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National Student Rodeo : be a hero!

Hello! If you’ve not met us yet, I’m Flo, and I’m Eddy, we are FlowFree’s mascots. We join the FlowFree coaches & friends on adventures all over the world as well as tagging along on FlowFree courses & trips to cause mischief! So far we’ve been to Scotland, Uganda, New Zealand among other places… (follow our adventures on facebook).

Eddy in Uganda Flo runs the Orchy

Earlier this month we went along to the National Student Rodeo in Nottingham. We’d heard a lot about it as FlowFree has been attending the event for 10 years and sponsoring it for 6. With over 1000 people in attendance, this is the biggest “freestyle” event in the World, but it’s like no other freestyle event we’ve ever seen.

Duos going up in smoke

view from looping pool

Almost every university had set themselves up with a shanty-town style base along the grassy banks of the man-made white water course and with some epic team effort fancy dress outfits, wall-to-wall sunshine and awesome tunes blasting out, it is no wonder the whole weekend has a carnival vibe (which incidentally is the theme of next year’s event).

flowfree van at rodeo

Incredibles at NSR

kayak in bg

We were on the look-out for awesome on-the-water fancy dress, as the boss had said we could give away a day’s coaching for the one that impressed us the most. With an awesome theme to the weekend of Heroes & Villans, there were some great costumes around. We had special “SuperFlo” and “SuperEddy” costumes prepared and wore them all weekend!

Minion on the water

As this is a student event, the party is LEGEN…

…wait for it…

NSR Party

…DARY!

We were keen to experience it for ourselves – our first big party – so we donned our capes and pulled down our masks…

flo n lee party

flo and low
The boss, Lowri, dressed as SuperFlo too!

Our little heads are a bit fuzzy as to the details, but we remember millions of minions, the whole cast of thunderbirds (with ships), many disturbing wonderwomen, generally far too much lycra and then far too little!

Flo recovering from the legendary NSR party
Flo recovering from the party!

One of our favourite moments of the event was the novice ladies final… what a spectacle! Most of those girls had barely been on moving water before and there they were chucking themselves into a stopper, dressed in silly costumes and trying to outdo one another in the realms of the ridiculous to impress the crowd (and judges). Massive congratulations to Katy Farmer who finished in 1st place and has bagged herself 2-days of coaching with us! Ooooh, good prize!

Pulling out all the stops. Novice Ladies Final.

Congratulations also to St Andrews University for putting that fabled student procrastination time to good use by turning a plain old red Dagger G-Force into an awesome Spiderman-boat. This photo doesn’t do it any justice as the real art was on the front and hull, but it does involve a shudder rudder! They win themselves a day of FlowFree coaching too.

spider-boat

Thanks to everyone involved for an awesome weekend. See you next year… we are planning our Carnival costumes already! Eddy loves colourful feathers…

judging

Flo & Eddy

Photos with thanks to Lowri Davies, P.Y. Photographic, River Legacy, Amy Brocklehurst and Liz Forshaw.

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Freeride fun at Tryweryn

We picked up our new Palm FX PFDs just as the sun came out and water came spilling from the dam on our backgarden run, the Tryweryn. It would’ve rude not to go and play!

Hope the funky beats get you excited for a summer of making fun lines on the river, wherever you are…

…and if you’ve not got your summer trip planned yet we have a couple of places left for the French Alps 22-29th June and Austria 3-10th August. Drop us a line if you want more info!

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FlowFree representing GBR in 2012

Last month I returned to competitive freestyle with a bang, bagging myself a spot on the 2012 GB Freestyle Team. I was particularly chuffed with beating the current World Champ on Sunday’s competition 🙂

Beating the best

The full team has just been announced on the GB Team website if you’re interested. The date and venue of the 2012 European Champs is yet to be confirmed, but I’m stoked to be part of the team and look forward to training with everyone again.

Fran will also be out representing Great Britain next year as the newest member of the GB Ladies Rafting 1st-team. The GB Ladies Team is one of the best in the World so this is a huge achievement, so congratulations Fran!

GB Ladies Raft Team

We’ll keep you updated on both of our progress on the international stage next year.

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Fancy a Dramatic Slideshow?

On February 7th I’ll be talking about a variety of my adventures from around the globe as part of the High Sport Winter Lecture series, based in Shrewsbury. I’ll share tales from Siberia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Uganda, Norway and more… and since I’ll be fresh back from paddling in Colombia I should have some exciting new tales too!

Searching for first descents Money Drop Exploring Georgia

The series is a fantastic initiative to help raise funds for the Youngsters in the Mountains scheme which aims to help youngsters realise their dreams through outdoor adventures. Famous names such as Andy Kickpatrick and Leo Houlding have been involved in the past so I am honoured to have been asked to be a part of it this year.

So if you fancy an evening of tall tales and awesome photos come along! Tickets for the talks, which happen every month between now and March, can be purchased on the High Sport shop.

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Races, carnage and silly boats – what a great weekend!

TrywerynFest : a weekend of coaching clinics, free demo boats, trade stands and epicly hilarious events. Of course, we were there in force, with FlowFree coaches claiming several podium finishes and running coaching clinics but most importantly having a jolly old time!

Lowri coaching at TrywerynFest
Lowri does some playboat coaching at the newly improved Campsite Wave (aka Super Wave)

Fun in King of the Wave
Fun times in the King of the Wave event

Saturday’s highlights definitely included the Big Dog Freeride event, where you had one minute to impress the judges by doing anything you liked on any part of the the river between the raft take-out and and NRA. Be careful when you say “anything goes” to a bunch of paddlers, you never know what you’ll get!

Impressing the judges?

Big up to Pete Woods for some impressive head stands and somersaults with bells on from an inflatable “orca”. Gez’s seal-lauch into fingers was inspired and there were some funky moves pulled off by Tim Burne and local boys Vito and Beesley but I somehow beat them all to win the “new school” category. There was no competing with the boys in orcas for the “spirit of the games” awards though!!

Pete Woods with Bells!

Saturday also saw a cool new relay race, where teams of 3 had to choose one boat and one paddle that they would all use. The boats were lined up at the top of Ski Slope and there was a mass-start in middle car park, where the first racers from each team ran up to their boat, hurredly pulled on their deck and raced on down the river through Ski Slope, International Wave and Davies Bridge. At this point they had to make an eddy on river left, where racer 2 was waiting. As people piled into the same eddy, trying to get to their team mate, the first racer had to get out of the boat and pass it to racer 2 , who has to run with it to above Davies’ before launching in and racing down river to cafe wave. It was here that the final racers awaited. The field had spread but the small change-over eddies soon had everyone battling to try and be first down fingers and towards the finish banner at NRA. A last minute entry of Tim Burne, Dan Heyworth and Danny Young took the win.

Saturday evening we were treated to a first look at the footage from a recent China expedition which featured some local heros such as Tom McLay, Simon Tapley, Rob Litherland, “Crazy” Dave Thompson and James Shrimpton.  We watched in awe as the guys tackled some of the biggest white water on the planet in cold and remote mountain regions. By the end of the video I think most people were either itching to get on an adventure of their own or glad that they only had to face the Tryweryn tomorrow! As custom would dictate, there were of course a few beverages in a local establishment afterwards.

Sunday morning came with a few weary heads, but also the event we’d all been waiting for after the epic hilarity of last year. The Palm 8-ball race is a boater-x with a difference. You race in heats of 4 with a couple of downstream gates to go around, but watch out! There are “blockers” in various places along the course, usually involving a big inflatable orca, so being in the lead isn’t always to your advantage!

Blocker carnage in the 8-ball
Lowri getting smashed by an orca while in the lead

Blocker at NRA
Another big impact in the same race!

The great thing about 8-ball is that there is a massive random element to it. You never know what’s gonna happen! In the end our own Dave Hollins took the win in the open and Lynsey Evans took the ladies, pipping me to it in the final eddy after a great neck and neck race. Fran was victim to dirty blocker tactics when her deck was pulled, though apparently I’d been the original target… shame I was too speedy for them 😉

Carnage in the Ladies Final

More carnage

The silliness and carnage was not over yet though! It was soon time for the King of the Wave. Choice of craft was tactical: choose a manoeuvrable little playboat or go for a big boat that will wipe out the opposition? I went for the Dagger Green, deciding that the comedy value was well worth the lack of manoeuvrability. Dave Hollins went for an orca, there was a Speeder and a Fusion, all sorts of creek boats and a plethora of playboats.

King of the Wave

Myself and Dave managed to get a couple of classic moments where we wiped everyone else off the wave, but in the end it was the Fusion that won out with Tim Burne at the helm.

Fusion for the win!

All that was left to do now was claim our tea and medals – quite literally.

TrywerynFest is a fantastic weekend of fun and frolics – whether you wish to compete in the events or not, there is loads going on from demos to coaching and a river to paddle for free. But the carnage is definitely worth watching!! Make sure you come along next year, it’s not to be missed. So see you there, I’ll most likely be the one under an orca…

All photos with thanks to Sam Beesley, Alex MacGregor and Palm Equipment.

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TVF birthday freestyle fun

A few weeks ago FlowFree helped to support the Thames Valley Freestyler’s 4th birthday event, held in Cardiff. The day was full of events designed to be fun for all abilities with most prizes and encouragement going to those who gave it their all and made other people smile.

Here’s a short video from the day, for a full write-up check out the organiser’s blog.

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Hula dancing makes you a better playboater?

Last weekend I went across to North Ireland’s Tollymore centre for the CANI Paddlefest – which turned out to be an excellent weekend that got people boating, trying new things and provided inspiration for paddlers of all disciplines, ages and abilities.

Bank-based coaching

I kicked off proceedings on Friday with a photo slideshow of the expedition to Georgia I led last August. I hoped to inspire paddlers to get out on adventures of their own, or visit Georgia… or both. There certainly seemed to be plenty of “bar chat” of future Georgia trips or other potential destinations that evening, so I guess I managed that!

Throughout Saturday and Sunday there were a range of courses and workshops that participants could sign up to. I was running an expedition river skills workshop and armed with a hand drawn river map, I headed out with 6 lovely paddlers for a day on the Blackwater Weirs. Despite low water this proved to be an excellent coaching venue for working on group dynamics, lateral momentum and key strokes for drops and stoppers.

Punching stoppers

Happy group at Blackwater

Sunday was a little slower off the mark and with a shorter session we were only able to venture as far as a tidal spot, which provided enough flow to work on efficient ferrying and driving across boily eddylines. Once the tide became slack, we returned to where iCanoe had a bunch of demo boats on offer – allowing us to give people an intro to playboating or work on their double pump while others practiced their rolls or just tried out different boats. We also discovered that lean-cleaning uses the exact same motions as hula dancing… so dig out your hula hoop!

Playing with play boats

Double Pump coaching

Stern stalling

Showing off

More photos and comments from the weekend can be found on our facebook page.

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CANI Paddlefest

The Canoe Association of Northern Ireland run an annual Paddlefest at Tollymore, near Belfast. The theme of this year’s paddlefest is expedition paddling and I’ve been asked to go over and give a talk about my most recent expedition to Georgia. Over the weekend I will also be delivering some of the expedition themed workshops and coaching sessions on offer.

CANI Paddlefest

It looks set to be a great weekend, so if you fancy checking it out – see www.cani.org.uk for more details.

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Tryweryn Fest 2010

Back in September, the first ever Tryweryn Festival was held – one of the first events to involve almost all the UK market’s manufacturers. With loads of demo boats available, coaching sessions and loads of fun events all weekend – this promised to be an excellent event.

Demo Boats

I was there running some FlowFree coaching sessions – as well as getting involved with some of the events. Here’s a summary of a fun, wet weekend in Wales.

Saturday was full of events such as the Dynamic Duo rolling contest and the eddy-hop challenge: where you had to try and get as far back up the graveyard as you could from the slalom hut.

Duo rolling

Saturday also saw a “multi-sport race”, which involved running up the Tryweryn, kayaking down and mountain biking back up, round a short course and down again to the finish-line by Chapel Falls. Sadly there were only a few entrants but competition was hot as everyone wanted to beat their mates! Carl Mitchell did a cheeky over-take to beat Lynsey Evans to the top spot.

For those of a less competitive nature, there was an en-masse paddle down to Bala or plenty of opportunity to just play about on the upper section. As well as quality coaching sessions available; from an intro to white water up to nailing those eddies on the Graveyard.

After an evening of films, food and beers; Sunday’s events got going. The morning’s big event was the 8-ball race – an utterly hilarious head-to-head race where various moving obstacles came out to get you at every turn.

8-ball carnage

More carnage

Racing
Photos by Paul Smith

Having already completed a morning’s playboat coaching session I was stoked to make it into the Open final (after 5 knockout rounds) and finish in 3rd over all. But then the organisers decided to run a Ladies-only final too! Race no. 6…. and this time I got 2nd, to the legend that is Lynsey Evans.

Just enough time to collect my prizes and get a quick sugar fix, it was time for the freestyle at NRA wave. This event was all about fun and encouraging others – and prizes were only given to non-sponsored paddlers. The jam format of the heats allowed everyone to have fun and try some new moves and throw in some old school. Everyone loves the shudder-rudder-to-air-guitar combo!

Deck grab


Photos taken by: Adrian Trendall

All in all, I think this event showed a lot of promise. Getting all the manufacturers involved meant there was something for everyone. It was a shame that the rain and clash with WWPF meant numbers weren’t as high as they could have been – but hopefully next year at least one of those factors will be arranged differently!

Hope to see you there next year!

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Newsletter : April 2010

Hello and welcome to the latest FlowFree newsletter!

Well February and March were very busy indeed here at FlowFree. We’ve run trips abroad, freestyle courses, safety courses, week-long bespoke courses, BCU courses and white water skills courses of all varieties. And our coaches have been just as busy in their spare time: slalom competitions (see below), ski trips, Level 5 development, open boating and much more besides…

New Course Dates Online
We’ve now put all of our course dates for the whole of this year online so you can chose a date to suit you. Of course, if you do not find the course you would like on a date to suit you, just get in touch – we may well be able to arrange (or re-arrange) something for you. Check out our course calendar.

New Confidence Booster Course
Due to popular demand, FlowFree now offers a two-day confidence boosting course for anyone who feels that their inhibitions hold them back on the river. Confidence is a delicate thing and without it, no-one can paddle at their best. Losing your confidence can happen to anyone, of any standard. There may be a trigger – perhaps a you’ve had a bad experience or had a long gap since your last white water adventure – but sometimes you just seem to lose your mojo. We understand how frustrating this can be and would like to help you past that mental block towards happy, relaxed and enjoyable paddling at whatever level you’re at. Low ratios and highly experienced coaches ensure that you will have a very productive weekend, tailored to your needs. For more info and dates, click here.

FlowFree in France this Summer
From mid-June to early July, Lowri will in the French Alps and available for coaching courses, guided trips and playboating clinics. During this time, she will also be running Big Wave courses on demand on the Hawaii-sur-Rhone wave in Lyon. Whether you are freestyle whiz-kid or a river boater who fancies the thrill of surfing a giant standing wave, Lowri can help you to make the most of your time at H-S-R. Our “Intro to Big Wave Surfing” courses have been extremely successful in the past, with big smiles and great feedback every time. Why not come and join the fun? Lyon is perfect if you are on your way to or from the Alps or just fancy a few days of big wave fun as a short break from work.

For more information or to arrange some coaching in France this summer, just reply to this email or give us a call.

Student Boater-X, France
While we’re on the subject of paddling in sunny climes; we’ve just confirmed that we will be sponsoring the 2010 Student Boater-x which takes place on the Durance at l’Argentiere. This event is close to our hearts as our very own Tom Laws was the creator and original organiser of what has become a rip-roaringly fun event. Any Uni groups who will be in the French Alps on 11-12th June should definitely go along. It’s free!

Can we do better?
“To stand still is to go backwards.” – we understand the importance of always seeking to improve. Your feedback is really important to us, which is why we have made it even easier with an online form. If you have recently been on a course with us, please give us any feedback you may have. We take on board anything people take the time to send to us, so whether positive or negative, we want to hear from you!

New Coaching Staff
We take great care in choosing who we employ and have strict criteria: they must be an experienced and passionate paddler who is able to pass on this knowledge, technique and tactics to others through great coaching skills. But most of all, they should be people that we like spending time with and that we think our clients will like too. That’s why we are excited to announce David Fairweather as the latest member of regular FlowFree staff. Dave is an experienced white water paddler who over the past 15 years has paddled in Nepal, Kyrgystan, Morocco, Norway, Italy, India… the list goes on. You can read more about Dave’s adventures and passion for coaching on our About Us section, or check out some of his glowing customer feedback in our testimonials.

Palm Big Paddle
We are proud to announce that FlowFree will be running clinics and will have a stand at the Palm Big Paddle at Symmonds Yat on May 15-16th. If you haven’t heard about the Big Paddle, check out www.thebigpaddle.com – something for everyone!

Slalom Success
After whimsically saying she’d enter a slalom, Lowri realised she had just 4 days back in the UK before she was supposed to race in a Div 1 (for those who don’t know much about slalom, it has leagues like football, which go from Premier down to Div 4 – Premier is for very good people, usually GB Team and those sponsored for slalom who regularly train, so Div 1 is kinda like the best of the rest). There were a few problems with this plan: a) She had been in a slalom boat just twice, ever before b) She didn’t own, nor have access to a slalom boat c) The only rules she knew about slalom were that you had to go through the sticks. In order. Fast.

Luckily, Lowri found a slalom boat, someone told her what the beeping at the start meant and she didn’t miss any gates – resulting in her finishing middle of the field and being granted a rank in Div 1 for future races. Well done!

More Congratulations!
To FlowFree coaches David Fairweather and Lowri Davies for becoming Aspirant BCU Level 5 coaches earlier this month. We wish you luck with your continued coach development!

That’s all for now. We look forward to see you on the water sometime soon!

The FlowFree Team

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