GB Team Selection 2007
Another year, another selection event (this time for the European Championships in Galicia, Spain - July 2008), another place on the team - just! I'm pretty sure jumping into my boat just 2 weeks before the competition (having only been in my boat on one occasion - the British Champs - in several months) was not really the best form of training!
The event on Saturday was at Hurley on 4 gates, in a horrendous downpour which lasted the whole day. I was really looking forward to a Hurley event, as it has been a number of years since we have had a selection event there. However, I think it changed over the summer - new pillars have been put in upstream which seem to be affecting the flow and it has definitely got flushier. So, my worry for Saturday's event was to stay on the feature and not spend too much time paddling up the eddy, my worries turned into reality as I flushed off the feature on every ride (before I even reached the hole on my 3rd ride) and spent far too much time paddling up the eddy! Unfortunately (or fortunately, for me) this was the way with most people's rides and so despite failing to pull off any loops, I came 2nd - beaten by Jen Chrimes who nailed a perfect loop in the 2nd gate. The scores were relatively low; Pringle scored the only McNasty of the day, and due to the relatively flushy levels the event was not quite what we had been hoping for. However, it was really good to have a change from an out-and-out Nottingham selection.
We all drove up to Nottingham for the Sunday's event, and despite extremely high levels flooding most of the course, the event went ahead. I was not holding out much hope for the Inlet gate competition as I knew the girls I was up against had been practising there throughout the summer. I also don't really like the feature as a competition venue as whilst it is a great place to learn new moves and shows who is able to do the different moves it is unlike any other feature and is not at all dynamic - you can relax with a cup of tea at the top of the pile whilst setting up for a loop. Needless to say the scores were huge - particularly from the men's category who were all doing various combo moves. Although combo moves weren't scored as such, I believe the impressive tricky-whu into front loop that Pringle (and possibly a few others) succeeded in throwing down, was scored as a trophy move. Let's hope they can replicate that move in the European's in Spain!
My rides were OK, but it was obvious I had not done much hole-boating in the last year, time repeated itself as I scored pretty much the same as last year - I haven't learnt anything new (my clean cartwheels were still a bit flat and my loops were not aerial), but at least I have not regressed! Claire and Jenny both got back looops in their rides. I took 4th place in the Inlet gate which meant I was tied for 3rd place with Emily Wall (who had two 3rd places) - my 3rd rides at both events beat her 3rd rides so I just scraped through onto a team place with Emily as reserve. Full results are on www.ukfreestyle.com
We are all hoping the European Championships will be a little more successful than this year's Euro cup event in Galicia - which apparently lacked both organisation and water!
I've been given a chance to compete once again for GB so I'll make the most of it and hopefully in the new year will be able to get back into my boat on a more frequent basis (it needs to warm up a bit first though :)) to learn some more hole moves!
The event on Saturday was at Hurley on 4 gates, in a horrendous downpour which lasted the whole day. I was really looking forward to a Hurley event, as it has been a number of years since we have had a selection event there. However, I think it changed over the summer - new pillars have been put in upstream which seem to be affecting the flow and it has definitely got flushier. So, my worry for Saturday's event was to stay on the feature and not spend too much time paddling up the eddy, my worries turned into reality as I flushed off the feature on every ride (before I even reached the hole on my 3rd ride) and spent far too much time paddling up the eddy! Unfortunately (or fortunately, for me) this was the way with most people's rides and so despite failing to pull off any loops, I came 2nd - beaten by Jen Chrimes who nailed a perfect loop in the 2nd gate. The scores were relatively low; Pringle scored the only McNasty of the day, and due to the relatively flushy levels the event was not quite what we had been hoping for. However, it was really good to have a change from an out-and-out Nottingham selection.
We all drove up to Nottingham for the Sunday's event, and despite extremely high levels flooding most of the course, the event went ahead. I was not holding out much hope for the Inlet gate competition as I knew the girls I was up against had been practising there throughout the summer. I also don't really like the feature as a competition venue as whilst it is a great place to learn new moves and shows who is able to do the different moves it is unlike any other feature and is not at all dynamic - you can relax with a cup of tea at the top of the pile whilst setting up for a loop. Needless to say the scores were huge - particularly from the men's category who were all doing various combo moves. Although combo moves weren't scored as such, I believe the impressive tricky-whu into front loop that Pringle (and possibly a few others) succeeded in throwing down, was scored as a trophy move. Let's hope they can replicate that move in the European's in Spain!
My rides were OK, but it was obvious I had not done much hole-boating in the last year, time repeated itself as I scored pretty much the same as last year - I haven't learnt anything new (my clean cartwheels were still a bit flat and my loops were not aerial), but at least I have not regressed! Claire and Jenny both got back looops in their rides. I took 4th place in the Inlet gate which meant I was tied for 3rd place with Emily Wall (who had two 3rd places) - my 3rd rides at both events beat her 3rd rides so I just scraped through onto a team place with Emily as reserve. Full results are on www.ukfreestyle.com
We are all hoping the European Championships will be a little more successful than this year's Euro cup event in Galicia - which apparently lacked both organisation and water!
I've been given a chance to compete once again for GB so I'll make the most of it and hopefully in the new year will be able to get back into my boat on a more frequent basis (it needs to warm up a bit first though :)) to learn some more hole moves!
posted by flea at 11:50 AM 
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