The Friday session was well attended and so it was a busy night for all on and in the water. As well as the regular craft out on the dock the SUP boards have now become a regular edition to what is now available to members. In search of a partner in the art of synchronized SUP boarding Trevor found the ideal person in Emily. Their timing was perfect as was Frans in capturing the moment. Great fun was had by all this evening.
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The DCC family paddle to Coniston was a great success with many heading out on SUP boards. John and Sue took advantage of the perfect conditions on the lake to put into practice all they'd listened to on the SUP coaching course. Nancy got well acquainted with the local wild life while taking her Nana on a tour of the lake. Then she took her first lesson on a SUP board directing Emily around the water. A great time was had by all.
SUP coach Caroline Carr came to the docks on Sunday 17th June to impart her knowledge to all that took part on the day. Everyone had a fun and enjoyable time learning far more than they realised. As John couldn't take part on a SUP board this time He and Sue followed Caroline listening to instructions and directions for use at a later time. With John steering from the rear of an open canoe, it gave Sue a chance up front to take some great photographs and video of the days events. Everyone said how much they enjoyed the day and by the looks of it they all grew in confidence and made great progress on how to get the most out of a SUP board. More news of the day to follow from Scott.
Sunday 10th June saw DCC race team travel down to the Adelphi Mill at Bollington to race on the Macclesfield Canal. Not only was the weather great but once the race started there was almost no moving barges insight which was a vast improvement on previous races. Daniel came 1st in the under 12 lightning boys with Ryan coming a close 2nd. Connor and Kieran came 2nd in the div 9 K2 group. Well done to all who competed.
The DCC Special School Canoe Club has really taken off now the weather has improved. At last the wind has dropped and the sun has made an appearance making conditions calmer on the water. There have been plenty of coaches and helpers to provide support on and off the water so that the young folk and their parents/carers ( if they want to give it a go) can all get on the water and enjoy kayaking as a joint effort or the young person can just team up with a coach. Once they become more proficient at paddling then they have to opportunity to go solo in their own boat with in the group if they so wish. Everyone said how much they have enjoyed getting the chance to paddle, have fun and discover a part of Barrow that not many get to see.
Sunday 20th May saw DCC race team set off to Chester to compete on the River Dee in the Chester Marathon. All got off to a great start except for Daniel who showed great sportsmanship when on the start line his paddle snapped causing him to retire early.
Scott, Lee aswell as other paddlers on the day had to portage several times over ground that was quite challenging due to the nature of the banking. The team brought home a variety of medals including 3 golds and 4 silvers. Well done to all. Great pictures of the days race by Julie. Saturday morning saw a few DCC members out and about Balsam Bashing. I assumed they would be giant plants growing at the waters edge waiting to be tackled to the ground before having their roots severed but Carol said they were actually very small plants just starting to grow which were easier to pull up and deal with. Please don't try this with any balsam plant once the flower and seed pods have developed. They have to be destroyed at an early stage to stop the dispersal of the seeds.
After lunch DCC members took to the waters of Windermere at Waterhead. We paddle across the lake to explore the River Brathay and the River Rothay. At times it was very shallow and some of the boats had to be pulled over the river bed into deeper water. One member even managed to fall in. Yes alright I own up it was me but an enjoyable time was had by all. We spent a lovely afternoon exploring the rivers that some of us had never paddled down with David managing to take a great picture of the midges that were abundant on the day. Looked like an alien encounter.Thanks go to John for organising the paddle. This Friday evenings session was the start of a weekend of paddling for some members of DCC. Watched over by a proud Mam and Dad, Tiegan took to the water in a kayak by herself for the first time and made it look as though she had been paddling for months on her own. A new family showed up at the docks to have a look around and ended up out on the water. They had a great time exploring the docks and paid a visit to the Furness pyramids. Overall it was a great night for everyone.
The weather was perfect for the first race of a series of four organised by DCC. It was well attended with many paddlers making their debut at wild water racing. It was good to see John and Rhiann back racing again. All had a great day and can't wait for the next one.
Please note that SLSS2 on the 10th June has been cancelled and SLSS3 will run on the 8th July as scheduled. Saturday 28th April 2018 saw the first polo training / tournament held at DCC headquarters.Teams from around the county travelled to the docks for a polo training session in the morning followed by lunch and DCC famous cakes and tea provided by DCC members / Polo team supporters. The afternoon hosted a tournament of mixed players from all the clubs, this helped to develop the players skills and the use of set plays and drills. The Duddon youth players surprised everyone with there great skills and shooting ability, well done lads. Daniel and Ryan were kept busy doing a top job as ball boy. There are some great photos available to view thanks to Jacky and Cari.
Duddon polo team has come a long way over the past year or two going from total novices to a team that is able to not only compete to a high standard but give the other clubs a high quality game and even win. Trevor and Michelle would like to thank everyone who helped make this event the success it was. Trevor DCC polo coach |
