Category Archives: Team Leaders

  Sprint Competition Review – Community Consultation

Athletes, Committee, Local and Regional, Miscellaneous, National, Organisation, Team Leaders

A Working Group (WG) was appointed by the Sprint Racing Committee (SRC) in October 2018 to review the UK sprint canoe/kayak competition structure and make recommendations to improve that structure

The SRC would now like to share the group’s report and ask for views from the racing community. The consultation report has been prepared by the WG and is the culmination of a process that has involved;

  • Engagement with the UK paddling community, through a questionnaire administered in March 2018.
  • A comprehensive review of regatta participation data for the period 2011-2017.
  • Discussions with senior leadership of the Australian, Danish and Canadian canoe federations.
  • Insight and experience of individual group members who are active in the sport.

The full report and a full summary of all data analysed can be found here.

The report represents the final stage of the WG’s activity. It is the first stage towards a further process that will see the implementation of changes to improve domestic racing competition and participation levels in the sport.

This is the start of a consultation period with sprint paddlers and clubs.

The aim of this consultation is to encourage discussion around the report’s findings and recommendations.  The report does not aim to provide answers to every challenge and opportunity in the sport and indeed there will be varying views on what is presented. You may not agree with the recommendations, however it is important to bear in mind that whilst the existing structure has some strengths there are also significant weaknesses which means the status quo is not recommended.

We wish to encourage constructive feedback and therefore suggest you read the full report prior to sharing your views via the survey. You may like to take the time to discuss the recommendations at your club prior to responding. There is the option to submit your views as either an individual or on behalf of your club.

The WG haven’t addressed implementation of the recommendations within this report so we would encourage you to think around possible solutions as part of your response.

Thank you for your time and input.

Click here to share your views.

The report and summary data can be found here.

The closing date for responses is Sunday 1st December 2019

If you have any questions please email sprint.competitionreview@britishcanoeing.org.uk

  Statement regarding the election of the Chair of the Sprint Racing Committee

Athletes, Committee, Local and Regional, Miscellaneous, National, Organisation, Paddle-Ability, Team Leaders, Uncategorized

I write this as a personal statement as the current Chair of the Sprint Racing Committee to try and answer some of the questions around the process for electing the Chair and the proxy voting at the upcoming ACM.

The process of appointing the Chair of SRC

I understand that there is a concern about the advertisement that appeared at the beginning of the year to seek a new Chair for SRC and that this was not in line with the Terms of Reference in the handbook.

I had announced my intention to step down at the ACM in 2018 and despite lots of discussions to seek out a potential new Chair there were no candidates stepping forward to stand as Chair. The advertisement was intended to encourage people to step forward and had some limited success with one or two people making contact. This was never intended to change the fact that the ACM would elect the Chair, but was designed to try to find a candidate that wanted the role, had the skills to do the role and who may be suitable to the ACM.

The advert made it quite clear that the process of election and appointment rested with the ACM and that candidates could come through the normal channels. See extracts from the advert below.

‘The post of Chair of the SRC is one that is elected by the registered Sprint Racing Clubs at the ACM in line with the terms of reference’

‘The preferred person will then be nominated to the Annual Consultative Meeting of the clubs on 19th October 2019 for them to vote their approval. In the event of more than one nomination, the normal voting system will take place’

In the end this advert did not produce a candidate for these elections. The two candidates standing, Roland Lawler and myself both came through the normal process of being nominated by 2 members as per the Terms of Reference.

Proxy Voting

I understand there are a few concerns around proxy voting. Prior to this year to cast a vote, a member of a registered Sprint Club had to be present at the meeting.

This is the first year that proxy voting has been introduced. Proxy voting means that clubs can vote without having to attend the meeting, by sending their vote with someone else. It is designed and has been introduced to increase democracy not the opposite. The new terms of Reference [as in the handbook] allow for proxy votes and I would refer you to the 2019 handbook page A7 items 8.8 to 8.14. As per the Terms of Reference, the detail of the proxy voting system is at the discretion of the SRC and I am sure the SRC will be very happy to consider comments about how this could be improved for next year.

The Terms of Reference allow for a club attending the ACM to hold two (2) proxy votes. The guidance issued was incorrect when it stated a club could hold 1 proxy vote and this will now been adjusted to allow clubs to carry 2 proxy votes in addition to their own in line with Terms of Reference. The limitation was designed to encourage clubs to actually attend the meeting and so take part in the whole Annual Meeting process.

There is a concern that the proxy voting form does not provide for the facility for the club using the proxy to cast its vote in advance. It had been envisaged that this would have been done in conversation between the two clubs, so that the person holding the proxy would know how to cast the vote.

Proxy votes still need to be registered in advance by the deadline of Wednesday of this week.

I hope this helps to clarify the situation re the election of the Chair and the proxy voting

Your sincerely

Alan Laws
Chair SRC

 

  Squad (EPS) and England National Talent Squad (ENTS) Qualification Criteria and England Development Programme (EDP) Eligibility Policy published

Athletes, Committee, Local and Regional, National, Organisation, Talent Pathway, Team Leaders

As you are aware over the last few months we have conducted a review and public consultation of the England Talent Sprint Programme. There is a very real desire through collaborative working to further strengthen the talent environments within clubs. The long term ambition is to establish clubs as an integral and fundamental part of the talent pathway within Sprint Racing in order to help drive the depth and standard of the sport to new levels to ensure that the performances that were on show at the Junior World and European Championship earlier in the summer are repeated and built upon.

The England Talent Canoe Sprint Plan was released in June. This plan marks a significant change in direction, with a reduction of investment in regional squads more support and resource for clubs and their club coaches to develop talented junior paddlers. The England national programmes remain a key component of the England Pathway and today sees the release of the Qualification Criteria and Eligibility Policy for each of the programmes.

The Qualification Criteria and Eligibility Policy links below have been updated due to some feedback received. We have clarified a point around which discipline performances are able to register matrix scores. This clarification does not impact on the Qualification Criteria principles or application process.

We are sending a statement out to all England Talent Programme athletes, coaches and parents around the updated links in case they have downloaded the previously uploaded policy document.

England Talent Canoe Sprint Programme Qualification Criteria 2019/2020

England Talent Canoe Sprint Programme EDP Eligibility Policy 2019/2020

England Talent Canoe Sprint Qualification Criteria Infographic 

Kind Regards

Daniel Thompson
Talent Programme Administration Officer
British Canoeing

Tel: 0115 9822094 EXT 5
Email: Daniel.Thompson@Britishcanoeing.org.uk

  September Regatta documents published – Timetable, Start Lists, Programme, Regatta Guide

Athletes, Committee, National, Organisation, Team Leaders, Uncategorized

The following documents have been published for the September Regatta (31/08-01/19), the Inter-Services Championship and Open & National Senior, Under 23 and Junior Sprint Championships Regatta.

• Timetable
• Start Lists
• Programme
• Regatta Programme

They can be downloaded from the Current Year page on the Canoe Sprint Racing website.

  June Regatta #2 – 29/30 June – Updated timetable

Athletes, Committee, National, Organisation, Paddle-Ability, Team Leaders

We have published an updated Timetable for this weekend’s racing. Races will run in time sequence but you’ll notice that some race numbers are out of sequence. We will run the racing in the order stated in this updated Timetable. The sequence is correct in the Start Lists.

The updated timetable can be downloaded from http://canoeracing.org.uk/sprint/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/01-Timetable.pdf