Samantha Rippington - I started sprint canoeing at Fladbury Canoe Club in 2005, at the time, a bustling hub for “High Kneeling” canoeists. Looking back on those days I spent there I can see why:  not only did they have Olympians Andrew and Steve Train dedicated to coaching, they also had canoe equipment and a calm stretch of river to train on.

Unfortunately in recent years, these hubs pop up now and again for a few years and then diminish again. The question is why? It seems to all boil down to how Canoeing is run at the grass roots level. In England, clubs are run by volunteer coaches and parents of paddlers. The skill of canoeing needs to be passed on to the next generation through those coaches and parents and unfortunately this is not happening often enough.

So we ask ourselves, how do we increase the participation in Sprint Canoe in order to get more coaches to run our clubs and inspire the next generation?

The simple answer is to start with the governing body. The British Canoe Union (BCU) Marathon and Sprint racing committees need to show how they are supporting and promoting High kneel Canoe in both Sprint and Marathon. When I say “support”, I mean more than just putting on races at National events. If you look at the broader picture, you can see why our federation might not be inclined to put their money into canoe when there are still only 3 events for Canoe and 9 events for Kayak at the Olympics, and no Olympic women’s canoe events.

I also asked Olympic paddler Eric Jamieson’s son why he stopped canoeing after seven years of Sprint Canoe training. His response was, “When I talked to officials and organisers at National regattas, it seemed like we were just something they had to just put up with rather than support. At my club, most of the committee leaders were VERY unsupportive of the sport, and discouraged me from doing it”. And based on my observations of Canoeing over the years, he is not alone.

Our country does not have a huge history of success in canoe and I understand that people do not like change, however let’s create equal opportunities for our next generation of paddlers by giving them the chance to choose between canoe or kayak when they turn up for a taster session at their local club.

So here are a few of my suggestions to increase participation in Canoe in Great Britain.

1. Create three or four club Centres of Excellence in Sprint Canoe and run training days for coaches at these clubs.
2. Introduce war canoes for team boats and promote C4 training.
3. Promote canoe races at local/National regattas, possibly subsiding entry fees.
4. Give prizes at Hasler Marathon races to the highest ranked C1 (singles canoe) paddlers, junior and senior, male and female.
5. The BCU should set up a page for Sprint Canoe on their new webpage for interested paddlers to find information on Sprint Canoeing, things such as where to get a knee block and how to fix a knee block.

Come on Great Britain. Put Canoe into Canoe England.