Next summer we are going to be taking over Sheffield CC’s site at Oughtibridge (North Sheffield) and running a Division 3/4 Slalom on the weekend of 6/7 July 2024.
We will need lots of volunteers to run the event, so please put the date in your calendars now.
None of the volunteer roles need any knowledge of slalom, a few just need a couple of minutes explaining/training to get you started. We’ll need people to: provide water safety, run start and finish, run control, run a café (to make extra money!). We’ll also need a few people to help set up on Friday and everyone to get stuck in to pack away on Sunday afternoon.
Why are we running a slalom?
- It will raise much needed funds for the club
- It’ll be a social event for the club (camping at the event, BBQ?)
- Division 4 is the entry level for the sport so everyone can have a go at the challenge of slalom – Oughtibridge is easier white water than Sowerby Bridge.
- It’s also good thing to do for the paddling community in the region – and helps fills a gap in the slalom calendar regionally and nationally
What is Slalom: It’s an Olympic Sport – a time trial down a piece of white water successfully negotiating a series of gates along the way, with penalties added to your time for touching a gate or not negotiating it correctly. It’s a test of your boat control skills, and if you want to get competitive it’s a race (you can race most weekends for March to October). In the run up to this we’ll be putting on some slalom taster sessions for members to tempt you to have a go (use any boat).
A bit of History: A few long-standing members will remember that we used to run 3 events a year, but stopped running these at Sowerby Bridge as our site isn’t suitable for the numbers that would come along to compete and their supporters.
