Devil´s Extreme race 2007

C1 Freestyle proudly presents:

Dear friends and courageous paddlers,

In cooperation with CNAWR, we prepared for you the first year of an extreme kayakcross and slalom competition. The competition takes place from the 31.8. – 1.9. 2007 on the river Moldau (Vltava) on the well known rapid – Devil´s cataract. All proffesionals are invited as well as other paddlers. Flawless paddling, action alpine superpipe start, great party with DJ Happy and Dj Eja, mixed drinks, sunny weather and warm water (21°C) guaranteed.

Starting fee- 500CZK (23euro), CNAWR members 350CZK

INCLUDES- campingplace, dinner, breakfast, a drink at the party, SHOCK drink, souvenir from the event

Program:

Friday: meeting, free training, dinner

Saturday: morning- meeting at the starting point in Loučovice

Track inspection with slalom following (touch the banner style)

Special start alpine free pipe

Afternoon free training

Evening party on the football stadium in Loučovice with barbecue (included in starting fee), bar, mixed drinks, DJs, camping on the location

Sunday: kayakcross cca. At 12:00

Results, prizegiving, huge raffle, free riding

Registration deadline 28.8.07

See you there

The Czech Freestyle Championship 2007

Hi again,
this weekend we organized a great event in Prague. It was both National Championship and a part of the CNAWR Rodeo Tour. There were serious problems with the playspot since the obstacle that was supposed to shape the playhole was installed on Wednesday with only two attemps to "tune" the playspot. So in the end the competition had to be done on our local shallow wave, because the desired playspot wasn´t any good.
The best thing about the event was the ramp we built. It was not the usual type of ramp that throws you in the air... The end of our ramp was leveled with the water so that you bounced of the water and had a chance to do completely aerial wave tricks.
The event itself consisted of funslalom, boatercross, team race, freestyle and big air contest. I ended up second in the freestyle competition, the C1 category was won by Stepan Fiedler (8 times Czech champion) who is a brand new father and hasn´t been training for over a year.... Respect...

I really enjoyed the ramp and i landed some very good pan-ams airblunts and even one clean airblunt... wooohoo

I also managed to win the whole event (combination of all the competitions) for which the prize was a nice Axon backpack... a great gift for my mom....

Photos follow... thanks Peter....

Karel Boukal aka Jan Bouchal (Old Bastards category 1st place)

Tomo Andrassy clean blunt (1st place K1m)

Stepan Vohradsky entry kickflip (2nd place K1m)

Maty Kucera donkeyflip (4th place K1m)

Stepan Fiedler blunt (C1 1st place -for the eighth time in a row...)

Jan Spindler(3rd place K1m) airscrew bounced from the ramp

Tomo ramp helix

Peter Prauze ramp panam

My two nice onside panams

Jan Bubnik fisherking

Me launching big clean back something...:)

The Slovak Championship 2007

I went to the Slovak championship for the weekend 5.-6.8.
It was a great competition and I particularly liked the kayakcross which was immense fun. The playspot was really not my cup of tea since it was quite shallow and it was pulsating a lot. But I still think it is a better hole than we will ever have in Prague.
In holeriding I ended on the 8th place, basically not completing a single move... well shame on me. The C1 category was won by Jakub Micka.
I did far better in the C1 kayakcross. I won the first heat! And I won it against three creekboats... That was the one piece of satisfaction I needed... Huh I ended last in the finals though.... The party was really great and that´s what matters the most....

Here are some pictures from the event....

Before the eddy I was the last one...

But I managed the eddy better than the others...

Stepan Fiedler (red boat) -the winner of the C1 kayakcross

You can find more photos here.

An article about the 2007 Czech Open Freestyle Championship coming soon

C1 lady experience

Cheers people...
This article was written by a C1 lady beginner. I asked her to write it because I think it might interest you since you cannot see a girl paddling a C1 every day.... Translation to English done by me....
Enjoy


English version

I ve been living right next to a river for my whole life, but I got involved in paddling as late as in 2004, when a guy took me on a canoeing trip. So I started with touring recreational paddling. And since I liked the rocking of the boat as well as the guy, I was dragged into the paddler´s world. I frequently went paddling with him and watched him paddling a kayak and in my mind I saw myself riding on the waves.

After a short time I said to myself I should try a kayak. My boyfriend was happy with that and he seated me into a kayak called Bert, thinking this is the best boat for me. I paddled an easy WWI… But the Bert is one hell of a boat and I am 161 cm tall and 53 kg (115 pounds) so you might imagine how I did in that… Well.. and there were like ten people on the bank shouting „Lean downstream!“ and even though I got the hang of handling the boat, the boat did not react… So I ceased my efforts saying to myself I will try it again, but I not soon… But I wanted to paddle all the same… And then came the great idea of trying a C1… Whooa! C1 ROCKS!
Right at the moment I first knelt into the boat I imediately knew this is what I want. I don´t mind kneeling in the boat. I actually find it more comfortable because my back, unlike in kayak, doesn´t hurt. The knees are pretty much all right but ankles are giving me one hell of a hard time. But I can handle this. Well… I won´t freak out for such thing. I like being higher, I got better view of what´s coming and the overall control of the boat is better.

So i began to learn despite my friend discouraging me all time. As my friend Fantomas (nick) says :“ Barenka, you´re doing well, but fuck C1 and go to kayak.“ C1 is a challenge to me. And even though all others think I am out of my wits, I find the movement in a C1 more natural.

This year I´d like to run Hamr creek, Vavrinec creek ( famous czech creeks class WWII-WWIII that are runnable in autumn when the lakes release water) and other runs. The roll is still to be perfected, but I can surely handle that. I am most enthusiastic about C1. Fantomas taught me to roll, right after I bought my boat. It was a great motivation for me. I lerned it in an hour so I was even more enthusiastic.

I like C1 despite that everybody says I won´t keep up with the kayakers. So what?! I´ll simply paddle because I like it not because I want to rock the river more than somebody else.

I paddle my way- relaxed and laid back. The Wavesport Z I recently bought seems to be an ideal boat for me and I am still training on flatwater and easier runs. I don´t want any rush. To chase some goal… wait … I got one… My dream is to run the Devil´s stair (class WWIII-WWIV rapid in south Bohemia. Location of one of the World Championships in rafting) But I don´t need to rush into it. On the other hand I am pretty sure I will handle it someday.

When I ran Jizera rapid ( class WWII-III river in northern Bohemia runable in spring) it was great and it gave me motivation once again and I thought I mustn´t be satisfied with what I got. I feel I´ll do much better if I put enough effort into it. If you get my point :).

It´s a shame many people think C1 is dead… What a bullshit. Why? It certainly is harder and slower than kayak but in this age of speed we should relax a bit.

Relax all the same….

On the other hand I do not completely forsake kayak. I will probably learn it someday…

So I hope there will be more and more C1 paddlers and even C1 lady paddlers on the river.

As I say : Hail C1 and be happy. :)

Barenka

On the Jizera river

Training in Ceske Budejovice

Czech version

Celý život bydlím u řeky, ale k pádlování jsem se dostala až v roce 2004, kdy mě můj kamarád vzal na kanoe. Takže jsem s tím začala rekreačně.

A protože se mi houpání lodí zalíbilo a zalíbil se mi i kamarád, vtáhl mě do světa vodáků. Často jsem s ním jezdila a koukala jak pádluje na kajaku a viděla sama sebe, jak si dávám tu, nebo jinou vlnku.

Po delší době jsem si řekla, že zkusím kajak. Přítel to přivítal a v domění, že mě posadí do té správné lodě jménem Bert, mě vyslal ve Vrbným na jedničku. Jenže Bert je blbuvzdorná loď a já jsem 161 cm vysoká a vážím 53 kg. Takže si dokážete představit, co to pro mě bylo. Navíc se na břeh vyskládalo asi deset lidí, co na mě řvalo: „Nákon!!!“ a i když jsem to měla všechno vyčíhnutý, jakej náklon, Bert prostě nic.

Takže jsem s tím sekla a řekla si, že to asi zase někdy zkusím, ale za hodně dlouho.

Jenže jezdit jsem chtěla. A tak jsem měla spásnej nápad. Co zkusit singla.

UAU! Singl je ale věc!!!

Když jsem na to sedla, okamžitě jsem věděla, že to je ono. Klečení mi nevadí. Vyhovuje mi to víc, protože když jsem později ještě zkoušela kajak, bolely mě hrozně záda. V singlu mě záda nebolí. Kolena jsou taky v poho, jen nárty. Ale to se dá zvládnout. Přece nejsem žádný mejdlo. Vyhovuje mi když jsem výš, mám větší přehled o tom, co mě čeká a celkové ovládání lodi v zákleku je lepší.

A tak jsem se začala učit, i přez odrazování mého okolí. Jak říká můj kamarád Fantomas: „Bařenko, máš našlápnuto, ale vyser se na singla a jezdi na kajaku.“

Singl je pro mě výzva. A i když všichni kroutí hlavou, je to pro mě přirozenější pohyb, než na kajaku.

Asi na tom něco bude.

Letos bych určitě chtěla jet na Hamerák, Vavřinec a všechny tyhle prásky. Zvedání musim sice ještě dopilovat, ale to se zmákne. Jsem hrozně nadšená. Eskymovat mě naučil Fantomas, hned jak jsem si koupila loď. Bylo to pro mě hrozně motivující. Naučila jsem se to za hodinu, takže moje nadšení stouplo ještě víc.

Baví mě to a i když mi říkají, že nebudu stačit kajakářům. Co na tom. Prostě budu pádlovat, protože mě to baví a ne proto, abych někomu natřela prdel.

Pádluju si pěkně pomalu a v poklidu. Svojí loď, co mi sedí jak hrnec na prdel Wave sprot Z, jsem si koupila v lednu a tak se učím zatím na klidné vodě a na menších peřejích. Nechci nic uspěchat. Hnát se za něčim. Hm.

Mám se za čím hnát. Můj sen je sjet Čerťáky. Ale nepotřebuju to uspěchat. Na druhou stranu ale vím, že to jednou zvládnu. Když jsem jela horní Jizeru, bylo to super a opjet mě to nakoplo a řekla jsem si, že nesmim usnout na vavřínech. Cítím, že když budu chtít, bude to fakt dobrý. Teda jestli mi rozumíte :o)

Mrzí mě, že si někteří lidi myslí, že singl nemá budoucnost.

Co je to za hovadinu. Proč? Je to sice těžší, učit se na tom a v závěru pomalejší než kajak, ale v dnešní uspěchané době,.... :o)

Prostě pohoda.

Na druhou stranu, kajak určitě nezatracuju. Asi se to taky jednou naučim na sedometu, abych pořád nepádlovala nakřivo :o)

Takže doufám, že se singlířů a singlířek objeví víc a podpoří to snažení, aby bylo víc singlířů na řekách.

A jak říkám, přijpíjejte na singlíře a buďte šťastní :o)

Bařenka