Newcastle University

Last weekend Newcastle University Canoe Club put months of training into practice as they headed down to the River Washburn to compete in the BUCS White Water Race.

Last year, Newcastle achieved a respectable 4^th place finish, bringing 34 BUCS points back to Tyneside. This year, they smashed their previous effort as they collected 21 medals, including Team Gold for winning the overall Event, to scoop 159 BUCS points. The news is sure to be great news for Fraser Kennedy and the CPRS as the University strives to maintain and improve on their current 15^th place in the BUCS tables.

To anyone new to the sport, the White Water Race is the canoeing equivalent of downhill skiing. Held along the River Washburn in North Yorkshire, the dam is opened allowing water to crash along the rocky river banks, and Universities from all over the UK congregate to race their way through the course in a number of single and team events.

Saturday involves the classic run, a slalom course taking around 10 minutes to compete. On Sunday attention switches to the sprint course which can be finished in just over a minute.

Newcastle’s name was spread across the medal boards in all forms of racing. These included taking Gold, Silver and Bronze in the C2 (2 man canoe) classic run and the Women’s team taking an overall Bronze medal. Another highlight for the Club was masters student Christoph Gemassmer (Mechanical Engineering) taking 5 medals, firstly the C2 classic run Gold with President Jonathan Clough (Civil Engineering), before going onto take Bronze in the Kayak sprint. Not satisfied with those, Gemassmer took Gold in the team event with Phil Mitchell (Civil Engineering) and Ralph Baker(Marine Technology)- where three boats race together to achieve the fastest team time along with a C1 Sprint and Classic Gold.

NUCC Competition Secretary Sam Desbruslais (Medicine) was quick to thank everyone involved in the club’s success. Thanks to grants from the Vice-Chancellor, and the Sports Centre, the club were able to purchase new training boats. They were also able to acquire the services of ex-GB slalom coach Chris Barratt courtesy of the Sports Centre, whose introduction was vital to the club’s dominance.

“Thanks to support from a number of separate areas of the University, we were able to introduce a more intensive training schedule, using the best equipment. We’d also like to thank Gavin Thompson for repairing our racing boats. Even with grants they are expensive to buy, and the difference between the racing and the slalom boat can be as large as 40-50seconds in the race”

- Sam Desbruslais (4^th Year Medicine and Club Competition Secretary).

“We’ve trained incredibly hard this year, training 3 times a week down at Newburn before lectures. We knew we had a chance going into the race, but everyone at the club is delighted with the results, and how our hard work has paid off”

-Jonathan Clough (3^rd Year Civil Engineering and Club President

The Canoe Club should be congratulated for their extraordinary success. The triumph stands as a testament to what can be achieved when the two-way relationship between investment in University Sport, and hard work from the participants is reached. If this balance is addressed properly across every Sport, there is no reason why Team Newcastle will not be finishing higher than 15^th in the 2011-12 BUCS National League Table. If they do, it will be in no short thanks to Canoe Club’s superb effort.

Article by: Richard Stanyon