First time as Senior, last few weeks of school, time for Europeans! Hosted by Germany, Plattling is an icon of Freestyle features with a great reputation. I had briefly been able to paddle Plattling on the way to the last Europeans in 2014, but was still excited at paddling what felt like a new feature!
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| Team GB 2016 |
When I finally arrived, the British camp was already all set up and the main camp site was beginning to get pretty busy, with bleachers overlooking the feature. So that meant it was time to go paddling!! It was such a relief to be on the water, with the sun shining and seeing lots of old friends. After spaetzel for supper, it was straight back to the wave for another session. I paddled till dark and was up early the next morning for another session. (This continued for the first few days, spending lots of time on the water and making the most of lots of paddling!)
As well as kayaking, we also went swimming (in case we were missing the water) at the local pool in Plattling and also to an indoor water park in Deggendorf. Both pools were awesome, with diving boards, flumes, tubing and lazy rivers - all accompanied with Derek, the Team chameleon.
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| Derek ft Sam |
The competition was fast approaching and before we knew it Team Training was in full swing.
Although it is my first year as Senior, I had managed to make K1W Reserve; and although this meant I wouldn't be competing, I still decided to head out for the Europeans. Previously, I have struggled with the (perceived) pressure of competitions, and knew the Senior's is a whole another level, so by going out to the competition not only was I able to have an awesome week training, I also had the added benefit of experiencing this level of competition.
In my opinion, this is invaluable training, that is very hard to replicate normally.
With just one day of training left, the water levels had been predicted to spike rapidly, and so the British camp was invaded (although separated from 'mainland Europe' by some tape) as part of an evacuation. Plattling came much more of a wave, and the whole other side of Freestyle was demonstrated.
Over the competition days, I was drafted in to scribe for the K1M and K1JM. This was another first, and a great experience as I got first hand insight into what the judges are really looking for, including the flags that show it meets the definition. I also got to use the Wave Monkey scoring system, which is considerably easier than previous ones, but is still being adapted.
The competition was soon in full swing, and everyone in Team GB put down some awesome performances. There was a tough field of competitors, but all athletes put up a good fight, and all GB females made finals! This then resulted in 3 medals - Ottie and Sophie achieved bronze and silver respectively in K1JW, and Claire'O completed her collection with a gold in K1W! Along with the competition, everyone was fully immersed into Bavarian culture, especially with the VolksFest (Folk & Beer Festival) happening over the same weekend in Plattling.
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| Opening Ceremony |
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| Because puppies should be a mandatory part |
Overall, the 2016 Europeans were an amazing experience and it was awesome to be involved. I definitely learnt a lot and am keen to push my boating forwards! Well done to everyone who competed, and look forward to hopefully catching up next year!
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