Varsities 2013: Overview

[Maryanne]

Hello everybody!

The kayaking varsities will be held by Limerick University Kayak Club in Limerick from Friday the 8th to Sunday the 10th of February.
Here is the first instalment of information about the event


CAPTAIN AND SAFETIES WEEKEND - the report
The Captains and Safeties planning weekend for varsities was held in Limerick by ULKC at the weekend and Niall and I went along to represent UCD.
Here's some of the information we got


Friday 8th - POLO
17:30 - polo registration
19:00 - polo competition starts
23:15 - polo competition finishes
Team:
TBC, but assuming rules stay in line with previous years
10 - on the panel
8 - on the water
5 - playing at one time, both genders must be represented
Tournament:
Starts with a league stage (ie not straight knock out)
If many more teams sign up this may have to change
Venue:
The UL arena: a 50m pool (like ours) which will be split into two pitches
Notes:
There will be time pressure on this event, there won't be time for breaks between matches so all teams will have to be ready in all their gear with their boats already outfitted to get on the water as soon as the final whistle for the previous match blows.
Polo players will go to Limerick ahead of the club bus, there is a chance that the bus might arrive in time to watch some of the last polo matches
UCDCC preparation:
We are lucky that there are several club members who train in polo regularly in clubs outside UCD as well as many players who represent UCD in the DCPL every month whose experience will benefit the team hugely.
Team selection will consider
- participation and experience in polo
- time spent training
- fitness
More details on training opportunities, team selection and team preparation to follow
Polo thread here: http://forum.ucdcanoeclub.com/index.php/topic,11255.0.html

Friday 8th - PARTY
The party will be held on campus in UL and will kick off as the colleges arrive.
More details to follow


Saturday 9th - WHITEWATER
07:30 - whitewater registration and trial runs
09:00 - whitewater competition starts
Team:
4, both genders must be represented
Competition:
4 individual time trial runs
Course includes buoys and poles to be rounded and banners to be slapped
Venue:
The Castleconnel river
ULKC have set up a slalom style course and will release a video of how to run it so that teams can prepare
Trial runs will be possible on the day to let teams get in a practice run.
Notes:
The rapid itself is not very difficult, so this type of course will mean that colleges who cannot field a full team of 4 experienced whitewater paddlers will face consequences of slower times but not be in any extra danger to to inexperience.
UCDCC has a strong whitewater tradition and as such we will do our best to select competitors balancing competency in several areas
- whitewater experience
- technical skill
- speed and fitness
UCDCC preparation
More details to follow on this
Whitewater thread here: http://forum.ucdcanoeclub.com/index.php/topic,11256.0.html


Saturday 9th - LONG DISTANCE
12:00 - long distance competition starts
Team:
In theory, everyone who wants to compete
Competition:
This race will include many classes: K1, K2, HP, GP, Doubles, Topo Duo, Canadian
Each class will be offered in both men and women's categories, where a category has too few people who apply to compete that category will not run.
The course will be 6km long and we're waiting to here back whether there will be a shorter course (3 or 4km) for GP.
More details on which categories will be available to follow
Venue:
The river beside ULKC's boathouse
Notes:
We'll be limited on how many can compete by how many boats we can bring and by how many suitable boats we have.
We will do our best to find boats to borrow where possible so that more people can compete or can compete in boats in better condition.
UCDCC preparation:
We're planning on running a long distance training day in place of a club trip between now and varsities
More details to follow
Club members who want to borrow boats to get out and train on private trips should go through the gear borrowing process http://forum.ucdcanoeclub.com/index.php/topic,10611.0.html
Where there are more people interested in a category than there are boats available to us for that category factors considered in choosing who will take which boat will consider
- experience in the boat/category
- speed and fitness
- tactics (ie making sure we're represented in all categories)
Long distance thread here:: http://forum.ucdcanoeclub.com/index.php/topic,11257.0.html

Saturday 9th - PARTY
The party will be held on campus in UL
UL will organise DJs and perhaps a band
There will be a set list of tasks for all colleges to perform, each task will earn a certain amount of points (separate to the kayaking competition) and the winning college will receive free drinks and glory.
The fancy dress theme this year is open: each college must pick a theme for themselves, with no duplication of themes.
UCDCC preparation:
More details to follow on theme selection


Sunday 10th - FREESTYLE
09:00 - freestyle registration
10:00 - freestyle competition starts
Team:
4, both genders must be represented
Competition:
Each competitor will have 6 runs at the wave, each run will be no longer than 45 seconds
All competitors will indicate what level of freestyle experience they have (eg beginner, intermediate, experienced) and will have their runs within a group of competitors of the same ability
ie: college teams of 4 will not necessarily compete in the same groups
Venue:
Curragower wave in Limerick city
There are boardwalks on either side of the wave providing plenty of space for supporters to stand
UL will be trying to arrange music and a stand with sandwiches
Notes:
There is a definite knack for getting on the wave and many people who tried for the first time at the weekend had difficulty getting on or staying on.
The trial day (mentioned below) should offer an opportunity to learn how to do this before the competition.
UCDCC preparation:
We will hold a trial for places on the team at Curragower
This event will give a larger group than the team selected a chance to be involved and experience the feature, this way anyone who doesn't make the team will still gain something from the event.
Team selection will consider
- ability to get on the wave consistently
- ability to do tricks on the wave
- the calibre of tricks performed
Freestyle thread here: http://forum.ucdcanoeclub.com/index.php/topic,11258.0/topicseen.html


Other notes
Keep an eye on the forum for news about training and team building (social and banter) nights in the lead up to and after varsities

[DervM]

So excited! 

[kmck]

The first time I was at the limerick varsities we had cheer leaders at events, anyone who wasn't paddling made an effort to have as much disco paddler on show as possible..we also had actual cheer leaders.
If there is a need  I don't mind taking a day off work to head down early on Friday (I have a certain number of days holidays which I'm unlikely to use and will lose if I don't use them). Not interested in competing but available for rescue.

[Maryanne]

If there is a need  I don't mind taking a day off work to head down early on Friday (I have a certain number of days holidays which I'm unlikely to use and will lose if I don't use them). Not interested in competing but available for rescue.

Friday is polo starting at 17:30, so there'd be no need for rescue then.
UL said they'd let us know if they need us to bring rescue, but they'll be using two local kayaking clubs to help out and expect to be fine so far.

[kmck]

I was thinking more along the lines of giving a lift to people down to the competition. Still a full time student but not exactly match fit for anything other than gp long distance....and I've managed to avoid doing that for 13 years. Might rethink my plans on this one.

[Maryanne]

I was thinking more along the lines of giving a lift to people down to the competition. Still a full time student but not exactly match fit for anything other than gp long distance....and I've managed to avoid doing that for 13 years. Might rethink my plans on this one.

I'd say the polo team will be ok for lifts, don't know for sure who they are yet, but there are a lot of polo playing drivers (Helena, Diarmuid, Niall) so the odds of the team being able to drive itself are pretty good.

[Maryanne]

All the information from the Captian's pack:

I've split it in to categories since there's so much of it.
Feel free to all read it and post up any questions or comments you have, to make sure we're aware of all the angles and have time to clarify any issues with ULKC.

Polo                 http://forum.ucdcanoeclub.com/index.php/topic,11267.0.html
Whitewater      http://forum.ucdcanoeclub.com/index.php/topic,11268.0.html
Long Distance  http://forum.ucdcanoeclub.com/index.php/topic,11269.0.html
Freestyle         http://forum.ucdcanoeclub.com/index.php/topic,11270.0.html
Parties             http://forum.ucdcanoeclub.com/index.php/topic,11271.0.html

[Maryanne]

[Briain]

Where would we be staying if we went down?

[DervM]

We're still looking into where we're staying, a few options being explored.

[Nuala]

I'll be around for rescue if you need me.

[HelenaC]

I'd say the polo team will be ok for lifts, don't know for sure who they are yet, but there are a lot of polo playing drivers (Helena, Diarmuid, Niall) so the odds of the team being able to drive itself are pretty good.

i may be going down home on thursday after work... if people are stuck (as in "proper fucked" kinda stuck) ill sort something out....
anyway, yeve the whole day to get to limerick... thats not the most difficult place to get to...
feck it, well sort it out closer the time- just dont count on me for a lift...

[Peter O'Sullivan]

Remember to bring warm clothes. Watching kayaking competitions is colder than kayaking.

Since its Limerick we are going to security has to get a mention. When we are at Curragower on Sunday. Don't walk or park upstream of the wave for any reason. Beyond 100metres upstream no rescue party will be sent if you wonder off. You will be considered lost forever.