Canoe Sprint Racing
For those who prefer to canoe at speed in straight lines, sprinting is the choice. This is an Olympic sport over 200m, 500m and 1000m, usually in lanes of 8 or 9 canoeists. The locations in the UK that can accommodate this are the National Water Sports Centre, Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham and the privately owned Dorney Lake at Eton; the venue for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Sprint racing is an exciting and dynamic discipline of canoeing, and is accessible to all abilities through the SRC’s inclusive competition structure. At national competitions a minimum standard based upon the time taken to cover the specific distance is applied in order to enter the races. Having reached the minimum standard competitors are categorised by a variety of age and gender groupings, such as Men, Women, Boys (under 18) and Girls (under 18), and within each category an ability ranking of A, B, C or D, with D being the slowest. Progression through the ranks is based on time. In addition, are the Mini Sprint Series for U12’s and the Intermediate Series for U14’s.
There are generally four British National regattas during the year, usually in April, June, July and September, held on the regatta course at the National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont in Nottingham, each one over a weekend. One regatta a year is the National Inter-Club Competition, the MacGregor Paddle.
You will find more information about the sport of Canoe Sprint on the Canoe Sprint page on the British Canoeing website.