Pre Olympic Test Event!

It has been an awesome week here in London training on the Olympic course! The racing kicked off yesterday with the K1Men and C1Men and Mike Dawson put down two very smooth runs to safely secure himself a spot in the next round that will be tommorrow. Luuka Jones and myself were lucky enough to have the likes of Mike and Vavra to walk the course with us and better prepare us for the racing, however we both missed the cut due to penalties and mistakes.
Although my results are average and I did not perform as I would have liked I really enjoyed the event and racing today. The white-water course here is so awesome and it was a competitive field with only the best few from each Nation being able to compete at this event.

Here are my runs:
1-

And the second run that starts at 2mins on the youtube vid...
2-

London Olympic Course- Training

London Olympic Course!

It wouldn’t be a Kiwi kayak trip to Europe if it was without a trip on the train with the kayak! After a nice dinner at the Slovak Pub in Bratislava with my Canadian friend Thea, her parents, Mike, Ciaran and Vavra I was London bound. It was a smooth check-in with Ryanair and we were off to the land of double decker buses, Big Ben and the home of the 2012 Olympics- London! On arrival at the airport I jumped on the Liverpool express with my kayak and trained out to the near suburbs of the white-water stadium and Canoe Slalom 2012 Olympic venue. I was met by my good British friend Lizzie and Luuka. We decided to hit London town and were treated to an awesome meal in the centre of London at a food chain called ‘Leon’, the food was delicious and a nice change from the Eastern European cuisine. Paula Volkmer, a stylee creeker from here in Great Britain has kindly offered to put Luuka and I up for the week so we are staying in her home 20minutes from the course, which is totally preemo! Last night we had home-made pizza which was the most Kiwi meal I have had since I have been away, was amazing!

The London Olympic Canoe Slalom venue is awesome, the facilities include a big white-water course that is challenging-even to the best paddlers of the world, a smaller channel for the less advanced paddlers (but still a descent training channel with good features), a flatwater pool and great showers and other facilities. Training on the course is really fun and you must be really attentive as the white-water is very continuous with holes, waves and other features that demand attention. I am really happy to be here and paddling on the Olympic course, the event next weekend is a test event for the Olympics next year so will be run in a very similar format. I am really glad I came here, it is going to be a good week.

Slovakia

The last week here in Slovakia has been totally awesome! Training has been super good here on the super sweet white-water course and my time inbetween sessions has been filled with volleyball, table tennis, reading books in the hammocks, drinking kofola, pivo and great coffee with friends:). The other night my Auzzy friend Roz and I slept outside on the trampoline under the stars!It was really nice and a bit of fun, even if it did turn a bit windy! The weather has generally been really hot which has called for swims down the course to cool off! Although last night we experienced some furious thunder and lightning! The training slots have quietened down after the nation training last week which has meant training has not been too crowded and I have been fortunate to join in with some friends from abroad on there sessions, including some sessions with my Slovak mates:). Another few days of training before boarding the plane and hitting up London town on Friday! Sweet!

Bratislava Training!

5 Continents and 11 Nations are to start in this afternoons white-water training Race here on the course in Bratislava. To wrap up a solid week of training some coaches have put together a race course that provides all the elements of a typical race, including a competitive field. Training here this week has been awesome, I am really glad I came! Although definitely feeling a bit tired, the white-water here is on a much higher level than the mellow flows of the Kaituna. Next stop will be London next Friday night!

World Cup Vid

Bratislava, Slovakia!

After a quick stopover in Berlin I cruised to the great Slovak city of Bratislava! I am stoked to be back here! I am staying in one of the bungalows here at the white-water centre which is super sweet accommodation. It is cheap as to eat at the restaurant here at the course, 10euro per day and the food is delicious. It is awesome to paddle on the white-water here in Cunovo, I wish every slalom course was as exciting as this one! It provides waves that give you air and holes and drops to ensure you get lots of work on your boof. The Worlds are going to be awesome here and it is really motivating to be here!

Racing-Berlin- Bratislava

The last three weeks came and went rather quickly! Luuka put down a solid run in the Semi-Finals in Leipzig to place 19^th which was a really good result with the very strong field. After the racing we headed to Berlin with our good friend Roz from Australia and enjoyed some rest in the German Capital city.

World Cup 3- Germany!

Racing for World Cup 3 is underway and the course here in Leipzig is technical and will demand precision. For info on the race checkout: World Cup. For live results go to: Here

Leipzig- Markleeberg

I am really enjoying being back in germany, well the weather has been mixed with sun, wind and rain we have been treated to German efficiency and good food at a reasonable price. The white-water course here in Markleeberg is situated right next to a lake that hosts to some ‘holiday makers beaches’. Its a good spot and the white water course has lots of great features, you can really use the water here!

Training for World Cup 3 this weekend!

"Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it safers, the creatures of the common-place, the slaves of the ordinary." Cecil Beaton

France-Switzerland-Germany!

France..it is always a pleasure to come to France, amazing food, culture and landscape. The racing however was hard and for me I struggled once again to perform. The racing was tight and on such a course as L Argentiere everyone was fast, so unfortunately I, along with all of the other Kiwis at the event missed the cut for Semi-Finals. After a quick rondae vu with my sister Izzy and two Waiariki Academy of sport athletes- Katie and Carl, Luuka and I hit the road once again and headed to spend a night in Switzerland with our good friend Nathalie. It was great waking up in Nat's apartment with a wonderful view of the the city of Bern with the Swiss Alps in the distance. We then carried on for another epic drive until we were well and truly inside Deutchland! We have some wicked accomodation just 2mintues from the course here in Markleeberg, just out of the German city of Leipzig. There are a lot of teams staying here also in the lead up to the 3rd World Cup for 2011!

World Cup 2- France

World Cup number 2 here in L’ Argentiere of France has begun! The schedule of this event is quite different to the norm and this is because of the media coverage of the event. Luuka and I will be racing tomorrow (Saurday) afternoon. My 1^st run will take place at 249pm and my 2^nd run will be at 430pm. For information on the event and results, check out: www.largentierecanoe2011.com and for live TV streaming on the ICF page: www.canoeicf.com