Senior Sprint Squad trial - 28th August 2009

With this year's sprint racing finnished the scouts are out looking for next year's talent...

When: This friday, the 28th August 2009.

Where: Nagle Dam.

Who: Any paddlers who are or will be classified as seniors for the 2010 season.

Why: To identify a core group of athletes to encorperate in the high performance programme. These athletes will be offered vared amounts of support depending on thier level of performance. Ranging from access to coaching, training camps, sport science testing and monitoring and a residential allowance.

(Any paddlers who achieved an A final at the World Sprint Championships in Canada, are exempt from having to competing at the trial and gain automatic selection to the squad.)

The trial will only be raced in K1 boats and all athletes are required to race 1000m, 500m and 200m distances.

What an amazing oppertunity for all paddlers!!! Canoeing is entering an exciting era, become a part of it!


CSA's High Performance plan is funded by the National Lotteries Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF).

Wrapping up 2009!

Greg Louw and Nic Burden competing in SA's 200m relay at the World Champs.

I can t believe we are all home and the craziness is over - for now! Thank you to all our incredible and loyal supporters for the last few months!! It has been quite a ride! All the training camps, and tours to finally end with the epic races that were Champs 09! The squad has gone through so much together, the 2009 season will definitely go down as a great one in the books. 7 Medals from Bridge at the world cups, one from Shaun and Mike and then another one from Bridge when racing the whole world and Champs!! It s been incredible, and just a step in the bigger picture towards London!

With the Lotto coming on board, CSA has been able to offer world class services to it s elite athletes. This science based approach will only grow and develop. Keep watching this talented group as they achieve goals that will take them to the top in 2012.

Bronzed Babe ranked 3rd in the WORLD!!!

Bridge Hartley wow s us again!!!! After her impressive season of racing sprints for South Africa, she has finnished 3rd in the world! We are all so so proud of her!!!! She was concerned that her 500m result would bring her world ranking down, but the strength of her over all racing has been of such a high standard that she is placed 3rd at the end of World Champs 09.

She has been warmly recieved by her club 'Tuks' in Pretoria tonight, Bridge you deserve to celebrtate for all your hard work! CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Final day of racing!

Today was Mike and Ruby's turn to strut their stuff... they had the K2 200m A final to try for a podium finish. Their silver in Szeged was a great confidence booster. Going into the race the pair was relaxed and focused.

They raced well, they were a fraction slower on the start than a few of the other boats, which in this short distance is crucial. Racing amongst 200m specialists, 6th place was a great result and has left them hungry to get stuck into training themselves for greater POWER at this speed.

Bridge had her K1 500m B final to dominate. She was determined to show all, that she should have been in the A final.

Take a look at the photo series below depicting her classic fighting ability of digging deep when it matters most!

She wins by a boat length!

The 200m C1 and K1 relays are new events to World Champs as of this year, and was VERY well supported. All the big cheeses on the water at once! What a show down! There are starting cones at each end of the 200m stretch and the cone drops as your team mate crosses the line next to you. Our team was the feisty four of Mike Arthur, Greg Louw, Nic Burden and Nick Stubbs. It was an awesome race to watch, as gaps opened up and were chased down. We ended 4th in our heat which unfortunately meant that we missed the final in which the Spanish team took gold for.

Their have been hints at further changes at next year's World Champs in Poznan, with the introduction of longer distance races... Sprint canoeing is expanding and specialising, something and we have to mirror in South Africa.

Tomorrow we fly out of Halifax to Toronto, then onto Europe. We will spend Tuesday in Frankfurt and arrive on home soil at 8:45 on Wed morning. We are sad that this trip has come to an end, it has held some epic racing! It is always such a privilege to have the opportunity to race against the best sprinters in the world in an event like we have had here in Dartmouth. Finishing today, also marks the end of another amazing season. This year has definitely been a special one, with a lot of changes within CSA to directly help our squad get to where we are - Thank you LOTTO!!.

We will savour this short break until national trials at the end of the month, from where it all starts again.