| ng is basically the activity of paddling a canoe or | | | | Once again, as the name implies, this is polo in |
| kayak. Essentially a canoe or kayak is a humanly | | | | canoes. It is usually a fast paced battle between two |
| powered boat that is both light and small and pointed | | | | teams of 5 players. |
| at both ends. It is propelled by the use of a paddle. A | | | | White water Racing |
| canoe is propelled using either a single or double | | | | Again, the name is quite self explanatory. White |
| bladed paddle, with the peddler sitting on a raised | | | | water racing (also referred to as Wild Water Racing) |
| seat. A kayak on the other hand, is propelled with a | | | | involves competitors racing specialised canoes or |
| double bladed paddle and the peddler sits with their | | | | kayaks down a white water river. |
| legs in front of them. Kayaks are a closed deck boat | | | | Canoe Sailing |
| with the peddler sitting inside, whereas a canoe is an | | | | Canoe Sailing is a race that involves the competitor |
| open boat. The term canoeing is a generic term for | | | | using modified canoes with sails. |
| both types of activity. | | | | Recreational |
| Canoeing is both a recreational and sporting activity, | | | | There is no strict definition for how to recreationally |
| although it can also be used as a method of | | | | canoe, the distinctions are being increasingly blurred |
| transportation. | | | | as new canoes and equipment are being developed. |
| Sport | | | | The general emphasis however, is just to have fun! |
| The International Canoe Federation or ICF is the | | | | Equipment |
| world wide organisation for canoeing. It creates the | | | | Right, so what equipment would you need? Let's first |
| rules and protocol that governs the various different | | | | warn you that compiling all of the necessary kit can |
| disciplines of a canoe or kayak competition. The ICF | | | | be quite expensive. At the beginning you may be |
| now recognises a number of different competitive | | | | able to loan or borrow equipment from a club. These |
| and non-competitive disciplines, with two of them | | | | will be the bare essentials, just enough to get you |
| featuring in the world famous Olympic games. | | | | started. This would consist of the following: |
| Sprint | | | | - Canoe |
| This is the original canoeing discipline and is | | | | - Paddle |
| occasionally referred to as Racing. The races usually | | | | - Buoyancy Aid |
| cover 200, 500 and 1000m courses and include both | | | | - Helmet |
| kayaks and canoes. | | | | - Spray deck |
| Slalom | | | | The extras you may invest in at a later date could |
| This discipline consists of a timed decent down a the | | | | be: |
| rapids of a white water course, where the | | | | - Cagoule |
| competitor must guide their canoes or kayaks | | | | - Wet suit |
| through a series of gates. Competitors are expected | | | | - Wet suit Boots / Shoes |
| to go against the flow of the river and across it. | | | | All in all, other than the inherent costs of any sporting |
| Marathon | | | | or recreational activity, there are only positives in |
| As the name implies this is a long distance race over | | | | regards to canoeing. It can be the most enjoyable, |
| a flat water course that varies in length from | | | | fun and enlightening experience so why not give it a |
| anything between 2 miles to over 200 miles. | | | | try! |
| Canoe Polo | | | | |