News
Canoe Slalom 2012 Rankings
The canoe slalom rankings for the coming season were released at the end of November. A summary of our ranking paddlers is provided below. Congratulations again to Matt on his in-season promotion to Division 1 in both the Men's K1 class and the Men's C1 class.
| Name | Class | Division | Bib Number |
| Matt Cook | Men's K1 | 1 | 101 |
| Jacob Boswell | Men's K1 | 2 | 33 |
| Mark Stoner | Men's K1 | 2 | 36 |
| John Stoner | Men's K1 | 2 | 41 |
| Patrick Marriott | Men's K1 | 2 | 52 |
| Robbie Cook | Men's K1 | 2 | 60 |
| Sean Millward | Men's K1 | 2 | 80 |
| Sam Pateman | Men's K1 | 2 | 198 |
| Erin Scott | Women's K1 | 2 | 44 |
| Lizzie Collins | Women's K1 | 3 | 23 |
| Katherine Stoner | Women's K1 | 3 | 38 |
| Joseph Tallis | Men's K1 | 3 | 41 |
| Nick Willford | Men's K1 | 3 | 90 |
| Joseph Kidman | Men's K1 | 3 | 112 |
| Jamie Pateman | Men's K1 | 3 | 113 |
| Klay Hancock | Men's K1 | 3 | 128 |
| Samuel Crosskey | Men's K1 | 3 | 145 |
| Robert Parkinson | Men's K1 | 3 | 160 |
| Chris Row | Men's K1 | 3 | 255 |
| Issac Taylor | Men's K1 | 3 | 263 |
| Matt Cook | Men's C1 | 1 | 15 |
| Patrick Marriott | Men's C1 | 3 | 7 |
| Mark Stoner / Matt Cook | C2 | 2/3 | 39 |
| Mark Stoner / Robert Parkinson | C2 | 2/3 | 72 |
| Patrick Marriott / Sam Pateman | C2 | 2/3 | 94 |
| Mark Stoner / Joe Tallis | C2 | 2/3 | 127 |
Sowerby Bridge
18/10/11 - The trip to Sowerby Bridge this autumn was, as seems to be traditional for this destination, an eventful weekend. Last year we had Erin managing to lock John’s car keys in his boot, which of course everyone was pleased about. This year, to continue the tradition, Lizzy managed to injure herself warming up before she even got on the water… This affected her performance and kept Ruth busy but it still didn’t stop her from taking first prize in division 3. Soon after Lizzy’s trip John managed to break his fairly new paddles during practise. Unfortunately they broke towards the end of the course, so we didn't have comedy of John trying to make it down the course paddle-less. As if our luck couldn’t get much better, we soon found out that the water supply was contaminated with petrol at the bunk house, after having off-tasting juice and petrol-smelling showers. Everyone still managed to have a good time though, and it was a successful weekend with Lizzie winning the women's Division 3 K1 class on both days, Joe Kidman winning the men's Division 3 K1 Junior 18 prize on the Saturday, Patrick winning the Division 3 C1 Junior prize on both days, and Katherine being awarded the women's Division 3 K1 Junior prize on both days.
Thanks to Lyn, Craig and Ruth for their support—with catering, transport and nursing!
Katherine Stoner
Late Summer Slalom Competitions
25/09/11 - Congratulations to Lizzie Collins on her excellent performance at the Rhug canoe slalom competition. She beat all of the other Division 4 competitors by a clear minute, and also beat the winning Division 3 woman by 18 seconds. Impressive. Needless to say, she has earnt promotion to Division 3.
10/09/2011 - 2011 saw the Club for the first time being invited to compete at the National Inter-Club Championships. We were up against some of the leading slalom clubs in the country, and we managed to beat five of them!
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| John at Lee Valley Division 2 Canoe Slalom Competition |
06/08/11 - Another summer highlight was our outing to the Olympic Venue at Lee Valley, where we competed in a challenging Division 2/3 competition.
Other notable late summer successes include Sam Pateman's promotion to Division 2, and Sam Crosskey's promotion to Division 3. Well done guys. Sam Crosskey is one of seven of our Club to gain national ranking status this year.
Matlock Division 4 Canoe Slalom
11/07/11 - Congratulations to Chris Row and Isaac Taylor on their first and second places at the Matlock Division 4 (beginners) national ranking Canoe Slalom competition on Monday. Eleven Scouts and Explorers, competed at this evening event. It was a challenge to get everybody up to Matlock and back in the hours between school and bedtime, but we just about did it! We were awarded a total of six prizes.
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A distant Isaac Taylor at the Matlock Division 4 Canoe Slalom Competition |
Second Place for Sam at Peterborough
10/07/11 - Congratulations to Sam Pateman on his second place at the Orton Mere Division 3 competition on Sunday. A couple more results like this, and he'll be in Division 2!
The Washburn and Cardington
02/07/11 - The weekend of 1st and 2nd July was a very busy one for the Club, with eight members attending canoe slalom competitions at Cardington and the River Washburn in Yorkshire, and another three participating in an evasion hike in the Lake District.
The most notable success was Jamie Pateman's 3rd place, and promotion to Division 3 of the National league at Cardington. At the Washburn we won three prizes on the Saturday. Jake came 8th and won the Junior prize. Mark was awarded the Under 23 prize, and John, the Masters prize.
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| Patrick Marriott at the Washburn |
Llandysul Division 2/3 Canoe Slalom Competition
22/05/11 - Congratulations to Patrick Marriott on his promotion to Division 2 of the National Canoe Slalom League at Llandysul in May. Klay, Robbie, Patrick and John made the four and a quarter hour journey to Llandysul in South-West Wales to compete in this popular competition. Some heavy rain on the Saturday brought the low water levels up nicely for the Sunday to make an interesting course.
Bala Division 2/3 Canoe Slalom Competition
Congratulations to Matt Cook on his promotion to Division 1 of the National Canoe Slalom League in both kayak and canoe classes. Good results on Saturday 30th April at Bala gave him the necessary points.
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| Matt and Sean at Bala |
British Universities Canoe Polo Championships
17/04/11 - Four Break Out members and ex-members were at the British Universities Canoe Polo Championships at Doncaster on 16th and 17th April. Mark Stoner and Luke Smalley were competing for York, Louis Berridge was competing for Bristol and John Jackson for Nottingham Trent. The competition was stiff with some of the top teams in the country being present. Four pitches were created on the lake at Hatfield Water Park in order to enable the completion of scores of matches. The excellent weather and organisation helped to deliver a hugely enjoyable event.
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| Louis Berridge going for goal! |
Matt Locked and Loaded!
10/04/11 - Congratulations to Matt Cook on winning the Division 2 C1 event at the Matlock canoe slalom competition on both days. He also won the Under 18 K1 prize on the Sunday and is now on course for promotion to Division 1 of the national league in both C1 and K1 classes at the next competition.
Well done also to Jacob on acheiving his best result of the season, beating John for the first time on the Sunday. Full results are on the Results page.
John Stoner
Hot Potatoes, Keys, the RAC and a little Paddling..... Sowerby Bridge Division 2/3 Canoe Slalom
19/03/11 - Our third outing to the Sowerby Bridge Division 2/3 canoe slalom competition resulted in a haul of six prizes by our eight competitors. It was a very busy weekend - the competition was full a week beforehand, and the organisers had to return many entries - including one of ours.
Mark and Matt put in some terrific performances in the C2 to come away with a win on the Saturday and a second place on the Sunday, when they were beaten by a boat crewed by two Division 1 K1 paddlers. Matt is now paddling his C1 faster than most of our kayak paddlers! His 102 second run on the Sunday was faster than John in his kayak by two seconds and earnt him a second place and 857 promotion points. Matt also won the Division 2 K1 Under 18 prize on both days and is on course for promotion to Division 1 in both C1 and K1 within a few competitions.
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| Jake at Sowerby Bridge canoe slalom competition March 2011. Courtesy White Flyer Photography. |
The best Division 3 performance was from Patrick, who came fourth on the Sunday in the Men's K1 and won the under 14 prize. And we mustn't forget Klay, who won the Division 3 Under 18 prize on both days. We won't mention his placings...
There were encouraging performances from all of our paddlers, in an unusually high quality field.
This proved to be an unusually difficult slalom to organise, but it was worth it in the end! Thanks to Craig Pateman for towing the trailer and providing the food at the bunkhouse. Hopefully he wasn't put off by the flying baked potatoes...
Oh yes, and the keys: I've learnt that keys locked in the boot of my car can't be retrieved; not even by the RAC. So Mr RAC man drove down the M1 to pick up my spares from Erin's Dad, who had earlier retrieved them from my house. A slightly later night than I had been expecting...
John Stoner
More Level 1 Coach Successes
20/12/10 - Congratulations to Robbie Cook and Sean Millward on passing their Level 1 coach assessment at the weekend!
John Stoner
Canoe England Volunteer Recognition Awards
On Saturday December 4th 2010 at an awards ceremony at the annual Canoe England coach conference in Swindon, our head coach John Stoner was presented with the 2010 PaddlePower Coach of the Year award. The award was presented by Ian Wynne, Athens Olympic bronze medal winner in the men's K1 500m kayak sprint. 
This award was presented to John in recognition of his outstanding contribution as a qualified coach who is actively bringing more young people into paddlesport. Through his coaching and mentorship, Break Out Canoe Club members have regular access to canoe and kayaking. They have the opportunity to try out various aspects of paddlesport, have some fun and, if they want to, progress to great things.
On behalf of all Break Out Canoe Club coaches and committee members I would like to say Well Done to John on winning this award and Thank You to him for all his hard work!
Jo Gutteridge, Secretary
Orton Mere Winter Slalom
21/11/2010 - We competed at the Orton Mere Winter Slalom at the weekend, and won a total of eight prizes. Matt Cook was our highest placed competitor, producing excellent performances in both the K1 and C1.
John Stoner
2011 National Canoe Slalom Rankings
The canoe slalom rankings for the 2011 season were released at the end of November. A summary of our ranking paddlers is provided below. Congratulations again to Louis on his in-season promotion to division 1 in the men's K1 class.
| Name | Class | Division | Bib Number |
| Louis Berridge | Mens K1 | 1 | 103 |
| Matt Cook | Mens K1 | 2 | 25 |
| Mark Stoner | Mens K1 | 2 | 34 |
| John Stoner | Mens K1 | 2 | 39 |
| Jacob Boswell | Mens K1 | 2 | 56 |
| Robbie Cook | Mens K1 | 2 | 74 |
| Sean Millward | Mens K1 | 2 | 87 |
| Peter Smith | Mens K1 | 2 | 146 |
| Patrick Marriott | Mens K1 | 3 | 6 |
| Robert Parkinson | Mens K1 | 3 | 53 |
| Joe Kidman | Mens K1 | 3 | Not Ranked |
| Klay Hancock | Mens K1 | 3 | 59 |
| Sam Pateman | Mens K1 | 3 | 97 |
| Nick Willford | Mens K1 | 3 | 126 |
| Simon Chamberlain | Mens K1 | 3 | 180 |
| Erin Scott | Womens K1 | 2 | 20 |
| Lindsey Fitzpatrick | Womens K1 | 3 | 92 |
| Matt Cook | Mens C1 | 2 | 7 |
| Matt Cook / Robbie Cook | C2 | 2/3 | 20 |
| Mark Stoner / Louis Berridge | C2 | 2/3 | 30 |
| Sean Millward / Robbie Cook | C2 | 2/3 | 56 |
| Mark Stoner / Matt Cook | C2 | 2/3 | 68 |
| Sean Millward / Jacob Boswell | C2 | 2/3 | 86 |
| Colin Woodgate / Linz Fitzpatrick | C2 | 2/3 | 137 |
Level 1 Coach Successes
25/10/10 - Congratulations to Matt Cook and Jacob Boswell on passing their Level 1 coach assessment.
Sowerby Bridge Canoe Slalom
17/10/10 - Ten of our Scouts and Explorers attended this slalom competition at Sowerby Bridge in Yorkshire, our last of the season. It seemed a little odd going to a Division 2 event without Mark and Louis, who had both just started at University. However, the bright (if a little chilly) weather and decent water levels made for a really good weekend's canoeing. We were awarded a total of five prizes.
In the Men's Division 3 K1 class, newly-promoted Sam put in some really good performances to achieve mid-table positions on both days - a really good result for his first competition at this level. On the Sunday Patrick made fourth position in a field of 20, and earnt 850 promotion points. It's a shame that we're now at the end of the season - another couple of result like this, and he'd have been promoted! Joe's results continue to improve rapidly since his return to canoeing after a year off through injury, and he won the under 18 prize on both days. Nick wasn't happy with his performance, but still managed his best two results of the season.
In Division 2 Erin, Sean, Jacob and Robbie put in good solid performances. On the Saturday, Matt seemed to be a little subdued, and let coach John beat him in the Men's K1. On the Sunday he came out fighting and achieved a seventh place in a field of 52, winning the under 18 prize, and beating John who also had a good run, and a season's best result. And all that Matt had had the night before was sausages! Even more impressive was his performance in the Canadian (C1) event. He was awarded second place in a field of 10, and narrowly missed out on first place, with a run that was four seconds faster than the winner - shame about the four touches, which resulted in 8 seconds of penalties. I can see him being in Division 1 in both K1 and C1 early next season. Keep it up Matt!
Our fifth prize was the under 18 in the Canadian doubles competition (C2), which was won by Sean and Matt on the Saturday.
We once again stayed at the Scout bunkhouse near Hebden Bridge. Lyn cooked us all sausage and mash, and apple crumble on the Saturday evening. Matt set up his sound system and we listened to some soothing tunes from the likes of popular beat-combo Slipknot. The Explorers later felt the need to make the 10 minute walk t' local pub - presumably to apologise to the landlord for the noise? I think that t' sheep had had enough too...
Anyway, thanks to all for an excellent weekend - to Lyn for the cooking and arranging the accommodation, and to Wendy and Lisa for helping with the transport. Oh, and to Joe and Nick for the chocolate Father Christmas. Presents are always appreciated, but I really couldn't see the resemblance!
John Stoner
Fundraising Curry Night
On October 12th 2010 Break Out Canoe Club and the South Leicestershire Explorer Scout Unit held a fundraising Curry Night hosted by the Sunar Gow Restaurant, Broughton Astley.
A grand total of 58 District Exec members, Leaders, Canoe Coaches, Explorer Scouts, family and friends enjoyed an evening of Indian specialty dishes, good company and card tricks (courtesy of the restaurant manager)!
The event, including a raffle organized by Explorer parent Sandra Parkinson, raised a significant amount of money. Some of the funds raised will go towards the purchase of a smaller kayak to suit our 8 – 10 year old Cub Scouts.
South Leicestershire District would like to say a big ‘Thank You’ to the Sunar Gow and to say we will be back soon!!
Jo Gutteridge
Stone Division 3/4 Canoe Slalom
10/10/10 - Our third outing to Stone of the season produced three prizes. Robert put got another promotion-qualifying result, coming fifth, and winning the under 18 prize in the Division 3 K1 Men's class. Two more results like this, and he'll be promoted.
As expected, Sam Pateman completed a couple of excellent runs, came third, won the under 14 prize, and was promoted to Division 3. Our third prize went to Katherine, who won the under 14 prize in the Division 4 Women's K1 class.
Joe Tallis and Sam Swinfen were competing for the first time, and both did well considering that neither had even tried to negotiate a slalom gate before!
Thanks to Lyn, Lisa and Ruth for helping to transport our nine Explorers, Scouts, kayaks and associated equipment, and to Robbie and Sean for their support.
John Stoner
Goodbye Matt, Louis and Mark
02/10/10 - This month we say a (partial) goodbye to three of our longest serving, and most experienced members. Matt is now in York doing an apprenticeship in brick laying; Louis is off to Bristol University to study aeronautical engineering, and Mark is going to York University to study computer science. We wish them all the very best - you'll be missed guys! However, each has promised to continue to paddle with us during the holidays and at some weekend events.
Donations
02/10/10 - Many thanks to the Sir Andrew Martin Trust, the Florence Turner Trust, and the Rotary Club of Lutterworth for their recent donations. The money received will go towards the purchase of a fleet of new kayaks for our younger members.
Louis Promoted to Division 1 at Cardington
05/09/10 - Congratulations to Louis on winning the Division 2 Men's K1 event on the Sunday, and getting a second place on the Saturday. These results, together with impressive performances at competitions earlier in the season have given him promotion to Division 1 of the national league - the first member of Break Out canoe club to have achieved this remarkable feat.
Fourteen Scouts and Explorer Scouts, and three leaders competed at this combined Division 2, 3 and 3 canoe slalom event at Cardington near Bedford. This was a 'double' event, involving separate competitions on the Saturday and the Sunday. We had entries in all three divisions, with a record-breaking nine entries in Division 2.
We won four individual prizes in total. Robert gained second place in the Division 4 event on the Saturday and was promoted, and on the Sunday Simon Chamberlain did the same thing. Although not awarded a prize, Matt put in two impressive performances in the Division 2 Canadian single (C1) to gain second place on both days.
Congratulations also to Patrick, Robert and Klay on winning the inter-club L&SER grand prix event on the Sunday, and being runners-up on the Saturday. This event rewards good junior performances in Divisions 3 and 4. The three best times, irrespective of class are counted, with the winning team being the one that has the lowest total time.
Matt, John, Sean, Patrick and Klay all put in season personal best performances in the Men's K1. Robert's performance on the Sunday in Division 3 was particularly impressive - 5th out of 29 competitors, having only been promoted the day before.
Cardington provides an easy Division 2 course, but a rather difficult Division 4 course, as Katherine will confirm! Matt and Sean warrant a special mention, having somehow managed to sink the C2 on their first run...
On the Saturday night, we stayed at the local campsite, which we had all to ourselves. On the Sunday morning, I emerged bleary-eyed from my tent just in time to see through the mist, a Scout (who shall remain nameless) speeding down the slope nearby in a small hand-cart. A few minutes later I noticed that a kayak had during the night mysteriously moved from Simon's van to my car. Simon's van was instead delightfully adorned with traffic cones. I'm not sure that I appreciated it at the time, but thanks for the entertainment guys!
Many thanks to Lisa, Simon and Peter for their invaluable support. A weekend of hard work, but well worthwhile.
John Stoner
Matt and Sean Promoted!
07/08/10 - Break Out club members were at Harefield at the weekend to blast the opposition and come home with a couple of wins. On the Saturday Matt won the C1 category, beating his rival (also called Matt and who was celebrating his birthday). Matt was extremely pleased with his prize of a 'light up in the dark' duck and a medal. Sean came 3rd in Division 3 K1 and also collected a medal. Robbie, after his success the previous weekend, was chilling out as a judge and took a leisurely K1 run.
On Sunday the sun was beating down and Matt, Robbie and Sean were again ready for the onslaught. Matt, determined to win the C1 class again, won but only received a medal for his achievement as they had run out of ducks. Matt was now promoted to Division 2. Sean finished 4th in the Men's K1, received another medal and was promoted to Division 2.
Robbie, again as a judge, slid around the course with ease but was unable to beat the Prem guys.
Well done to all three!
Lyn Courtney
Abbey Rapids Division 2/3/4 Canoe Slalom, 31st July
Well, the raw steak on the Friday night seemed to do the trick - Robbie put in a focussed, clean and fast run on the Saturday to gain second place in the DIvision 3 Men's K1 class. On his second run, he was mysteriously given a 50 second penalty for missing a gate, when he had clearly negotiated it correctly. Had it not been for this bad luck, he would have won. However on the Sunday all was forgiven when Robbie put in another impressive performance to win the same event by a clear twenty seconds! He is now promoted to Division 2.
Having seen what the steak had done for his brother Robbie, Matt decided to try the same strategy on the Saturday evening. On the Sunday Matt's Division 2 K1 performance improved dramatically, and his Division 3 C1 result was his best of the season. The C1 event was inquorate, but with a time that would have given him second place in the Men's K1, he achieved a maximum 100 ranking points - promotion to Division 2 in C1 by the end of the season is now a real possibility.
Mark put in excellent performances on both the Saturday and the Sunday in the Division 2 Men's K1 competition. It was extremely tight at the top, with several paddlers achieving the same times, and positions being determined by second run performances. Mark got a second place on the Saturday, and a sixth on the Sunday, proving that promotion to Division 1 this season is a real possibility.
John won his first Masters prize on the Saturday, but both he and Jacob would rather not say how they did on the Sunday...
Washburn Canoe Slalom Competition
Congratulations to Louis on coming third in the Men's Division 2 K1 class at the Washburn canoe slalom competition on 4th July. Well done also to Erin on winning the Women's Division 2 Junior prize.
Thanks to White Flyer Photography for the photograph.
A Mere 15 Prizes!
20/06/10 - The Break Out slalom squad excelled themselves at the Orton Mere canoe slalom competition at the weekend. Our 14 paddlers were awarded 15 prizes, including a win in the team event, a second place in the Men's Division 3 K1, and wins in the Women's K1 event on both days. The full list of prizes is as follows:
| Jacob Boswell | 2nd | Men's Division 3 K1 (Sunday) |
| Mark Stoner, Matt Cook & Louis Berridge | 1st | Open Team (Saturday) |
| Linz Fitzpatrick | 1st | Women's Division 4 K1 (Sunday) |
| Robert Parkinson | 2nd | Men's Division 4 K1 (Saturday) |
| Sam Pateman | U16 | Men's Division 4 K1 (Saturday) |
| Katherine Stoner | 1st | Women's Division 4 K1 (Saturday) |
| Katherine Stoner | U18 | Women's Division 4 K1 (Sunday) |
| Linz Fitzpatrick | 1st | Division 4 C2 (Sunday) |
| Matt Cook & Sean Millward | U18 | Division 3 C2 (Sunday) |
| Sean Millward & Robbie Cook | U18 | Division 4 C2 (Sunday) |
| Erin Scott | 1st | Women's Division 4 C1 (Sunday) |
| Jacob Boswell | U16 | Men's Division K1 (Saturday) |
| Matt Cook | U18 | Men's Division 3 C1 (Saturday) |
| Matt Cook | U18 | Men's Division 3 C1 (Sunday) |
| Louis Berridge | 1st | Division 2 Official (Saturday) |
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| Mark, Louis and Matt at Orton Mere |
Robert put in an excellent run on the Saturday to gain second place in the Division 4 Men's K1 class. Inspite of achieving a result that would have put him into the top half of Division 3, he missed out on promotion yet again due to the low number of competitors. Had there been just one more entrant, he'd have been promoted. Matt, Louis and Mark put in a winning performance that was a real pleasure to watch in the Open Team Event.
The beginners found the white water rather daunting to start with. However Sam's confidence in particular grew during the day, and an intelligent second run in the Men's Division 4 class, resulted in his winning the under 16 prize. Our Division 2 paddlers used the weekend for training, and entered the Officials event. There were some performances from Mark and Louis to match those of the Division 1 paddlers and Louis won the Division 2 prize. Is Division 1 within our sights now?
On the Sunday after a shakey start, Linz won the Women's K1 class - pretty good considering that it was her first competition. The competition in the Men's K1 and C1 classes in particular was of a higher standard than we've encountered for a while. However, Jacob still managed a performance that gave him second place. He now has sufficient points for promotion to Division 2. Matt's confidence in the C1 increases day by day, and he won the Under 18 prize on both days.
And I'm feeling more battered than usual after a weekend's canoeing. I think that having to provide safety cover for four hours (sat in my very tight boat) contributed to my problems; however the fight with Robbie, and slipping down a grassy bank at 11:30 pm didn't help...
Thanks to the parents for helping with the transport, and to Lyn and Pete for support throughout the weekend.
East Midlands Coaching Day
Twenty-five of our Scouts and leaders attended this event at the Nene White Water Centre near Northampton on 13th June. The event catered for a wide range of abilities and activities. Our Scouts tried most things, including flat water open canoeing and kayaking skills, white water, rescue techniques and freestyle sessions.
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An excellent time was had by all. More photos are on our Flickr site.
Well, Stone me...!
06/06/10 - Ten Explorers and Scouts competed at this national canoe slalom event at Stone in Staffordshire during the first weekend of June. We won eleven prizes, including SIX first places. I keep having to pinch myself...
In the Division 4 Men's K1 event our less experienced paddlers put in some impressive performances to bag first, third and fourth places on the Saturday. Patrick followed up his second place at Orton Mere two weeks ago with a first place here. Klay finally shook off his run of bad luck to secure third place, and Nick put in an excellent performance on his second run to get fourth and pick up the under 16 prize. All three were promoted to DIvision 3.
In Saturday's Division 3 Men's K1 event Sean Millward pulled out a winning, fast, clean run. Jacob Boswell's speed was just as impressive, but he was far from clean! On the Sunday Jacob's problems continued - his first run was fast, but he left a trail of swinging poles. However during the second run everything came together and he put in a faultless run to win the event. Patrick put in another impressive performance to win the under 14 prize in the same event.
In the Division 4 Woman's K1 class, Katherine Stoner, competing for the first time, achieved second place.
In the Canadian events, Matt Cook won the C1 class on the Saturday and was promoted to Division 3 as a result. He and brother Robbie won in the Division 3 doubles (C2) class on both the Saturday and Sunday, and Sean and Jacob won the DIvision 4 C2 event on the Saturday.
A brilliant set of results! Shame about the poor water quality.
Phew, What a Scorcher!
An excellent team performance at the Orton Mere Division 3/4 Canoe Slalom on 23rd May resulted in our winning five individual and two team prizes.
We entered two teams in the London and South East Region club competition. Our 'A' team, comprising Sean, Robbie and Jacob won, and our 'B' team of Patrick, supported by Mark and Matt in Canadian canoes were runners up.
Patrick came second in the Division 4 Mens K1 class, having been beaten by the smallest of margins on the second run. Matt was second in the Division 4 Men's C1 class, and missed out on promotion by a whisker! In Division 3 Men's K1, Sean, Robbie and Jacob all put in personal best performances for the season, with Jacob in 2nd place, Robbie in 4th place and Sean in 6th. Robbie was also awarded the Junior under 18 prize. Sean and Robbie came third in the Division 4 Canadian Doubles event, winning the Under 18 prize, and Mark came first in the Division 3 C1 event.
We travelled late on the Saturday afternoon, and had a valuable training session on a largely empty course on the Saturday evening. We camped Saturday evening, and were awoken rather early on the Sunday morning by the very hot sunshine. The hottest day of the year so far contributed to a very enjoyable weekend. Our thanks go to Lyn, Wendy and Lisa for their support and help with transportation.
The individual results are here.
Bala Division 2/3 Canoe Slalom, 1st May
Seven Explorer Scouts and three leaders attended this event, held on the demanding river Tryweryn in Wales. We achieved a very respectable set of results. Louis was our highest placed paddler on the Saturday, coming 8th in a field of 40, and Matt did best on the Sunday, attaining 12th position. Erin won our only prize of the weekend, being awarded the under 16 Junior prize on the Sunday.
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| Sean and Cobby at Bala |
Thanks to Lyn, Wendy and Gren for helping with the transport and camping.
Matlock Division 2/3 Canoe Slalom, 24th April
Congratulations to Mark and Louis on winning the C2 (canadian doubles) event at Matlock. They are now unofficially ranked in the top 20 in the UK!
Sowerby Bridge Division 2/3 Canoe Slalom, 21st March
Heavy rain on the Friday night, and well into the Saturday caused a rapid rise in the river level. The starting official was in great danger of being swept away, and the conditions were becoming very difficult for some of the Division 3 competitors. As a consequence, the organisers decided to cancel the event at lunchtime, after the first Division 2 runs. Matt produced the best Club performance of the day - achieving a position of 13th in a field of 34 competitors - an excellent result at his first Division 2 event.
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| Mark and Matt demonstrating their C2 skills... | ....as only they know how! |
Staying in the local Scout hostel proved to be the right choice given the conditions! We spent the evening in front of a coal fire, with food provided by Lyn and Gren. By the Sunday, the water level had subsided, and the sun appeared, making for excellent training conditions. Although the cancellation of the event was a disappointment, we all had an enjoyable weekend which included some worthwhile canoeing and kayaking - and a very interesting game of 'cheat' on the Saturday evening.
Stone Canoe Slalom, 14th March 2010
We attended the first DIvision 3/4 competition of the season at Stone on 14th March. There was a huge number of competitors, and it was rather cold; but inspite of this, there were encouraging performances all round. The most surprising result of the day was Louis winning the women's C1. We pointed out to the organisers that it was probably a little unfair that a man should be permitted to enter a women's event; they relented and adjusted the results accordingly! Louis still managed to achieve a result that was sufficient to give him promotion to Division 2.
Land Rover Community Committee
09/02/10 - Many thanks to Land Rover for its donation of £900 towards the purchase of a competition slalom canoe.
British Canoe Union Foundation
23/12/09 - Many thanks to the British Canoe Union Foundation for its grant to purchase two small slalom competition kayaks and accessories.
Maud ElkingtonTrust Donation
15/12/09 - Many thanks to the Maud ElkingtonTrust for its donation of £500 towards the purchase of a new slalom competition kayak.
2009 National Canoe Slalom Rankings
03/12/09 - The national canoe slalom rankings have just been published. Congratulations to Matt Cook on his well-deserved end-of-season promotion to Division 2. The Club now has six members in Division 2 of the national league. The full line-up is as follows
| Division and Class | Rank | Name |
| Division 2 K1 Women | 71 | Erin Scott |
| Division 2 K1 Men | 59 | Louis Berridge |
| 72 | John Stoner | |
| 153 | Peter Smith | |
| 157 | Mark Stoner | |
| 165 | Matt Cook | |
| Division 3 K1 Men | 39 | Sean Millward |
| 78 | Jacob Boswell | |
| 84 | Robbie Cook | |
| 237 | Joe Kidman | |
| Division 3 C1 Men | 47 | Mark Stoner |
| Division 2/3 C2 | 72 | Mark Stoner/Sean Millward |
| 83 | Mark Stoner/Matt Cook | |
| 105 | Mark Stoner/Louis Berridge |
Mark - That's £45 pounds-worth of competition bibs that you're going to need. You'd better start saving now!
Stone Canoe Slalom, 11th October 2009
Break Out Canoe Cub won four prizes at this, our last canoe slalom competition of the season. Coach Peter Smith won the divisional veteran's prize in Division 3 and now has sufficient points to ensure promotion to Division 2. Matt Cook put in an excellent performance and came in just half a second behind Peter. Matt now needs to achieve a position in the top 30% at his next competition to ensure promotion to Division 2. Mark Stoner came second in the Men's Division 4 C1 event and is promoted to Division 3. Mark and Sean Millward won the Junior prize in the Division 2/3 C2 event, and Robbie Cook and Jacob Boswell achieved second place in the Division 4 C2 event.
Robert Parkinson once again narrowly missed out on promotion to Division 4 - if he'd managed to avoid hitting those two poles, he'd have been up! Our next best placed Scout after Robert was Patrick Marriott - an impressive achievement given that this was his first competition, and that he is still only twelve years old! Oliver, Will and Alex were also competing for the first time and put in some good performances. George Hill and Nick Willford achieved personal best results.
This was a one-day event. We arrived on the saturday to ensure plenty of practice time and camped over. Our evening was disrupted a little by the local youths attempting to drive a digger around the adjacent sports field. Robert offered to go and sort them out; but after careful consideration we decided instead to remove the keys from the vehicle.
Thanks to Lyn and Steve for helping out with the transport, and to Mathew for once again organising the camping and catering.
Full results here.
Coaching and Skills Awards
05/10/09 - Congratulations to Louis Berridge and Mark Stoner on becoming BCU Level 1 Coaches. Well done also to our first Scouts to achieve the BCU 3* skills award: Erin Scott, Louis Berridge, Jacob Boswell, Matt Cook, Robbie Cook, Sean Millward and Mark Stoner.
Double success for Erin at Harefield
16/08/09 - Another excellent set of results was achieved by our slalom squad at the Harefield national Division 3 and 4 canoe slalom competition last weekend.
Erin achieved first position in the women’s single kayak class (K1) on both days. These two results, combined with a first place at Peterborough gained earlier in the season earn her promotion to Division 2.
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On the Sunday, Erin's confidence was running high; so high in fact, that she decided that she had time to add a display of hand rolling to her second run! Luckily her first run was sufficient to secure first place in the Women's Division 3 category.
These excellent performances resulted in Break Out Canoe Club winning the London and South East regional inter-club Grand-Prix competition (L&SER) - inspite of being based in the Midlands! We are now third overall.
A respite from the recent wet weather provided us with a warm and sunny weekend. Given the lack of facilities at the slalom site, we decided to camp at the local Scout campsite, where we made use of the hot showers and flush toilets. Luxury!
Many thanks to Mathew and Lisa Leggatt for arranging the camping and looking after the catering, and to Jo Willford for helping with transport.
Erin and Sean Win at Orton Mere
On the weekend of 21/22 June we travelled to Peterborough to compete at the canoe slalom competition being held at Orton Mere weir. Impressive performances all round resulted in our winning a total of eleven prizes:
| Sean Millward | 1st | Men's Division 4 K1 (Saturday) |
| Matt Cook | 2nd | Men's Division 3 K1 (Saturday) |
| Mark Stoner | U18 | Men's Division 3 K1 (Saturday) |
| Erin Scott | 1st | Women's Division 3 K1 (Sunday) |
| Peter Smith | 2nd | Men's Division 3 K1 (Sunday) |
| Mark Stoner | 3rd | Men's Division 3 K1 (Sunday) |
| Matt Cook | U18 | Men's Division 3 K1 (Sunday) |
| Robert Parkinson | 3rd | Men's Division 4 K1 (Sunday) |
| Dale Cooper | U18 | Men's Division 4 K1 (Sunday) |
| Sean Millward & Robbie Cook | 1st | Division 4 C2 (Sunday) |
| Mark Stoner & Louis Berridge | 2nd | Division 2/3 C2 (Sunday) |
Sean won the Men's Division 4 competition by a clear 19 seconds, and was promoted, joining nine other Break Out canoe club members currently in Division 3. Robert would also have moved up a division, had he not got lost towards the end of the course on his second run! At the end of the first runs on the Sunday we were not only within sight of wins in the Women's Division 3 K1 and the Men's Division 4 K1, but we were also holding first and second positions in the Men's Division 3 K1. Inspite of some spine-tingling performances, Mark and Peter were overtaken during the second runs.
The organisers kindly leant us a canadian double canoe on the Sunday, enabling Sean and Robbie, and Mark and Louis to enter the C2 event. Both pairs did very well, considering that this was the first time that any of them had knelt in a slalom competition boat. Peter Smith, Mark Stoner, Erin Scott and Matt Cook are now all within sight of Division 2, and with another set of results like these, will get promoted at the next competition. Full results here.
Thanks once again to Alex for doing the chip run on the Friday, and to Lyn for providing camping support. Thanks also to the local pub for just being there, meaning that we didn't have to rely too heavily on the slightly less than celubrious public conveniences!
Stone Canoe Slalom, 24th May 2009
Another weekend of good weather, together with four prizes made for an excellent event at Stone in Staffordshire. We arrived late on the Saturday afternoon and had the course largely to ourselves enabling a couple of hours of quality practice time. We camped on the Saturday night and competed in Sunday's competition.
 | In the Men's Division 4 event, Joe achieved second place and was promoted, Jacob was fifth, won the Junior prize and missed promotion by one place, and Sean achieved his best result yet with a position of eighth. Coach Peter Smith won the men's Division 3 event (by a tenth of a second!) and is on course for promotion within four competitions. In the same event Mark achieved a commendable seventh position. In the Women's Division 3 event Erin achieved fourth place in a very strong field of eight competitors and won the Junior prize. Overall, this was one of the strongest ever performances by Break Out Canoe Club. Many thanks to Mathew Leggatt for providing camping and catering support. |
Cardington Slalom, 9th and 10th May 2009
We won four prizes at this competition, all coming on the Sunday: Erin was second in the Women's Division 3 K1; Robbie came third in the Men's Division 4 K1 and was promoted to Division 3; Joe came fourth in the Men's Division 4 K1 and won the under 16s category; and Mark was awarded the under 18s prize in Division 3. Our commiserations go to Joe who missed out on promotion to Division 3 by one place on both days of the competition! Congratulations also to Louis who on the Sunday achieved his best result yet in Division 2 K1 by coming 12th in a field of 26 competitiors.
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It was an excellent weekend, with some wonderful weather. We camped on the Friday and Saturday nights. Lyn Courtney provided camping support, and Alex Scott did the chip run on the Friday night - thank you both for your help. On the Saturday evening we walked through Priory Park to the local Beefeater restaurant: an expensive, but worthwhile treat. Thanks also to Bedford District Scouts for the welcome and support.
The slalom course was interesting. Cardington was the first artificial course to be built in this country, and makes use of a flood relief channel next to the River Ouse in Priory Country Park. Plastic artificial boulders create the rapids. It was a tough course for Division 4 paddlers, as I think that Joe would agree, having kept us entertained by capsizing four times! It was also a very 'tight' course which favoured the modern 3.5 metre slalom boats.
The results are here. The official photographs are here.
Nene White Water Centre
15/02/09 - Our first trip of 2009 was a visit to the Nene White Water Centre near Northampton. The trip had been cancelled on two occasions earlier in the year due to the rather cold weather conditions. It was still pretty cold on this occasion, but all survived, in spite of the fact that the hot showers were out of action! Joe decided instead to have a bath in the river water.
Congratulations to John Jackson and Jacob Boswell who both successfully negotiated the grade three fall for the first time. The photographs are here.
Funding from BCU Foundation
03/12/08 - We are pleased to announce that our application to the British Canoe Union (BCU) for funding to cover the purchase of two Perception Wavehoppers has been successful. The Wavehopper is a kayak designed for use in the sport of wild water racing, the objective of which is to negotiate a length of rapids in as short a time as possible. Many thanks to the BCU.
Sir Andrew Martin Trust Donation
16/10/08 - Many thanks to the Sir Andrew Martin Trust for its donation of £332 towards the cost of a new general purpose kayak.
Stone Slalom, 12th October 2008
Our team did well at this competition inspite of some stiff competition. The event was very well attended, which unfortunately limited the amount of practice time that we were able to get in. However, this was made up for by some excellent weather, given the time of year. The recent rain caused an unexpectedly high river and plenty of mud; but this didn't seem to dampen anybody's enthusiasm!
Twelve of our Scouts competed in the competition. Louis Berridge achieved sixth place in the Division 3 Men's K1 class, and missed out on promotion to Division 2 by one place. He was also awarded the under 16 prize. Assistant coach Gren Berridge was promoted to Division 3 at his first competition - even though he managed to forget about one of the gates completely during his second run!
Erin Scott caused a little excitement by managing to get her boat caught between two rocks, and then capsizing. Both body and boat survived intact.
Thanks to all those who provided support to us during the day, and helped to make the day a resounding success. Results here.
West Tanfield Canoe Slalom, 27th/28th September 2008
Nine of our Scouts and three of our coaches entered this competition, which was held at Sleningford Watermill in Yorkshire. We were awarded a total of four prizes. On the Saturday, Erin Scott gained promotion to Division 3, whilst winning the women's under 16 category, and Louis Berridge won the men's under 16 prize.
On the Sunday Erin achieved fourth position in the women's Division 3 event and won the under 14 prize, and Louis achieved 5th place in the men's event (from 43 competitors) and was awarded the under 18 prize. Full results here.
Harborough District Sport & Activity Alliance Donation
20/08/08 - Many thanks to the Harborough District Sport and Activity Alliance for its donation of £150 towards the purchase of a competition canoe.
H
arefield Slalom, 27th July 2008
Eleven of our Scouts entered this canoe slalom competition in Hertfordshire. Erin Scott achieved second place in the Women's Division 4 K1 event, Louis Berridge was our best-placed competitor in the Men's Division 3 K1 event, and Robert Parkinson headed up our Men's Division 4 K1 contingent.
A very hot day necessitated the use of umbrellas for protection from the sun, rather than from the rain for a change! A special mention to Robbie Cook for taking the judo throw like a man, and to Klay for the rather aggressive rugby tackle from behind (my head still hurts!). The photographs are available on our Facebook site. Let us know if you'd like a high resolution copy of any of these, and we'll e-mail them to you.
Full results here.
Donations
02/08/08 - A big thank you to Lutterworth Town Council and Broughton Astley Parish Council for their donations of £165 and £100 respectively towards the purchase of a competition boat.
Goodbye Alastair
23/07/08 - This month we say goodbye to coach Alastair Hilton. Alastair is moving to Bristol to take up a new teaching position. He has been a key member of our team for the past two years, and will be sorely missed! Good luck in your new post Aly, and thanks for all your help during the last couple of years.
Florence Turner Trust Donation
23/07/08 - Many thanks to the Florence Turner Trust for its donation of £400 towards the purchase of two new kayaks.
Johnathan Leaves us for The States
07/07/08 - Johnathan Knifton, one of our most active coaches, is currently in the United States with the Camp Leaders organisation, coaching young people in kayaking and canoeing, and leading rafts on the Delaware river. He'll be returning to us on September 3rd.
Stone Slalom, 15th June
We had eleven entries at this slalom competition in Staffordshire, which was held at the home of Stafford and Stone canoe club - one of the leading canoe slalom clubs in the UK.
Coach Peter Smith won the Division 4 Men's K1 event, with a blistering 100-second first run and only two penalty points: quite an achievement without a competition boat! The Scouts too put in impressive performances in the face of some stiff competition. Robbie Cook's penalty-free second run was a highlight. Unfortunately, he missed out on promotion to Division 3 by one place. Full results here.
Caterpillar Donation
27/05/08 - Many thanks to Caterpillar (UK) Ltd for its donation of £664. The money has been used to purchase two new Perception Arc kayaks.
Peterborough Slalom, 17th/18th May 2008
Thirteen of our Scouts and three of our coaches competed in the Orton Mere canoe slalom competition at Peterborough on the 17th and 18th of May. Everybody had an excellent, and in some cases challenging, weekend.
We were awarded eleven prizes in total, including first and second places in the Men's K1 competition on both the Saturday and the Sunday, and first place in the Women's K1 on the Saturday.
Saturday's Division 4 Men's K1 event was won by Louis Berridge, who finished nearly thirty seconds ahead of coach Johnathan Knifton (Okay, Johnathan was in a slower boat)! Both were promoted to Division 3. On the same day Erin Scott won the Division 4 Women's K1 event, and Mark Stoner achieved a commendable fourth position in his first Division 3 competition.
On the Sunday six of the first seven places in the Division 4 competition went to Break Out Canoe Club members. The most impressive performance of the day was that put in by Matt Cook, who won the Men's competition, pushing his coach, Alastair Hilton into second place! Again, both were promoted to Division 3. Finally, a special mention to Klay Hancock, who came fourth on both days, narrowly missing out on a promotion place.
Full results here.