Back at it.

As I pass my 141st day on the water this year, I'm more excited than ever to be on the water. This time it's for the European championships in Germany at the end of May. After being away from hole boating the past few years and living in Canada enjoying the amazing waves on offer, my trip back to Ireland left me with no selection of waves to get out on, and so I went looking at what's around in Ireland at the moment. 

Unfortunately my local spots Sluice and Dogwave have been changed and in the process we have lost some amazing training features. Therefore with a new online gauge I decided to head to Irelands west coast to try out a great hole in Tuam, Galway which is now home to some of Ireland's best freestylers. Being quite similar to inlet gate in HPP It did not disappoint and with a packed eddy and plenty of banter being had it reminded me of Sluice 15 years ago, jammed eddies with everyone having fun surfing, cheering and enjoying the outdoor surroundings. While chatting away I found out that the following week was trials for the European Championships this year in Germany. After a session of watching all the up and coming guys and girls rip it up, I decided to give it a go at making the team again. 

Nowadays reminds me of the competitions back in the day in Ireland with the likes of Moe, Kipper and Steven Hynes. The standard is world class and to make the team you need to be on top form. 

In the following week I got lucky and the water levels stayed up meaning there was some time to train and put together a ride. I knew the standard would be high but only the day before the comp did I get to see Billy Brett and Davey McAttack paddle and immediately saw what was possible in the feature. These lads killed it and was awesome to see how good they have become. For the following 2 days the competition took place and I stayed focuses and after a weekend of perfect water levels and good weather, I was happy to have made the team again with a bunch of amazing boaters including an 18 and 2x20 yr olds and Barry Loughnane making it a strong team.

Now that I had somewhat of a goal for the start of my season I really needed to get practicing and it was off to Hpp in Nottingham for a weeks training and to work on the tricks that I struggle with. I was lucky enough to paddle with the best of the English and see where my paddling was and where it needs to be. Back to back to back days at inlet gate and a day at Hurley all while paddling with Gav Barker really puts you in your place and was great motivation.

Then I went back to Ireland concentrating on fitness , paddling flatwater freestyle every day and lots of stretching. I have never felt better with my strength, speed and fitness and am looking forward to getting the thumbs up at the competition. I am using this Euros to get me confident in my boat, paddlefit and ready for a few trips I've been wanting to do since I sat in a kayak all those years ago. 

But first I got together some money, rented a nice Jackson rockstar from iCanoe, some sweet AT paddles from theCanoecentre and jumped on the ferry to France with my old training partner Neil Gibson who is still one of the most technical paddlers I have trained with and he has such appreciation for the water and having as much fun on it as possible. First a little STAKEOUT tour through France hitting up some nice waves at Malate, Deluz and Lyon was in order and then to Augsburg before he went back to Ireland. 

Then I headed off to meet up with my old partner in crime and kayak extraordinaire Martin Koll, whom being one of the best hole boaters on the water, a modern day Oli Grau some might say,  and went to plattling to get use to the feature and camp by the river enjoying some stress free times which is well needed in my life right now. It's been great fun living in a tent again and kayaking whenever I want and for me there is no better form of therapy. 

Then after 3 weeks of paddling some rest from training coincided with the arrival of The Young Pirates party bus and the (origional gangster) OG Schorschi for some loud music, bbq's, night surfing and generally proving that RODEO is well and truly alive. Not long now until the Euro's in under 2 days and with all the team here let the good times roll. Update to come soon, stay tuned- t

  

Training and comp

As I sit writing this in an empty team house as they have all just left for the airport, I cant help but feel a little sad, what a WORLDS!!!

 It all started two weeks ago when I left Ottawa city and work for a week of team training slots and then wait my turn to compete. I arrived 3 days before the official training started to get in some last unrestricted sessions. I based myself as usual at Liquidskills and paddled as much as possible, all was going well until someone messing jumped over the bonnet of my car on the way to one of my sessions and broke the windscreen, putting an unforeseen obstacle in my training routine. I now would have to shuttle with others when they were going instead of as I pleased, which at first was not what I wanted. Luckily as the full team had arrived and I just moved downstream to Wilderness Tours and our amazing accommodation, we had 3 rental cars organised and what first seemed like bad luck turned into me being closer to my teammates and this created great team spirit and I forgot about the car soon after..


I had always thought of WT as a place to go and socialize in the evenings whenever I was in the valley at weekends, but after the time I've spent there with the Irish squad I know now its an amazing facility that created memories of a lifetime and no corners are cut in its facilities. We had one of the best cabins on the river which slept all 13 of us on the team including our amazingly organised and committed team captain Paul Purcell who planned the fundraiser in Ireland which paid for it all and for this myself and the team cant thank him enough! He mad the whole experience perfect.

Once we all got settled, team training slots started and our team was allocated 30min per day for the 12 competitors and we focused on creating a ride out of each persons most consistent tricks and how to fit it into the 45 seconds. As the week went on, we became more organised as a team and everyone helped each other as much as possible with paddling tips and keeping each other relaxed. Personally, the closer I got to the comp, the less consistent I paddled, changed my ride, dropped tricks and kinda lost confidence in my abilities and went from looking for a 1000 point ride to a 600. Only getting a few surfs a day and with some unsuccessful session I overthought things, so to get back to the fun Sean Cahill (the future of Irish freestyle if you ask me) and I would do 3am sessions armed with a can of petrol for the generator and paddle till sunrise. to be honest these were the most fun sessions I had on garb through the whole competition period. The enthusiasm and lack of pressure helped us paddle our best and was great practice.

Before long it was the end of team training and straight into the opening ceremony and what a day it was, Beachburg and the Whitewater region put on a fantastic display of their love of the Ottawa and its valley and their appreciation of all the paddlers, countries and the effort we made to come compete. There were all sorts from cowboys, bands, dancers and of course the 'River man' who is a native that blessed the competition and all in it for a safe week on the water. The atmosphere in the town could be felt and we   were all excited to paddle.

First up were the Jr k1 men, and flying the flag for Ireland was Sean, Jack and Robert. These guys had the luck of doing a 3 week course at the keener program at WT and it really showed. Each of the lads had set their rides, kept calm and composed in the comp and all ended up with a top 20 finish which is a great achievement.

Next up was the Mens K1 and my big day. Levels were good, my parents had made the trip from Ireland to cheer me on and my boat was freshly painted and ready to fly. Excitement was high but
unfortunately my competitive head was not in the game that day and I performed quite poor producing only 1 half decent ride, but all in all I had a blast out there and with the rocks in the eddy moving from the cheers of the Irish contingent I couldn't help but enjoy the experience and with some notes taken and a few more competitions under my belt, ill be there. But 29th of 74 was okay. Also that day, Shane, Moe, Len and Eoin paddled, all doing well and Moe just missing the top 20 cut for quarter finals with his great rides.

The following day Ladies k1 and C1 were up. The girls killed it on the water that day and had some of their best rides of the trip and I was so happy to watch them progress through the week and perform. As for C1, Alan 'Baller' Murphy was up and he did a great job. Its great to see someone take up a discipline only 6 months ago and get to look as comfortable and controlled in a boat as he does, during training he was paddling amazing and proved he is the best C1 paddler in Ireland and put on a great show for us in the competition doing us all proud.

Once we all figured out our results, it was time for the team with no specific schedules to meet to really hang out together and with family members in a relaxed environment and enjoy all the valley had to offer. We ran the river together, had a superb team meal on a pontoon boat with the sun set, swam and also had a few soda pops in the Wt bar. I also did some great fishing with my family and Ottawa River adventures, and finally after 19 years convinced my mam to hit the rapids on the river in a zodiak with me and somehow got my Dad to run the main channel with me in a Duo. These few days for me along with the competition created some unforgettable memories. As a team we partied, ate, slept and laughed till our sides hurt over the last few days, the Craic was mighty and reminded me of what I miss in Ireland!



People always ask me why I time and time again go back to worlds if I don't win or do too well, and these are the reasons- hanging with great people from your country and all around the world, getting fit and becoming a better paddler than before and to be part of something special that you will never forget! The 2015 Worlds was one for the books and has rekindled my love of my favourite sport and how to experience nature at its finest. Thanks to everyone envolved in helping me get there, to Joe K for running the event and the whole paddling community for pushing the sport further than ever before.

Now its time for the rain to come, and I will swap my playboat for a creeker and get training again. Lets hope the next journey is half as fun as the one I just finished... T

Road to worlds

For most people, getting on the team to compete at the World Freestyle Kayaking Championships means driving down to your local spot an hour or two away, get a bit of practice in and then show up to the trials for their national team and hopefully secure a spot. Mine however, was a little different.

As I live in Canada, and had a failed trip back to trials from beautiful British Columbia in October as the water levels didn't work out, I was sure my dream of competing at this years worlds was done. I spent many days through the Canadian winter thinking what I should do with my last summer here before my visa runs out. After a failed ski season in Fernie due to lack of snow and some heartbreak,  I had my 30th birthday where I sat in the middle of the beautiful Rockies at a fire down by the local river, and decided best for me was to go back to the valley that made me want to come to Canada in the first place, the mighty OTTAWA and the sport I loved so much, kayaking. Coincidentally, within the next few days I got word that trials were re-scheduled in Ireland and water was guaranteed by the local Hydro dam. It was back on and immediately I booked my flights.

I bought myself a perfect kayak car, a 1995 corolla with racks, and loaded up my new whip with all my things and headed for Calgary airport and parked up my car and flew back to Ireland. As it had been a long time since I sat in a boat, I got a Project x56 off a friend which is  a design I like and started training hard. With the lack of water around I would hit my local spot sluice up twice daily and if there was no release id do strokes and drills on the flat at my old club WWKC. With just two weeks I went from off the couch to feeling pretty confident and had a ride chosen.

As I arrived to the venue in Limerick at the amazing Curragower wave, many old friends who competed with me back in the day had also turned up for their spot on the team including the Kelleher brothers. Excitement was high and so was the competition. The format was simple, 2 events, 1 Saturday and 1 Sunday with 4 rides each day best 2 count, with the top 5 gaining their spot on the national team. The standard at this event was proof at how good Irish paddlers are getting and it was really looking like anyone could secure a spot, but I kept my cool and focused on my simple ride of blunts, backstabs and airscrews and tried not to get thrown off by the awsome tricks by the Kellehers, Barry Loughnane and Billy Brett who were all throwing down.

After staying on track the whole weekend and finishing the comp on Sunday, I got changed, hopped in my car and started the drive back to my parents house in Dublin to hang out with friends. As Bob Marley's song "three little birds" comes on the radio my phone beeped and  glanced at the text slightly nervous. I'd made it, my 6th time going to worlds and was happier than a pig in shit!!! After a few days of Guinness with friends and chilling with the family it was time to fly back to Calgary and get the 3500km drive going to Ottawa to start some real training.

3 days on the road later and less than $300 in petrol I was back in Ottawa, and boy was it cold and the rivers were still full of ice.  I straight away found a place to live, a job as a roofer with an awesome bunch of guys at Classic roofing and started to paddle daily as soon as possible once the ice cleared. This year I was kind of boycotting big waves and really wanted to focus on learning all the wave moves both directions and decided the smaller waves in the center of the city were for me. It started with the infamous Champlain wave coming in, a sweet wave with a huge eddy, fast green shoulder and chance to do nearly every trick both ways. After 2 weeks of starting from scratch I was slowly building my trick-list and becoming comfortable again in a kayak, and with roofing every day it didn't take long for my strength and stamina to improve either, as its basically like getting paid to do cross-fit for 8hrs a day!

This year Champlain didn't last for more than 3 weeks and I thought there was trouble without  a wave to practice on but then heard that just river left downstream was sewer, a small green wave with endless possibilities and a decent eddy and once again I was hitting it daily and improving fast! Ottawa has a great crew of diverse people who paddle daily no matter what line of work they are in and come together and enjoy the beautiful whitewater the city has to offer. For me paddling with high-rise buildings in the background and beautiful nature around was a novelty and I was starting to be happy with the summer set out for myself. The warm weather was in full effect, paddling was great and just as the levels started to drop and sewer was becoming un-paddleable there was word of a wave out in the center of the 500m wide river called Desert wave which was little paddled due to the 20min per surf lap involved. I had to check it out, and was happy to find a wave which is pretty much the mini- Big Joe of Ottawa city and with it all to myself I started paddling it as much as possible, usually 3 laps after work putting a ride together and focusing  on every trick as you knew there was no eddy waiting just a nice walk. This river just kept delivering.


Meanwhile upstream, the valley was now dropping fast and before long corner wave was in.  For those that don't know this is a fast almost perfect righty wave and one of my favorites ever. Weekends now involved the commute from the city 1.5 hrs to the beautiful remoteness of the Ottawa whitewater region.


I Decided to dedicate my weekends to my passion the whole summer and based myself out of the Perfect relaxed environment of Liquidskill Sup and kayak school based just minutes paddle from mccoys rapid. I would paddle Friday, 2-3 times Saturday and Sunday and then go back to the city to work.

All was going well and the body was holding up. Then one weekend I pulled into the eddy at cornerwave and noticed babyface, a wave 30m downstream was in and immediately knew it was time... GARBURATOR was in and I could finally see how all my training had worked. After practically
sprinting down to find an almost prime garb I dropped right on and boy did it put me in my place. Fast, huge passes and exhausting are just a few things that come to mind. But after a session or two things started to come together.

I now started doing midweek trips after work when I got a chance to get as much practice as possible and work on what I couldn't do. After weeks of Garb to myself the big names started to arrive and throw down, and couldnt be happy to see that  my progression had come a long way and I was performing well with some great sessions and some that I learned a lot from, including getting my head around the whole pressure I put on myself.

 Now as I write this, its less than 2 weeks till worlds and training sessions are busy and more arrive every day. I've now set my ride and am confident that with 4 rides of which 2 count i'll be able to have some fun out there on the day, but really have already gotten what I needed out of this worlds, which is to get back in a boat and become a better paddler than I was before.

Now with team Ireland arriving over the next few days i'll take a break from work and move up to the valley for the next few weeks and get focused. I'd like to thank CJ out there, who has lent me a paddle (as mine broke), a Jackson Kayaks carbon boat and drytop as I have none of the above, without all that who knows where id be or how id even paddle. Thanks man!

And to everyone who wishes me good luck thankyou as well, and as my grandad would of said-"the more I practise, the luckier I get"!  Till next time... see you on the water-Tom


Photo cred: Chris Juvshik, John Rathwell