr	K1M	75.9	101.3351
Connor Curson	Sr	K1M	76.4	102.0027
Toby Roessingh	Sr	K1M	81.2	108.4112
Matt Frank	Sr	K1M	87.2	116.4219

Graham Jobe	Jr	K1M	81.8	109.2123
AJ Cole	Jr	K1M	96.9	129.3725
Levi Severtson	Jr	K1M	113.1	151.0013

Idan Wolach	Cadet	K1M	123.6	165.02
JJ	Cadet	K1M	139.7	186.5154
Bradan J	Cadet	K1M	182.7	243.9252
Darius R	Cadet	K1M	253.8	338.8518
Tate	Cadet	K1M	322.9	431.1081

Jessica Groenveld	Sr	K1W	90.7	121.0948
Haley Daniels	Sr	K1W	93.9	125.3672
Colleen C	Sr	K1W	378.4	505.2069

Karen Daniels	Masters	K1W	299.3	399.5995

Marissa Dederer	Jr	K1W	97.9	130.7076
Roni Wolach	Jr	K1W	118.8	158.6115

Vince Osbourne	Sr	C1M	90.4	120.6943
Toby Roessingh	Sr	C1M	107.3	118.6947
Matt Frank	Sr	C1M	111.3	148.5981

Hayden Daniels	Jr	C1M	124.7	166.4887

Chuck Lee	Masters	C1M	117.9	157.4099

Purcell/Purcell	Sr	C2	92.7	123.765
Frank/Curson	Sr	C2	111.5	120.2805
Colleen/Toby	Sr	C2	176.5	235.6475

Karen/Logan	Cadet/Masters	C2	278	371.1615
Karen/Kylie	Cadet/Masters	C2	320	427.2363

kayakers have other talents

2009-04-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.myspace.com/theadrenalinerush

check it out hes a kayaker and he raps about kayaking!
click on the song the river

Where's the river?

2009-04-26T10:48:00.001-07:00

Penguins postponed one week

2009-04-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

Due to inclement weather we will postpone the Calgary Penguin Race till May 2nd. Everything else will remain the same.