River Masters

 

So what makes canoe slalom so enthralling to participate in or watch? As one of the few extreme Olympic sports, canoe slalom is an adrenalin-fuelled ride down some of nature’s most challenging white water. Paddlers are required to negotiate a course of up to 25 gates, without touching, all the while demonstrating immense skill, stamina, and courage to chance victory. It's fast and exhilarating, and perfect training for running big white-water rivers.

 

Looking back

The roots of canoe slalom on white water can be traced back to 11 September 1932 in Switzerland. However, when World War II started, just six years after the first canoe slalom competition was held, the development of the sport was set back.

 

It was only once the war ended that the first Canoe Slalom World Championships, under the patronage of the ICF, was organised in 1949 in Geneva, Switzerland. Thereafter, its history can be broken down into three significant periods.

 

• 1949-1972 was characterised by dramatic changes. Folding and rigid canvas canoes were replaced with fibreglass reinforced plastic boats at championship events.

 

• 1972-1992 was filled with changing and simplifying slalom rules, and the hope that slalom would become an Olympic sport again. During this time, there were also dramatic changes in boat construction.

 

• 1992 to present day signalled the reintroduction of canoe slalom at the 1992 Olympic Games. Further changes were made to the slalom rules, including that of the penalty and two-run system. The sport also saw a massive increase in interest outside of its traditional home of Europe and North America to all other continents. The introduction of the Women Canoe Class in the 2010 World Championship programme heralded another milestone and demonstrated real progression towards gender equity.

 

Canoe slalom came to South Africa in '80s and since then it has slowly taken off. Today, there are a number of high-profile events littering the calendar, which are attracting an increasing number of local and international athletes. Although growth of the sport in South Africa has been slow due to a lack of suitable facilities for racing and training and South Africa's reliance on rainfall a major factor, this is all set to change because of a renewed focus on developing the sport towards Rio 2016 and the 2020 Olympic Games. The Canoeing South Africa Canoe Slalom Committee has developed a grass-roots plan that will see slalom being brought to all provinces by 2016. It is also being punted as one of the best disciplines to do when starting out because of the skill set that one develops by practising it. Many of the country's top paddlers, like Andrew Birkett, Len Jenkins, and Ant Stott, participated in slalom in their junior days! It is also extremely beginner friendly, as there's always safety on hand and races are generally held on rapids that have a large pool at the bottom.

 

Getting started

All you need is a boat, paddle, one or two poles to hang above the water, some water, and a stopwatch. Oh, and other people to race against is a handy addition. There are two classes of boats; kayak and canoe. In a kayak, you sit in the boat and use a two-bladed paddle to move forward, while in a canoe you kneel in the boat and use a single-bladed paddle.

 

Competition categories

Canoe slalom paddlers compete in five categories. For the men there is Kayak Singles (K1), Canoe Singles (C1) and Canoe Doubles (C2). The women race in the Kayak Singles (K1) at the Olympics and Canoe Singles (C1) at non-Olympic events.

 

Speed and precision

Canoe slalom is an individual time trial down a set course of poles, or gates, which hang above the water. The gates are placed in a specific order and in a certain direction, with green gates being negotiated in a downstream direction and red gates in an upstream direction. If a paddler touches a gate - either with the paddle, boat, buoyancy aid, helmet or any part of their body - they will receive a two-second penalty. If they miss a gate or negotiate it in the wrong direction, a fifty-second penalty is added to their running time - a wipeout in serious competition! The combined score of time and penalties determine the finish order. The course is usually 100 seconds long and can be done on any water, from flat-water dams to the biggest and most powerful artificial Olympic courses. Each participant gets two runs down the course, with the best of these counting towards their final score.

 

Competition format

Local events normally consist of 10 to 15 gates on easy rapids, while the National Championships usually consist of the full 18- to 25-gate course on more challenging water. International events are always on a full course and on quite challenging white water. After two runs, times are calculated and the top half of the field go through to the semi finals. In the semi finals, paddlers only do one run, which counts towards their ranking. The top ten athletes then go through to the finals, where, once again, only one run counts! The pressure at international events is huge, not only because of the tough competition but because just one touch of a gate can result in a massive drop of ten positions on the leader board! To be one of the 40 boats that qualify for the semi finals at the annual World Championships, racing is incredibly tight, as you are required to be around four seconds off the pace of the leader. Five seconds behind and there's a good chance you won't make it through to the semi finals!