Hi ,

So ... the hamster keeps on running.

Not much of an emergency exit from this wheel. Just tighten the helmet and look straight ahead.

There is a heap on the go and a heap that has happened.

I glanced over my shoulder and noticed that last week’s newsletter was actually last month’s newsletter!

How does this all happen so fast?

A quick recap of things gone by.

We are now, officially, not Canoeing South Africa anymore.

The new name of our federation, from the 1^st of April, is Paddlesport South Africa (PSA)

So, get used to wrapping your lips around it.

The SA canoe polo championships, held at Emmarentia dam, on the 21-23 March, were a resounding success.

Despite the absence of teams from KZN, which is a previous polo powerhouse, the standard was impressive.

Gauteng walked away victorious in three of the four categories. The open men, the open women and the U23 men.

The Western Cape secured the U16 open.

The discipline is certainly alive and well and is not adversely affected by the poor water quality of our rivers.

From flat and protected, to hectic and wild.

The Stihl Umko, held on the weekend of 15-16 March, turned out to be not for the feint hearted.

The river was at an extreme level, which was superb for the majority of the field. Fast times and wide eyes were the order of the day, as were the host of war stories.

Hank McGregor and Wayne Jacobs made a successful comeback after a year of absence from the podium. They were pushed most of the way by a very game Matt Fenn and Bradley Boulle, with the race, ironically, being decided on a portage.

Hillary Bruss and Kate Frost showed that the extreme conditions were not just a male-dominated domain.

Once again, there was massive support from the Gauteng paddlers, as well as an impressive squad from Slummies.

Kingfisher Canoe Club stepped up to the plate, as they do, with superb organisation.

Back to flat water and the premier sprint event on the calendar: the SA Schools, and the SA Sprint Championships.

This event was held at Roodeplaat Dam, outside of Pretoria, last weekend.

The championships doubled as selection events for a number of sprint teams that will be touring this year.

An increased number of participants, and an elevated standard, made the three-day event as exciting as ever.

There were some awesome performances. Far too many results to do any justice by trying to pin point them all. Save to say that Hamish Lovemore and Esti Olivier dominated the Olympic distances, with Hamish and Kira Bester producing the best results in the non Olympic distances.

The event certainly produced a platform from which LA Olympic hopefuls can launch themselves.

Huge thanks to KNCU for a fantastic job in the organisation.

... and what's coming up?

Two very important events happening over this weekend

Firstly, the trial to select the athletes who will represent South Africa at the World Games in China in August, will be held at the Dudley Pringle dam outside Durban.

Some fast and furious racing will be the order of the day, as only one male and one female will be selected.

All eyes will be on Hamish to see if he can bring his form of last week to the party.

The woman’s competition is fairly wide open with Saskia Hockly, Bridgitte Hartley, Nix Birkett and Jenna Nisbet sure to be in the mix.

Secondly, the largest and most famous inland surfski race in the world, takes place on Emmarentia dam. Hundreds of ski paddlers will take to the extreme conditions and vie for the title of winner of the High Altitude Surfski Championships. The after party often turns out to be more competitive than the event itself.

The next major events on the calendar are the SA Surfski singles and doubles championships, which will be held on 25 and 27 April respectively.

The SS1 championships will be hosted by the Fish Hoek club, and the SS2 championships will be incorporated into the iconic Prescient Freedom Paddle.

The “who's who” of our local surf ski paddlers will be in attendance, with the Cape Town locals looking to clean up.

January seems like a couple of days ago. October is going to feel like tomorrow. Don’t let the World Ocean Racing Championships creep up on you.

Start preparing today.

Until next time ... 

Your SG
Copper

And the joke ...

An older man approached an attractive younger woman at a shopping mall.

“Excuse me; I can't seem to find my wife. Can you talk to me for a couple of minutes?”

The woman, feeling a bit of compassion for the old fellow, said: “Of course, sir. Do you know where your wife might be?”

“I have no idea, but every time I talk to a woman with a figure like yours, she appears out of nowhere.”