Viking Kayak Club
Encyclopedia
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.
Viking was founded in 1961 and celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2011. Its clubhouse is at Batts Ford on the north bank of the River Great Ouse
in the centre of Bedford
, England
.
In 2009, Viking was named the British Canoe Union
(BCU)’s Club of the Year and was Runner Up in the overall UK Sports Club of the Year run by The Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR). Viking is also accredited under Sport England
’s ClubMark scheme and by the BCU as Top Club Gold, the highest level of canoe club accreditation.
The club has equipment available to beginners and runs a range of courses from beginner level through to more advanced paddling and even for those wishing to become a coach. It also runs specialist training in slalom, polo and racing as well as the opportunity to meet with like–minded people and go on trips at weekends etc. From around Easter through to the Summer each year, Viking runs a Kids Club and a Paddlesport Academy based on Canoe England
’s Paddle Power scheme.
Finals. Events in 2010 included:
Canoeing and kayaking have taken place in Bedford for many years and in the early 1900s, open canoes were available for hire alongside punts and rowing boats from commercial boathouses along Bedford’s riverside.
Canoes started to be used in races and in May 1951, the first Bedford to St. Neots
canoe race took place to encourage the restoration of navigation between the two towns which at that time was impassable by most boats. The race was the first of its kind in the country and is still run annually, as the Bedford Canoe and Kayak Marathon. It now takes place on a circular circuit around the Victorian Embankment in Bedford’s town centre and is part of the Eastern Region Hasler marathon series, generally taking place at the end of April or beginning of May.
In 1961, following the success of the Bedford to St Neots race, Viking Kayak Club was established by canoeing friends Brian Sidaway, David Green and John Mathers and moved in to premises shared with Star Rowing Club.
From the start, Viking members have also used the white water created by Bedford’s weirs and in particular Duck Mill sluices, in Bedford’s town centre, which is ideal for white water training. National ranking slalom competitions have also been held here and this was the first venue at which 5 time world slalom champion Richard Fox (canoeist) competed.
Duck Mill has also been the setting for Viking’s annual Boxing Day Roll, which has been taking place annually since 1964 and sees the return of many former Viking paddlers each year.
From 1972 Viking members collaborated with the water and environmental authorities to develop a plan for a combined scheme allowing improved flood relief with the UK’s first artificial slalom course. Opened in 1982, Cardington Artificial Slalom Course
was originally seen primarily as a regional training venue. Now, the course also holds two national ranking canoe slalom competitions per year at up to Division 2 level, and is the host every year to the Inter Clubs Final, which pits teams from all the top canoe slalom clubs against each other for an overall trophy. Running all weekend with camping overnight, the Inter Clubs is the largest canoe slalom event in the UK (by number of participants), a great social event for the sport and one of the highlights of the UK slalom calendar.
Since 1981 Viking has taken part in the twin town Sports Festival held every four years between Bedford and Bamberg
, Germany
, competing against their counterparts the Bamberg Faltboot Club (BFC). In 1994 BFC member Jurgen Hoh paddled all the from Bamberg to Bedford in a traditional folding kayak (faltboot in German).
Viking has a proud record of producing some excellent paddlers, including current British C2 Slalom Champion Etienne Stott
, who with partner Tim Baillie won Bronze medals at the 2009 European Championships and came fourth at the 2009 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
in La Seu d'Urgell
. Etienne and Tim also won team medals - Silver at the Europeans, Bronze at the Worlds - with the other UK C2 boats, David Florence
/Richard Hounslow
and Dan Goddard/Colin Radmore, Etienne was named Bedford Sports Personality of the Year in 2008.
(BCU). It is run by a club committee and holds its AGM every year in November.
The club produces a member newsletter called ‘The Paddler’ which is distributed to current and former members and friends of the club.
Canoe
A canoe or Canadian canoe is a small narrow boat, typically human-powered, though it may also be powered by sails or small electric or gas motors. Canoes are usually pointed at both bow and stern and are normally open on top, but can be decked over A canoe (North American English) or Canadian...
and kayak
Kayak
A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...
clubs in the UK. The club offers a broad range of paddling opportunities from easy recreational paddling to competition in canoe slalom, canoe racing
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
and canoe polo
Canoe polo
Canoe Polo is a competitive ball sport played on water, in a defined "field", between two teams of 5 players, each in a kayak...
and is active in encouraging beginners into the sport.
Viking was founded in 1961 and celebrates its 50th Anniversary in 2011. Its clubhouse is at Batts Ford on the north bank of the River Great Ouse
River Great Ouse
The Great Ouse is a river in the east of England. At long, it is the fourth-longest river in the United Kingdom. The river has been important for navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows. Its course has been modified several times, with the first recorded being in...
in the centre of Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In 2009, Viking was named the British Canoe Union
British Canoe Union
The British Canoe Union is a national governing body for canoeing in the United Kingdom, whose stated purpose is "Helping and Inspiring people to go canoeing”....
(BCU)’s Club of the Year and was Runner Up in the overall UK Sports Club of the Year run by The Central Council of Physical Recreation (CCPR). Viking is also accredited under Sport England
Sport England
Sport England is the brand name for the English Sports Council and is a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
’s ClubMark scheme and by the BCU as Top Club Gold, the highest level of canoe club accreditation.
Membership
The club is open to all from the age of eight upwards and welcomes families and adults of all ages to take part in canoeing and kayaking sport and recreation. All forms of paddling are supported.The club has equipment available to beginners and runs a range of courses from beginner level through to more advanced paddling and even for those wishing to become a coach. It also runs specialist training in slalom, polo and racing as well as the opportunity to meet with like–minded people and go on trips at weekends etc. From around Easter through to the Summer each year, Viking runs a Kids Club and a Paddlesport Academy based on Canoe England
Canoe England
In 2000 the British Canoe Union federalised to become the umbrella organisation for the Home Nation Associations in Scotland , Wales and Northern Ireland...
’s Paddle Power scheme.
Events
Viking runs several annual events and national ranking competitions. These have included the National Marathon championships and the National Hasler SeriesHasler Series
The Hasler Series is the British national club championship in the sport of Marathon Canoeing, a long distance form of canoe racing, governed by the British Canoe Union ....
Finals. Events in 2010 included:
- Bedford Kayak Marathon (including UK selection event), April 2010
- Annual ‘Come and Try it’ event, May 2010
- Cardington Slalom (national ranking event Division 2/3/4), June 2010
- Bedford River FestivalBedford River FestivalThe Bedford River Festival is held biannually in Bedford, England, on the banks of the River Great Ouse. It was founded in 1978 to celebrate the completion of a navigable route, by water, between Bedford and the coast and is held over a weekend, normally in July...
(Viking will run various demonstration events), July 2010 - Cardington Slalom (national ranking event Division 2/3/4), September 2010
- UK Canoe Slalom Inter Clubs final, Cardington (organised by the BCU Slalom committee), Sept 2010
- Boxing Day Roll, 26th December 2010
History
The club's name is named after the Viking raiding activity that is known to have taken place on the River Great Ouse at what is now Bedford. For centuries the river has been used to transport goods and people but by the twentieth century the river was increasingly used for leisure.Canoeing and kayaking have taken place in Bedford for many years and in the early 1900s, open canoes were available for hire alongside punts and rowing boats from commercial boathouses along Bedford’s riverside.
Canoes started to be used in races and in May 1951, the first Bedford to St. Neots
St Neots
St Neots is a town and civil parish with a population of 26,356 people. It lies on the River Great Ouse in Huntingdonshire District, approximately north of central London, and is the largest town in Cambridgeshire . The town is named after the Cornish monk St...
canoe race took place to encourage the restoration of navigation between the two towns which at that time was impassable by most boats. The race was the first of its kind in the country and is still run annually, as the Bedford Canoe and Kayak Marathon. It now takes place on a circular circuit around the Victorian Embankment in Bedford’s town centre and is part of the Eastern Region Hasler marathon series, generally taking place at the end of April or beginning of May.
In 1961, following the success of the Bedford to St Neots race, Viking Kayak Club was established by canoeing friends Brian Sidaway, David Green and John Mathers and moved in to premises shared with Star Rowing Club.
From the start, Viking members have also used the white water created by Bedford’s weirs and in particular Duck Mill sluices, in Bedford’s town centre, which is ideal for white water training. National ranking slalom competitions have also been held here and this was the first venue at which 5 time world slalom champion Richard Fox (canoeist) competed.
Duck Mill has also been the setting for Viking’s annual Boxing Day Roll, which has been taking place annually since 1964 and sees the return of many former Viking paddlers each year.
From 1972 Viking members collaborated with the water and environmental authorities to develop a plan for a combined scheme allowing improved flood relief with the UK’s first artificial slalom course. Opened in 1982, Cardington Artificial Slalom Course
Cardington Artificial Slalom Course
Cardington Artificial Slalom Course was the first artificial whitewater canoe slalom course in the UK when it was completed in July 1982, having been first discussed in 1972....
was originally seen primarily as a regional training venue. Now, the course also holds two national ranking canoe slalom competitions per year at up to Division 2 level, and is the host every year to the Inter Clubs Final, which pits teams from all the top canoe slalom clubs against each other for an overall trophy. Running all weekend with camping overnight, the Inter Clubs is the largest canoe slalom event in the UK (by number of participants), a great social event for the sport and one of the highlights of the UK slalom calendar.
Since 1981 Viking has taken part in the twin town Sports Festival held every four years between Bedford and Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, competing against their counterparts the Bamberg Faltboot Club (BFC). In 1994 BFC member Jurgen Hoh paddled all the from Bamberg to Bedford in a traditional folding kayak (faltboot in German).
Viking has a proud record of producing some excellent paddlers, including current British C2 Slalom Champion Etienne Stott
Etienne Stott
Etienne Stott is a British slalom canoeist who has competed since the late 2000s.Etienne and his partner Timothy Baillie are current British Premier Division Champions and British Open Champions and won a Bronze medal in the C2 event at the 2009 European Championships at the Holme Pierrepont...
, who with partner Tim Baillie won Bronze medals at the 2009 European Championships and came fourth at the 2009 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
2009 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships
The 2009 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships were held on 9–13 September 2009 at Parc Olímpic del Segre in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain under the auspices of International Canoe Federation. La Seu d'Urgell hosted the event previously in 1999. A demonstration event for women's single seat Canadian took...
in La Seu d'Urgell
La Seu d'Urgell
La Seu d'Urgell is a town located in the Catalan Pyrenees in Spain. La Seu d'Urgell is also the capital of the comarca Alt Urgell, head of the judicial district of la Seu d'Urgell and the seat of Bishop of Urgell, one of the Andorra co-princes...
. Etienne and Tim also won team medals - Silver at the Europeans, Bronze at the Worlds - with the other UK C2 boats, David Florence
David Florence
David Florence is a British slalom canoeist. He won a silver medal in the men's slalom C-1 at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.-Early life:...
/Richard Hounslow
Richard Hounslow
Richard Hounslow is a British slalom canoer who has competed since the late 1990s. He won four medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with a silver and three bronzes ....
and Dan Goddard/Colin Radmore, Etienne was named Bedford Sports Personality of the Year in 2008.
Governance
The club is a Community Amateur Sports Club and is affiliated to the British Canoe UnionBritish Canoe Union
The British Canoe Union is a national governing body for canoeing in the United Kingdom, whose stated purpose is "Helping and Inspiring people to go canoeing”....
(BCU). It is run by a club committee and holds its AGM every year in November.
The club produces a member newsletter called ‘The Paddler’ which is distributed to current and former members and friends of the club.