Author: levente

Due to the adverse weather, the Thames is not suitable for most paddlers and especially as the Juniors draw ever closer to the key racing season it was time to get out on the water and off the ergos for some quality sessions. At the time of writing this post (15^th of February), we are on red boards, which means that most members will need to stay off the water from the club. Last week, Imogen, our Lead Coach has arranged that our junior team and some of the NITS group were able to go paddling on the lakes at Dinton Park near Woodley following Amber Owen setting up a recce paddle the Sunday before. Saturday greeted us with gorgeous weather and Sunday was back to the usual seasonal grayness but this did not deter the team and they had a great session on both days.

Here are a few photos from the Saturday session to share how it looks:

And just to provide a reality check…one from Sunday morning when the weather was less permitting 😊:

Going forward, this opportunity may be opened on other weekends too. There are three major requirements to paddling at Dinton: 

1. It needs to be an organised session and a club coach needs to be present

2. The cost of using the facilities at Dinton is £5 per person per session and you also need to be prepared to pay for the parking (unless you can organise drop off and pick-up). The cost of parking is £2.40 per hour in the first 3 hours.

3. All paddlers must wear buoyancy aids

If you are interested in joining a session at Dinton Park, please watch out for announcement in our Facebook group and/or talk to your coach to signal interest and hear about the details.

Dear Paddling Community, it is with sadness we share that due to the ongoing weather conditions and their impact on our waterways, we have to cancel our Thameside 1 race that was scheduled for Sunday, February 15th. Safety of all paddlers is the top priority and the current conditions do not allow for a safe race.

All entries will be notified with the Canoe Marathon Entries site and entry fees will be refunded via the system. We are hoping for a turn in the weather in time for our next race on the 1st of March that is currently planned as Thameside 2. Please check our website for the latest on that race at reading-canoe.org.uk/thameside-series/

If you have any questions about the races or the decision, please reach out to us at info@reading-canoe.org.uk

We will be missing racing this Sunday – if you feel similar and have any memories or photos to share about previous Thameside 1 races, please visit our Facebook page a leave a message for other paddlers at https://www.facebook.com/ReadingCanoeClub

Best regards, Reading Canoe Club

Please find below the training plan for the winter season created by the coaching team. It gives even greater opportunity for members to join in training sessions than previous years. Do take a look and check in with your group point of contact to chat through all sessions available to you.

Please note, the winter schedule will officially start on Monday 6th October, but check with your coach to confirm in case they choose to start it earlier.

Thanks

Imogen Collins
Head Coach

Link: 25/26 Winter Training Schedule

Thanks to all of you who have joined us for this year’s Reading Circuit Race – it was great to see so many athletes compete on the Reading stretch of the Thames. The weather was mostly forgiving and the competition was fierce but polite. Congratulations to all the winners and everyone who have taken part.

You can find the preliminary results at https://reading-canoe.org.uk/live-results

We hope to see you soon at a Reading race. Look out for details about our K4 race in the autumn soon!

Karina and the Reading Team

You can find the entries for this Sunday’s Reading Circuit race at https://reading-canoe.org.uk/live-results

We will post the live results to the same page during the day as they become available.

 We did it! 

Thrilled to share that Reading Canoe Club has been awarded Club of the Year at last night’s Reading Sports Awards Gala! 

This incredible recognition is a testament to the outstanding dedication of our volunteers—the heart and soul of our club.  From coaching and mentoring to organizing events and keeping the river clean, they make everything possible.

We’re proud to be a club for everyone, from curious kids taking their first paddle to seniors chasing new challenges. Whether it’s through fun taster sessions, hosting national competitions, or community river clean-ups, we love bringing people together on and off the water. 

Thank you to everyone who makes Reading Canoe Club such a special place. Here’s to many more adventures ahead!

Saturday 7^th December saw the annual Awards Evening, this year moved to December to give it a Christmas theme. With fierce stormy weather, the hall foyer-come-Christmas-grotto was a welcome sight. Everyone was greeted with a free drink as they entered the hall, which was all decked out thanks to busy ‘elves’ who had worked hard all day. Each table had beautiful Christmas wreaths and decorations, created by Catherine Gaffard and sold afterwards to raise money for the Ukraine appeal. 

Imogen was the perfect compere and updated us on the amazing achievements from club members this year. We then heard from the different groups with a Christmas theme, a PIGs Poem, Junior Jingle Bells, a CRAP Carol and jokes from the Ergo Elves. 

After all the major Trophy winners were announced, it was down to the serious business – dinner! Orders had been made when we bought our tickets and the chefs had been busy cooking in the kitchen, so no queuing for food – we could all relax and chat, while enjoying waiter and waitress service. In between courses Immi ran a fun quiz and the raffle was drawn (thank you to House of Cards and the Hardware shop in Caversham for donations of beautiful prizes). As the evening finished, the tables were cleared to make way for music and dancing.

Many thanks to Immi and Amber for all the hard work organising such a successful event, Matthew for the lighting and technical assistance, and to all those who helped them. We look forward to next year’s paddling and Awards Evening.

Happy Christmas everyone. 

Mims