Polo Information
Canoe Polo Teams
Canoe polo was established as a competitive discipline in the 1970’s. It is a widely played sport with its own European and World Championships. Members of Colwyn Canoe Club established a Canoe Polo training section in May 1999, despite the fact that they had never played before and didn’t know the rules! Since then two teams have been established and have been competing with ever increasing success. The teams have had to travel throughout the UK to compete, as there are no other teams in North Wales. The sport can be played as either single sex or mixed teams and Colwyn on a joint basis with Mold Canoe Club have successfully fronted a Women’s team (www.) and a mixed team (forward slash). This year the teams have competed in the Great Britain National League Divisions, a North West Regional League and various Open, International Competitions. The team train at least once a week in Llandudno Swimming Pool during the winter months and at the Corus Sailing Lake in Shotton during the summer. Many of the team players supplement their training by competing or participating in other canoeing disciples such as slalom, white‑water and Canadian canoeing.
The teams have competed in a number of international competitions over the summer:
· British Canoe Union National Championships – Hatfield, Yorkshire
· Merseyside International – Kings Dock, Liverpool
· Hull International – Princes Quay, Hull
The opposition came from across the UK and from clubs with a long tradition of Canoe Polo. Whilst no medals were won, a solid performance was seen, and good fun had by all.
In August we competed at the Welsh International Open in Pembroke. The weather was fantastic and the use of the new location this year in Pembroke provided a great setting. In addition to having a good time camping and socialising with the other teams, we were also delighted to pick up a trophy for third place.
In September the teams travelled to Kilcock, Co. Kildare to compete in the 18th Irish International Canoe Polo Open competition. The two day competition is an annual outing for us, and for the first time ever we could field two teams. As always the socialising and Guinness was a priority, however our teams did not let it affect their performance. Team Forward Slash proved a winning combination, not conceding a game until the Final. Pipped to the post by a Northern Ireland team we were nevertheless very pleased with our second place trophies. It was also a particular triumph as our team consisting of two males and three females were competing on the whole against all male teams. Our second team, competing under the pseudonym ‘Beach Boys’ contained several of our novice and junior players but still played well against the more experienced competitors.
The ethos of our Canoe polo section is to give everyone a go. Having only started ourselves fairly recently, there is no expectation that newcomers will be expert paddlers. We welcome anyone even if they have never sat in a kayak before, or are not interested in competing. This approach has meant we have attracted participants across all ages, ability & fitness levels. Rather than being the male domain, as is so often the case in the canoeing world, we actually have more females than males. The emphasis is on coaching, improving skills and having fun, winning competitions is nice but not the overriding factor.
This is not to say we haven’t produced some top class players. Approximately four and a half years ago Katie Hemer joined Colwyn Canoe Club as a beginner to kayaking. During this time she has worked extremely hard to become an accomplished Canoe Polo player. Despite being the youngest and smallest! member of our team she has developed into a talented and valued player who can hold her own with the best of them. Last year the opportunity became available for Katie to be assessed and attend trials for the Great Britain under 21’s team, where she was selected for the national squad against tough competition from all over Britain. She is the first person from North Wales ever to have made the National team. You can imagine how proud we were when we heard that Katie had been selected from the Squad to play for her Country last year at the Canoe Polo World Championships in Germany. She did her country proud playing against teams from Poland, Japan and France, with the team eventually finishing 5th in the World. Although Katie is now attending Cambridge University so cannot train with us on a regular basis, she is continuing to improve and was again reselected for the Squad and has been playing for them internationally this season.
We feel that our team is somewhat unique, because men and women compete on an equal basis, and we include a wide age range from 15 years to 40+. The majority of the team were new to kayaking when they first started and their progress has been fantastic to watch. We are always keen to welcome new players, so if you live in North Wales why not think about having a go? We look forward to seeing you soon!
Contact Details:
Dermot or Cathy on 01745 827674 for a chat, or Susan on 01492 583518.
Training sessions will be held 8-9.30pm on Tuesday nights at Llandudno Swimming Pool until the 27th April 2004. From the 4th May to the 14th September 2004 we will be training at Corus Sailing Lake, Shotton Industrial Estate, Deeside. All equipment can be provided for you.
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COLWYN CANOE CLUB - Benefits of membership
Canoe polo sessions
Winter season
Every Tuesday at Llandudno Pool 7.30pm start, 8-9.30pm on the water
Coaching provided by Dave Brown, Great Britain team coach, on alternate weeks.
All equipment provided if needed.
Opportunity to play in Women’s or mixed team competing in the National Leagues.
Cost per session £3
Summer season
Every Tuesday at Corus Sailing Lake, Shotton Industrial Estate, Deeside
6.30pm start, training until dark or 9.00pm
Cost per session £1 for adults, £0.50 for juniors & students
Additional cost of joining sailing club - £50 per year. This gives you access any time you want, all year round so can paddle as often as you want.
Opportunity to play in the following outdoor, summer competitions
19th & 20th June – Liverpool International
July – Hull International
August – Welsh Open, Pembroke
August – London International
September – Liverpool, Club
September – Irish International, Kilcock
September – Liverpool Club Championships
Also have the following benefits
Opportunity to become qualified coach and / or referee
Insurance during training and competitions
General Canoeing / Kayaking Sessions
Every Friday night 7.30pm – 9.30pm at Colwyn Leisure Centre, Eirias Park, Colwyn Bay.
Cost is £3
Coaching is provided if requested. This is a session where you are free to practice any paddling skills, especially good if you wish to learn to roll. All equipment is provided including 10 kayaks and 1 Canadian canoe.
During the summer months the Friday pool sessions are replaced with an outdoor paddling session. Usually starting at 7pm, meet at venue, dates vary but members are informed well in advance.
The club organises many varied activities such as:
White water river paddling
Canadian canoeing (flat water & white water)
Sea kayaking trips
Events are targeted at different ability levels from beginner to advanced.
We also have social events such as:
BBQ at Rhoscolyn
Camping / paddling weekends
Trip to the NEC Canoe Exhibition Show
Etc.
Through our close association with Mold Canoe Club, we can also advise you of other sessions on offer such as introductory sessions to Slalom during the summer months.
The club through the Welsh Canoeing Association can offer members the opportunity to attain coaching qualifications through Plas Menai National Watersports Centre, Caernarfon at a heavily subsidised price (savings of over £100 per course!).
Club members can get 10% discount at Cotswolds Outdoor Shop in Betws y Coed, Eddylines in Llangollen and some other shops if you try your luck!
The club has a large stock of equipment to borrow for outdoor paddling also. Including Kayaks, Canadians, sea kayaks, paddles, spraydecks, buoyancy aids etc.
Best of all you will get to meet some great people, and hopefully share friendship and fun times together. If there is something you want to try or learn, please just ask. Running the club as volunteers, it is hard to look after everyone as we would like to, so we rely on you taking the initiative to tell us what you want, don’t wait to be asked!