2015 SAS Hurley Classic

With the help of many rain dances, crossed fingers and hopeful prayers, on the Wednesday before the Classic, Hurley finally came in. It had come in about a week prior but the low water table level and scarcity of groundwater meant it never pushed above one gate, and soon shut. But luckily, despite all the worries, the Classic was good to go and a there was definitely a massive sigh of relief.


Unlike most other sports, kayaking is very vunerable in this aspect - there aren't many other sports where an international competition could have to be called off because the facility was not ready!

However, all of this was soon forgotten as the excitement could finally build! Over 300 paddlers for multiple nations headed to the village of Hurley (where the high street only has one shop) for one of the biggest events of the kayaking calendar.


Saturday

The whole event kicked off with a Paddle With The Stars event, where top level paddlers including Stephen Wright (USA), Bren Orton (GBR) and Mathieu Dumolin (FRA) coached younger, aspiring kayakers. There were on the water sessions, on the wave and flat, a chance to try SUPs, opporutunity to try squirt boating, and land sessions on outfitting, scoring, video analysis, and more. 




During this time, I managed to jump on the water and get some practise in myself, as with college and the fashionably late arrival of water, this was my first chance since Selections way back in March. To add to the challenge, I was also trying the new small Gui-Gui Prod, which is considerably faster. 

Although the Hurley Classic is one of, if not the biggest UK Freestyle competition, it is also largely focused on community and all levels of paddling. It is a fun event. So sat in the eddy, there were no stresses about the upcoming competition, despite the incredible athletic field! Many memories have been made in that eddy, and this was just adding to all those fun times. 



During the afternoon, the main event was the BoaterX - with the Classic hosting the largest competitor field of any event to date! Sliding on the Palm & WWTCC ramp, the whole event was filled with action and gruelling head to heads proved to be very tough. 


The action didn't stop there though - next was the Team Freestyle event. Three paddlers per team, moves only scored if two are on the wave, and bonus points for synchronisation, the idea was great! Ander, Quim and Bartosz really showed how it was done, but in true Classic style the winners were actually a team of 4 in three boats (a duo had to be incorporated). This new twist on Freestyle is definitely exciting and I would love to see the idea developed further!


The Showcase Super Final wrapped up the kayaking of the day, and was truly a great show of the international scene but with it being pretty cold, most were glad to head inside for awards and the banquet. (Although not kayaking related, for me, the banquet epitomises the community ethos of the Classic!)

Sunday


This was the Classic day, the main competition, the big attraction! 330 paddlers from across the globe competed in over 20 heats of jam sessions. 

With my heat not till about lunch time, I had a relatively relaxed morning with watching others, trying some boats and catching up with everyone. Up on the bridge, there was a great view of the heats and SUP that was happening further downstream, and when it got too cold, the live stream meant everything could be watched from the warmth of the tent. 



Soon it was my turn to get on the water, and despite feeling rather under the weather, I was excited to be getting on. During the jam session, I tried to try lots of different moves, although did become a little bit obsessed with looping as had done one of biggest at Hurley just the day before! Given the circumstances I think I paddled OK, and although I knew I could have done better, I had a blast and it was really fun. I finished 3rd overall, and in the top 10 of senior women. 



By the time it was the final, I had no voice, but this didn't stop my attempt at cheering everyone on. It was a great show piece of what our sport is capable of, with some epic rides and noise of the crowd on the bridge. After two tough finals, Nuria Fontane (ESP) and Hurley local, Alan Ward (GBR) were crowned victorious.


More Action Shots:
Photos by myself, Jack Gunter and Chris Worrall







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