Good first runs

C2 team posted a solid run of 124 plus 4 in 21st, and run included a roll so all sitting well for next runs and a top 20 place. Jane up next also represented herself well, 127 flat time , but given a 50 on an upstream "half head" flat time good for her on this pushy course. Louise 130 plus 2
Great news for luuka really did well and qualified in 6th
Emilie Fer 106 clean leading
DUKATOVA Jana SVK 105.62 2 107.62
JONES Luuka NZL 109.25 plus 2 111.25
Callum has just had his run great time 104 but given a 50.
Aaron 103.79 clean
Mike 94.91 plus 50 his flat time would have put him in 7th so a great run marred by a 50.

Results WC 1 Pau

Live results here
http://www.paucanoe2009.com/en/?p=18

Friday

Racing tommorrow and things hotted up at the course today. We had an 8.30am, half hour last slot. I stayed at the course and went into Pau while team went back for lunch and some boat repairs. Managers meeting at 1pm then demos at 4pm and there is a live video feed so I spent some time getting the tech stuff sorted. Demos at 4pm then on a bus to the opening ceremony. Back for dinner at 9pm and then video review of the demos.

My two hours in Pau was fun, nice shops and old buildings and big trees frame public squares. It really is a nice area.

The newspaper I bought today was full of the story of the French rugby guy who feigned being attacked to save face, right above the story about the WC at Pau. We got a pretty good reception walking through the square to the opening ceremony with cheering for us. There seems a bond because of the rugby. Lots of speeches and flag raising and French national anthem, followed by some girls dancing in the fountain, doing something supposedly creative with paddles.

Thursday

I am sitting in the athletes village in our tent that we share with Belgium and Poland. The heavens have opened up and we have heavy rain, thunder and lightening. Our session has been postponed until 7 pm tonight which totally stuffs our day up however we are feeling very smug as we went to the beach yesterday. Originally we were going today but as we needed to move from one place to another and get scutineering etc done so we changed plans.
It was lovely. We left Pau about 2.30 and were on the Atlantic coast swimming just after 4pm. There wasnt a cloud to be seen, the water was warm and lying in the sun very relaxing. About 6.30 we wandered down the beach from Anglet to the Grande Plage ( big beach which was actually small) near the old part of Biarritz and found a cute Pizzeria overlooking the coast. The Gibbs seniors and Kidda eventually found us and we had a fab dinner overlooking the beach. We splashed out and had drinks and yum dessert and it was all very pleasant. The sun was a giant fireball, setting and we stayed to watch the last rays diasppear before we headed back to Pau. Unfortunately I have left the cable for my camera behind so will update photos later.
This morning a 7am start to pack up from our lovely cottage at Clos Mirabel and headed to the course by 9am for the 10am session of full runs to find the postponement due to the bad weather. I guess the organisers dont want anyone taken out by lightening.
I dropped off the team and Kidda early and backtracked to a boulangerie I had spotted near the course,for the six baguettes to keep the troups fed after the session. Dedided to be like the locals and had une pain au chocolat et un cafe. Had the smallest cup of coffee ever and sat at the eating bar like the locals... seems an early morning ritual in France.
Currently kids gone for a speedy flat water session in the rain while I stay dry in the tent. No sign of the rain abating so possibly a day for school work. Yeah right!

Tuesday

Another sunny day, hot at the course. Good training session, Malcolm and Sandra Gibb have arrived and they are staying in the manor house on our property. ( we in gate house).

Kids paddled from new course to old course in Pau. Photos attached to show how we could make some eddies at Kawerau.

I guess most have heard that the Manukau City council has turned down the funding request for the new course. All is not lost and they will not be giving up, it may just take longer.

Check out this link to the new course in Wales http://www.cardiffcanoeslalom.com/page-1.html

Fingers crossed that it will happen in NZ as we have seen some amazing courses and well used with flatwater canoeing options as well as the rafting.

Monday

Today while all the team went and had rhythm session on the old course at Pau I walked into the town of Jurancon. Bought the six baguettes and back home up the steep hill to our wee house. from there we all went into the centre of Pau and did a 45 min tour of the castle complete with old tapestries, draped canopied beds, massive dining table that seated 100 and more. From there to the course for the first of the nations trainings and to find that our session had been changed and we missed it. We argued the point and jumped on anyway and the juniors loved it. To quote Callum "i reckon it's mean". Paddling with us GBR and TOGO and after us Slovakia, were heaps of amazing paddlers. All the Olympic medallists are here and it is great for our guys to be in amongst them all. The workers at the course are still laying ready lawn and adding artworks to the old concrete wall as you arrive at the course. After a scorching session where everyone got sunburnt we headed home via the supermarket. we had been invited to a bbq around our shared pool with the other guests. A couple from Salsbury and the wifes sister in law from Oregon. We shared salads and all took delicious tasty french sausages , and it worked out perfectly. The guy had been in the army and kept the kids enthralled with army tales and adventures around the world, complete with stories of fellow compatriots who had lost limbs in Iraq etc Hope all well in NZ

Sunday

A lovely sunny day in the pyrenees . We could see the mountains from the course and some still had a smattering of snow. The race was a reasonably low key affair for us kiwis as invitees in this French race. We arrived and it was more like an NZ race with them still putting out the course. When in Europe you think that all races are big affairs and it was reassuring to the team to see that the French have races like ours, but with a large number of paddlers of all ages. ( 100 plus entries), hand held timing and fairly manual results. They have a system to get their rankings up and this was one of the lower ranked events. (n3 OR 4) N1 being like the French championships. There were still French team paddlers like Mathilde Pichery there and she was doing safety as well as racing. Our guys and kidda, in some borrowed kit did demos, Callum also did foreruns and then were first up to race, one after another. They did really well in demos but the C boaters got some 50's between them in their first runs . The race was a festive affair with French music, a woman making crepes and we needed to bring out our best French as we really didnt find anyone who spoke English. The French, in their relaxed style, took 90 minutes for lunch and second runs started at 2pm. Everyone had a good second race and performed well. We didnt get the full final times before we left but Callum was within a couple of seconds of a top French guy, the C2 after taking the first run a bit lightly were within 5 seconds of a good French crew, Jane and Shaun also putting good runs together and performing well. Everyone enjoyed the day and on the way home found the seniors accommodation and had a cup of tea with them. Luuka and Lou have composed a NZ slalom song which we hope makes it to U tube so we can post for all. Cooked dinner, watched a movie from Bradyns hard drive ( Defiance) and now bed is calling. Have a speed session on the natural course at Pau, early in the morning, then the first of the nation trainings at 3pm on the World Cup course.

Saturday

Today we had a bit of a sleep in and left the house at 10ish. Drove through St Pe and Lourdes to Argeles Gazost for a practice for the race tommorrow.At Lourdes there were massive snaking queues of people in wheelchairs waiting to be blessed we guessed. Argeles is about 10km from Lourdes. We arrived there and checked things out- small course like Reids Farm and our team is doing the demos as well as racing. they were having DR, Freestyle and polo today as well. We had a training and while troups were on the river I walked to supermarket to get goodies for a picnic. Once fed we headed back to Pau and arrived at the new (read, very flash) artificial course to see the seniors training. All were very impressed and it sure looks like heaps of money spent and they all loved the water. We left there to have a session on the 'old" natural river course which was good fun for the team. I headed to the supermarket again and got diverted in a traffic jam , cos of the women's 'tour de france' going thru Pau. Thank goodness for Tomtom as I had plotted the location and managed to get back there to find all team patiently waiting. Home for dinner, internet catch ups and think the kids going to watch a movie before early start tommorrow.