Manchester Canoe Club

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Manchester Canoe Club
Manchestercanoeclublogo.png
Sport Canoeing [1]
Kayaking
Canoe Slalom
Canoe Polo [2]
Founded1933 [2]
Affiliation British Canoe Union
Affiliation date1936
Regional affiliation North West England [2]
Official website
www.manchestercanoeclub.org
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg

The Manchester Canoe Club (MCC) is based on the banks of the River Goyt at Marple, in Greater Manchester, England. [3] Since its foundation in 1933, the club has been actively involved in the development of canoe sport, particularly in the competitive discipline of Canoe Slalom. It also has an active whitewater section.

Contents

History

Foundation

Manchester Canoe Club was formed at an inaugural meeting in May 1933 following the publication of a letter by Hans Renold to the Times Newspaper to contact people interested in paddling on White Water. It became part of the British Canoe Association, [2] [4] making it one of the oldest canoe clubs in the United Kingdom. MCC founded the British Canoe Union in 1936, [5] along with Clyde Canoe Club, the Royal Canoe Club, and the Canoe section of the Camping Club. [6] In the early years, Manchester Canoe Club was primarily focused on touring and canoe camping. When canoe slalom gained popularity in 1939, MCC became a pioneering club in the sport. During the WW2 years the Club was kept "afloat' by Maurice Rothwell who acted as secretary and with others celebrated the end of the war by paddling on the River Spey. It was his records of Club Tours that helped to confirm access to the River Spey in a later court case.

The Club took part in all aspects of White Water Paddling – Slalom, River Racing and Touring. On one of their trips to the French Alps they came across a French Rivers Competition that was run on Several Rivers and in Age Groups. They found they had members to compete in all the groups and won many of the competitions. The trophies they received were brought home and formed the basis of a Club Competition they called the Quinzaine Series.

Maurice Rothwell had become prominent in the Canoe Slalom hierarchy. As one of the few car owning people at that time he would assist the British Team when travelling abroad, and in his Official capacity officiated at the first Televised Slalom event which was in Doncaster.

During the 60s and 70s the Club became very much involved in Canoe Slalom and ran many events each year for the BCU's Slalom Calendar, not just on their home water in Marple but also as far afield as Easby Abbey in Yorkshire, Langollen in Wales, (this event was known as the Serpent's Tail), and the Tryweryn also in Wales. In 1981 the Tryweryn was the site of the first World Canoe Championships held in Britain and the Club's expertise was called on to provide the Results Service for the Slalom event. Over 40 members took part in receiving, checking and recording the competitors results which were then displayed on the main and also 2 remote score boards. It was said that this was the first time at a World Slalom Event that the competitors could see their provisional results as soon as they got off the water. Members attending Nottingham University were, amongst others, instrumental in arranging for Nottingham Council Officials to attend the event which was to pave the way for the first Artificial Slalom Site at Holme Pierrepoint.

In the late 60s, the club began searching for a permanent club site, and found the current site at Dale Road, Marple. Initially, MCC could only lease the site for a year at a time, so plans for a permanent club headquarters had to be abandoned; instead, a caravan was brought onto the site and used. In 1974, as a long-term lease agreement looked more possible, the caravan was replaced with a World War II nissen hut. After years of searching, MCC negotiated a 7-year lease of the club site in 1988. In 1992, MCC was able to purchase the site permanently; to do this, the club received a grant from the Foundation for Sports and Arts. Plans for a new clubhouse were started however changes to the funding system meant further plans were stalled and leadership from Dave Higson eventually got things moving again and funding from Sports England was approved in February 2002, this together with a considerable bequest from Maurice Rothwell together with the Club's own Building Fund allowed for the construction of the new clubhouse which began shortly afterwards, and finished in August 2003. In 2017 the club used its own funds combined with funds from Sport England to build a new boathouse replacing the shipping containers that had long been used to house the club's equipment.

Present

MCC has club officers who are responsible for the training, promotion, and co-ordination of each section (Slalom and Whitewater). [7] MCC host several national slalom races for divisions 3 and 4 during the Canoe Slalom season. [4] Training courses are also held at the local Hazel Grove baths during winter. [4] MCC takes an active role in campaigns and political debates. In January 2008, Mark Davies (club chairman) appeared on the BBC Politics North West show, [8] campaigning for river access. [9]

River Goyt

The River Goyt runs from the Errwood, Fernilee, and Etherow reservoirs, which tends to stabilise the river level. The stretch of the River Goyt at the club site is fairly placid (grade 2). [10] but can become grade 3 and higher in heavy rain. [10] The stretch has rapids either side, and contains a number of pools and eddies; the water is also very clean, shown by the rise in fishing. [10]

In Summer 2008, extensive work was carried out at the club site to alter the river flow, creating new river features and obstacles. [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoeing</span> Activity of paddling a canoe

Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other activities such as canoe camping, or where canoeing is merely a transportation method used to accomplish other activities. Most present-day canoeing is done as or as a part of a sport or recreational activity. In some parts of Europe canoeing refers to both canoeing and kayaking, with a canoe being called an open canoe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitewater kayaking</span> Type of water sport

Whitewater kayaking is an adventure sport where a river is navigated in a decked kayak. Whitewater kayaking includes several styles. River running; where the paddler follows a river and paddles rapids as they travel. Creeking usually involving smaller, steeper, and more technical waterways. Creek boats tend to be short but high volume to allow for manoeuvrability while maintaining buoyancy. Slalom requires paddlers to navigate through "gates". Slalom is the only whitewater event to be in the Olympics. Play boating involves staying on one feature of the river and is more artistic than the others. Squirt boating uses low-volume boats to perform special moves in whitewater features.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wildwater canoeing</span>

Wildwater canoeing is a competitive discipline of canoeing in which kayaks or canoes are used to negotiate a stretch of river speedily. It is also called "Whitewater racing" or "Downriver racing" to distinguish it from whitewater slalom racing and whitewater rodeo or Freestyle competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoe slalom</span> Competitive sport

Canoe slalom is a competitive sport with the aim to navigate a decked canoe or kayak through a course of hanging downstream or upstream gates on river rapids in the fastest time possible. It is one of the two kayak and canoeing disciplines at the Summer Olympics, and is referred to by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as Canoe/Kayak Slalom. The other Olympic canoeing discipline is canoe sprint. Wildwater canoeing is a non-Olympic paddlesport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afon Tryweryn</span> River in the United Kingdom

The Tryweryn is a river in the north of Wales which starts at Llyn Tryweryn in the Snowdonia National Park and after 19 kilometres (12 mi) joins the river Dee at Bala. One of the main tributaries of the Dee, it was dammed in 1965 to form Llyn Celyn. The Tryweryn flooding forcibly removed residents of the village of Capel Celyn despite popular and political opposition in Wales. The resulting graffiti "Cofiwch Dryweryn" near Llanrhystud became and remains a popular icon of Welsh feeling. Water is stored in Llyn Celyn in winter when flows are high, and released over the summer to maintain the flow in the Dee (water from the Dee is used as the water supply for large areas of north-east Wales, and for the Wirral and much of Liverpool in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canoe freestyle</span> Discipline of whitewater kayaking or canoeing

Canoe freestyle is a discipline of whitewater kayaking or canoeing where people perform various technical moves in one place, as opposed to downriver whitewater canoeing or kayaking where the objective is to travel the length of a section of river. Specialised canoes or kayaks (boats) known as playboats are often used, but any boat can be used for playing. The moves and tricks are often similar to those performed by snowboarders, surfers or skaters, where the athlete completes spins, flips, turns, etc. With modern playboats it is possible to get the kayak and the paddler completely airborne while performing tricks. The competitive side of playboating is known as freestyle kayaking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Augsburg Eiskanal</span>

The Augsburg Eiskanal is an artificial whitewater river in Augsburg, Germany, constructed as the canoe slalom venue for the 1972 Summer Olympics in nearby Munich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artificial whitewater</span> Artificially created water sports venue

An artificial whitewater course (AWWC) is a site for whitewater canoeing, whitewater kayaking, whitewater racing, whitewater rafting, playboating and slalom canoeing with artificially generated rapids.

Richard Munro Fox is a British slalom canoeist who competed for Great Britain from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. He won eleven medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with ten golds and a bronze. Fox also won the overall World Cup title three times and the Euro Cup four times.

Canoe Wales is the national governing body for paddlesport in Wales. It covers all branches of the sport from recreational canoeing, kayaking, stand up paddleboarding and rafting to whitewater racing, slalom racing and wildwater racing; flatwater sprint racing and marathon racing; canoe sailing; canoe polo; surf kayaking and canoeing; and extreme racing. The organisation has over 2,700 members including individual paddlers as well as affiliated club members. Full adult members of Canoe Wales are also by default Welsh members of British Canoeing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitewater canoeing</span> Paddling a canoe on a moving body of water

Whitewater canoeing is the sport of paddling a canoe on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. Whitewater canoeing can range from simple, carefree gently moving water, to demanding, dangerous whitewater. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to the difficulty, danger or severity of the rapid. Whitewater grades range from I or 1 to VI or 6. Grade/Class I can be described as slightly moving water with ripples. Grade/Class VI can be described as severe or almost unrunnable whitewater, such as Niagara Falls.

Douglas Cameron Gordon, commonly known as Doug Gordon, was an American whitewater kayaker, who was a member of the U.S. Slalom Team from 1981 to 1987, and a chemist. Gordon died in Eastern Tibet when he and three other paddlers attempted the first descent of the Tsangpo River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tacen Whitewater Course</span>

The Tacen Whitewater Course is a venue for canoe and kayak slalom competition in Tacen, Slovenia, a suburb of Ljubljana. Located on the Sava River, eight kilometers northwest of the city center, it is known locally as Kayak Canoe Club Tacen. The course played an important role in development of the sport during the past six decades. In 1939, when its first competition was held, it was a natural rapid at the base of a dam in the Sava River. In 1990, after many upgrades, it was given a concrete channel and the features of a modern Olympic-style slalom course. The course now starts in the lake behind the dam, and the spillway is the first drop. Tacen hosts a major international competition almost every year, examples being the 1955, the 1991, and the 2010 Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships</span>

The 2010 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held 8–12 September 2010 at Tacen Whitewater Course, Slovenia under the auspices of International Canoe Federation for the record-tying third time. It was the 33rd edition. Tacen hosted the event previously in 1955 and 1991 when it was part of Yugoslavia, and joins the following cities that have hosted the event three times: Spittal, Austria ; Meran, Italy ; Bourg St.-Maurice, France ; and Augsburg, Germany. Women's single canoe (C1W) events became a medal event after being an exhibition in the previous championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viking Kayak Club</span> Water sports club in Bedford, England

Viking Kayak Club is an open, community-based, multi-disciplinary club and is now one of the foremost canoe and kayak clubs in the UK. The club offers a broad range of paddling opportunities from easy recreational paddling to competition in canoe slalom, canoe racing and canoe polo and is active in encouraging beginners into the sport.

The Philadelphia Canoe Club (PCC) is one of oldest paddling organizations in the United States. Headquartered in an 18th-century mill at the confluence of the Wissahickon Creek and Schuylkill River in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, PCC counts among its members more than 200 canoeists and kayakers who take scores of trips every year on local rivers and streams as well as numerous waterways throughout North America.

The Ottawa River Runners (ORR) is a whitewater kayak and canoe club located on the Ottawa River in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The club is located at the Fleet Street Pumping Station tailrace, in the Lebreton Flats area of Ottawa. The whitewater course that the ORR established and maintains is called The Pumphouse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adventure Sports Center International</span>

Adventure Sports Center International is an Olympic standard white water rafting and canoe/kayak slalom center located on the mountaintop above the Wisp Ski Resort at Deep Creek Lake, McHenry, Maryland, United States. In addition to serving as a venue for slalom races and training, the center offers a range of services to the general public including guided raft trips, inflatable kayak rentals, and riverboard rentals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of canoeing and kayaking</span> Overview of and topical guide to canoeing and kayaking

The following outline is provided as an overview of canoeing and kayaking:

References

  1. ↑ "Manchester Canoe Club". Derbyshire Sport. Archived from the original on 20 June 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Manchester Canoe Club". Go-paddle. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  3. ↑ "Manchester Canoe Club". Sports Base. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  4. 1 2 3 "MCC homepage". Manchester Canoe Club. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  5. ↑ Ferrero, Franco (2002). Canoe and Kayak Handbook. Pesda Press. p. 9. ISBN   0-9531956-5-1 . Retrieved 25 June 2008.
  6. ↑ "The British Canoe Union". Sports Watches. Archived from the original on 17 May 2008. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  7. ↑ "Manchester Canoe Club". High Peak Borough Council. Archived from the original on 6 July 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  8. ↑ "Manchester CC: Newsletter Jan 2008". Manchester Canoe Club. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
  9. ↑ "Manchester Canoe Club". Brookbank Canoes. Archived from the original on 10 November 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  10. 1 2 3 "Rivers around Manchester". Manchester Canoe Club. Retrieved 13 October 2008.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ MCC newsletter: September 2007
  12. ↑ MCC newsletter: May 2008
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