MORE than 150 can­oeists from as far afield as Kent, Yorkshire and the Midlands braved the fearsome Symonds Yat Rapids at the weekend in a new slalom competition.

Home waters were well defended by young kayakers from Wyedean Canoe Club, who made a splash with some good performances in the two-day event before 1972 GB Olympian John MacLeod handed out the prizes.

The sport of slalom has a British Olympic champion in Joe Clarke, and the next crop of talent were firmly to the fore on the Wye, as paddlers negotiated 18 gates in the fastest possible time - 12 downstream and six upstream.

The April 1-2 event was organised by the South West Slalom Group, including the Wyedean, Cheltenham, Stroud Valley and Taunton clubs.

Event organiser Mike Mitchell said: “Symonds Yat has gained a reputation on the UK slalom circuit as offering a testing course in a beautiful and natural environment – and this weekend the Yat certainly delivered.

“We were very proud to invite paddlers from across the UK to take part in the competition and show off our stunning Wye Valley. The weather was on its best behaviour and we had a full capacity turn out with more than 150 paddlers taking part on both days.

“Recent rain fall led to feisty river conditions which tested the paddlers, as well as our seasoned course design team.

“And thanks to the local Scouts and Guides for providing the catering and to the hotel owners and businesses for letting us host the event.”

Racing in two competitions over the two days, Wyedean’s David Mitchell come second and sixth in the Division 2 U16 canoe category and sixth and 33rd in the U16 kayak class.

Clubmate David Mason was 18th and eighth in the U14 boys’ kayak, while Lucy Knight was eighth and fourth in girls’ U14 kayaks.

Felix Newey won promotion from Division 3 after his seventh and fourth-place finishes in the U14 kayak class, with James Coolican-Smith 18th and 17th in the same class and William Christmas 24th and 18th, while brother Archie Christmas was sixth and 14th in U12 kayak

In the senior kayak on the Saturday, their dad Gavin Christmas placed 30th in the senior kayak.

There is a slalom competition at Symonds Yat in October, but this was a new Spring event. If a paddler touches a gate with their paddle, boat or part of their body they get a two-second penalty. If they miss a gate they get a 50-second penalty.

If you fancy getting involved in slalom canoeing, it’s always best to join a club to learn the skills and take part safely, and Wyedean CC meet every Thursday evening at Symonds Yat East at 6pm. See www.wyedeancanoeclub.co.uk and www.canoeslalom.co.uk for more information.