July HPPCC update

News
Dear Paddler


Well i hope that you are all enjoying the summer and the wonderful weather that we have been having recently.

Before we get into club matters please take heed of some important safety advice from the emergency services.  This warm weather has caused a major growth of weed and algae in ponds and lakes and the weed can trap the unwary.  Don’t dive down below the surface in ponds or lakes and check carefully any areas you might use for practicing rescues or capsizes.  As a club we will be inspecting the pond carefully before each session to ensure the safety of our paddlers.

Now on to club news.
We are hosting a come and try raft racing session on the 4th August for anyone interested in trying out raft racing as a potentially competitive paddle sport discipline. This will be aimed at anyone over the age of 16 who may be interested in getting involved with raft racing and keen to progress, and develop any existing paddling abilities through a different and exciting way. The sessions will last 1½ hours, running at 13:00 and will be repeated at 15:00.

There will only be 8 spaces available for each session, so if you are interested please get your name down quickly. Any kit you may need can be provided but please bring regular paddling attire.  The sessions are on the flat not the WW course.  Bookings will be through Eventzilla, on the club event portal, but payment for the session of £5 per person will be on the day at the club.

If you need any further information, please contact either [email protected] or @NottsRaftRacing on facebook.

Calling all young people between 14 and 24.  The club is to become a registered centre to deliver the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and will in September be able to register young people to take part in the DofE.  The DofE awards have three levels, Bronze, Silver and Gold and club members will be able to register at the appropriate level for their age.  We will be able to offer the Physical section (going paddling!), Volunteering (coaching or supporting the club as a volunteer), and hopefully should we get enough to form a team, the Expedition section by canoe or kayak.  If you are interested please speak to Andy Brown or Christina Noakes at the club or email [email protected] for more information about how you can take part.

This is a fantastic opportunity to work towards the leading personal development award in the country and it looks fantastic on your CV, as well as helping you to develop leadership and teamwork skills.  Unlike school based groups we will be planning our delivery around the paddling calendar.

Personal Performance Awards
We still have some spaces on the intensive training course this weekend for 2 star, and this is an ideal environment to work with coaches for two full days to ensure that your paddling comes on in leaps and bounds.  Even if you don’t want to end up paddling an open canoe, learning to use a single blade helps refine your kayaking skills and gives a deeper understanding of the strokes and how the paddle works.

Please book through eventzilla on the club website.  If you have booked but not received an acknowledgement email for the course then please contact [email protected] as we have had a few people having issues.

3 star intensive flat water training session
This Saturday the 28th of July, there will be an intensive 3 hour training session for those wanting to work on their 3 star skills.  Ideal for those who need to tweak aspects of their performance or get one of those tricky strokes mastered.  The session will run from 1pm to 4pm and will cost £5 payable on the day.  No need to book for this, please just see Dawn at the start of the session to let me know that you want to take part.  Canoe and kayak skills will be offered.

The new performance awards will be launched by British Canoeing at the end of this month and promise some exciting developments across all aspects of paddlesport.  Keep your eyes open on the British Canoeing website for the announcements.  All of these new awards will be available from the 1st of January 2019.  The existing star tests will be available up until the 31st of December 2018.

Finally there are a number of club members who seem to have forgotten to renew their membership recently.  Don’t forget to renew when you get your email reminder, and if you have changed your email address remember to contact the membership secretary on [email protected] so that you can sort out your renewals.

Your membership card should be at the bottom of your welcome email, if you haven’t received your membership card again please email Guy Wilson on [email protected] and he will help you to sort it out.  Membership cards should be brought to every club session and our fantastic volunteers will be checking them at the session book in point.

First Aid courses
A few members have requested first aid courses, so it is planned to run an 8 hour and a 16 hour course on the 6th and 7th of October, so if you are interested please email [email protected] remember that club coaches get their courses subsidised by the club as a thank you for volunteering their time.

Well enjoy your paddling, keep safe in the sun and enjoy finding new places to paddle this summer.

Regards
Dawn Scott
Club Chair.