Wildwater Camp and Development Squads

Early January saw Avoca Kayak Club (NSW) and Bendigo Canoe Club (VIC) come together at Eildon for a training camp on the Goulburn River with the focus on getting a number of our younger members introduced to some easy moving whitewater in both Downriver racing kayaks and plastic creek boats.

Many of the participants had some experience in Flatwater K1’s and some of the AKC members had some ski experience in surf life saving so it was a chance to expose these younger paddlers to the exciting discipline of whitewater.

Instruction was provided by Greg Cowling from Bendigo and Peter McIntyre from Avoca in relation to reading the water, how to eddy out and how to break out into the main current with the correct lean and paddle strokes.

The culmination of the training camp was a series of timed sprint races and also a 3Km Classic race in the downriver racing kayaks which was an open event that the 2 clubs put on free of charge to all comers. To that end it was great to see a number of other clubs attend from Canoes Plus Racing, Cobram Baronga and Geelong come and race.

The event was highly successful and the results are attached for both the sprint and the classic. A big thank you to Damien Guthrie and the VIC Wildwater committee for supplying medals for the event and also to Roy Farrance from Canoes Plus Racing, for supplying race bibs for The competitors. Also a big thank you to the many parents from Avoca and Bendigo who were involved in the timing and recording of the results.

Also a big highlight for the Avoca crew was a stop on the way home north to the Goobarragandra River near Tumut where Peter McIntyre and the Juniors paddled the river from the Hume and Hovell Reserve right through to the bottom of the grade 3 Trout farm rapid. The water was high and there was plenty of excitement and all the juniors paddled very well with great success in this water which was a big step up from the Goulburn river.

As a result of this camp both The VIC and NSW Wildwater committees have decided to create a Development Squad each in order to encourage the participants to develop in the sport of Wildwater Racing.

The NSW Downriver/Wildwater Development Squad Members are:

Harrison Blake
Huxley Luntungan
Ella Lawson
Erica Baker
Julian Glew
Jaxon Barnes

The Victorian Downriver/Wildwater squad is still be finalised however the following people are included:

Tom Elms
James Humphry
Sophie Hughes
Simon Watson
Damien Guthrie
Dita Pahl
Henry Livingstone
Clive Cromack
Emma Corrin

Cover Image: Instruction before paddling the Goob
Left: Harrison Blake racing DR at Eildon
Right: Paddling the Goob