Category: Athletes

Selection for the German Nationals and World Cup

The first assessment race of the season will be held at Elmbridge Canoe Club on the 22nd of April. This will be used for continuous assessment for the 2023 major championships and for the selection of the following events:

  • German Nationals – Rheine – 19-21st May
  • World Cup – Ruse, Bulgaria – 2nd-4th June

To be considered for selection for either of the above events, you must complete the appropriate availability form by midnight on the 18th April.

The details of the first assessment race and online entry can be found here: Assessment Race Elmbridge 22nd April

NB: Entries close at 5pm on the 19th April. There will be no entries on the day. Elmbridge Canoe Club are hosting, so any questions regarding the race need to be directed to them.

Please familiarise yourself with the Selection Policy. This is linked below. If you have any further questions about the assessment or selection process, please contact the Chair of the Selection Committee, Nanette North, here.

Update to Marathon Selection Policy 2023

The selection policy has been updated for March 2023 to include confirmation of the venue of Elmbridge Canoe Club for the first assessment race on Saturday 22nd April.

Another amendment is that the MRC have had to adjust the athlete contributions in line with the current inflationary environment to enable the trips to run as scheduled. These changes can be found in sections 3.3.b and 3.3.c of the selection policy.

Please take the time to familiarise yourself with the policy. Any questions, please direct them to Nanette North, the Chair of the Selection Committee.

Division 1 K2 at Hasler Races 2023

Based on athlete feedback, the Marathon Racing Committee are excited to announce the addition of a Division 1 K2 to a select few Hasler Races. In recent years, there has been no provision for Division 1 standard K2’s to race on a regular basis due to lack of engagement from paddlers historically. This addition will allow Division 1 ranked paddlers, as well as Division 2 ranked paddlers, to race K2’s outside of assessment and selection. This could be with a potential selection-worthy boat, supporting younger juniors to race up or to race mixed boats.

The following races have agreed to host a Division 1 K2 race during the 2023 season:

  • Nottingham Hasler – Sunday 30th April
  • Worcester Hasler – Sunday 14th May
  • Norwich Hasler – Sunday 21st May
  • Reading Circuit Hasler – Sunday 28th May
  • Falcon Hasler – Sunday 25th June
  • Richmond Hasler – Sunday 18th June

These events have been selected due to timing’s in the racing calendar, location in reference to current Division 1 paddlers and course specifics that will allow for good racing.

The MRC would strongly encourage Division 1 and Division 2 paddlers to engage with this provision.

For more details on how Division 1 K2 will work at the above Hasler’s, visit our race organisers information document below.

Short Course Nationals is back – SAVE THE DATE!

Short Course Nationals is back for a second year! Come join us at Nene Park, Peterborough for a fun and exciting day of racing on Sunday 7th May.

More details to follow in the coming months!

Marathon Selection Policy 2023

The Marathon Selection Committee are excited to announce the 2023 selection policy is now live on the international selection website page on the Marathon Racing Committee website.

Any questions on the policy should be directed to the chair of selection committee, Nanette North, via her email here.

British Canoeing Competition Hardship Fund

British Canoeing has created a hardship grant for eligible English athletes who are having financial difficulties, or whose family circumstances mean they are at a disadvantage relative to their peers. The grant can be used towards athlete contributions to international competition, travel and accommodation for competition and entry and accreditation fees.

For full details on the grant and the full policy, visit the British Canoeing article here.

JDS Skills Day 3 – Reading

The Marathon Racing Committee, Sprint Racing Committee and BC Talent Department are pleased to announce that our third JDS Winter Series event is open for sign up. The event will be held at Reading Canoe Club on Sunday 29th January and will be led by Tim Scott & Paul Dimmock. 

The day will have a crewboat focus, specifically K4/C4’s. The day will focus on improving technique and working better as a crew boat. The morning session will be focussed more on skills and drills with the afternoon an opportunity to put those skills into action. 

We have 14 K4s available for the day and as such, kayak numbers will be capped at 56. This will be allocated on a first come first served basis. 

Since its inception in September 2021, the JDS has proved hugely popular with our earlier event at Elmbridge attracting 70 juniors from 21 clubs. While the uptake has been fantastic, we are having to dilute the content to manage the varied ability levels. Additionally, this requires a high number of coaches to support the sessions. As such, we will be sticking to the standards set out on the website (and below) more rigidly than before. 

The eligibility criteria for Kayak paddlers is as follows: 

  • U13 or above 
  • Girls – Girls C or above (Sprint Division) and/or Div 5 marathon or above for U16’s / Div 4 marathon or above for U18’s
  • Boys – Boys C or above (Sprint Divisions) and/or Div 4 marathon or above for U16’s or Div 3 marathon or above for U18’s

The eligibility criteria for Canoe paddlers is as follows: 

  • U13 or above
  • Girls & Boys – Any paddler who has competed at a Sprint National Regatta

We have changed our sign up process from using a Formstack to using British Canoeing’s membership system, JustGo. This will require you to create an account if you don’t already have one. For those with British Canoeing membership, this should be your normal account details. 

To sign up for the event, please click HERE. As a reminder, the cost is ÂŁ10. Sign up closes on Friday 20th January at 17:00. Late entries won’t be accepted.   

2023 UK Anti-Doping Prohibited List

Check the Prohibited List ? – Not knowing is not enough.

The 2023 Prohibited List is available to read now and comes into effect on 1 January. Read about the Prohibited List over on UK Anti-Doping‘s website below.

Under 23/Senior Athlete Survey

The MRC is currently reviewing how we support U23/Senior Athletes within the canoe marathon racing committee. After the success of the junior development squad, we want to get some feedback from our U23/Senior Athletes and their coaches around what we can do to help them reach their potential. 

You can find the form here. Please fill in this form honestly and thoroughly so we can use your feedback and ideas to develop our next steps.

The survey will close to responses at midnight on Friday 18th November.

Junior Development Squad – Event 2 sign-up open!

The Marathon Racing Committee, Sprint Racing Committee and BC Talent are proud to launch the second JDS day of the 22/23 season. Sign-up is open via our website here and closes on the 25th November.

If your athlete does not meet the required standards but you believe, as their coach, they would be capable, please contact Holly Mobbs and Charlie Barwis to discuss.

Coaches are also invited to attend the day for opportunity to earn 10 cpd points. Sign up for coaches can be found here.