© Ciaran Heurteau- http://www.ciaranheurteau.com/
It’s that time of year again, when the canoe slalom community migrate to Australia en masse. After the long flight from London to Sydney, my final destination is Penrith, about 70km west of Sydney. Before the Sydney Olympics back in 2000, there wouldn’t have been much to attract us to Australia other than the warm weather. But hosting an Olympics brings huge investment in sporting infrastructure, something London is currently benefiting from. Due to the size and nature of the facility needed to host a canoe slalom event, white water courses have always been built a little way out from the main venues. It was Penrith that hosted the canoe slalom, canoe sprint and rowing at the Sydney Olympics, and its legacy is still here 12 years on. In fact, the general specs used for the London Olympic white water course are similar to the course here in Penrith. So 12 years from now, the course in London should be financially self-sustainable, providing a legacy for all white water sports.
For me, Penrith will be my home for just under 4 weeks. Although the weather in London has been relatively mild this winter, training conditions can always be better. With the weather almost always above 20 degrees celcius and the fantastic venue here, conditions are ideal. However, nothing is without its drawbacks, and here there are two. With so many people having the same idea, things can get busy. To help with this, the Brits and French are joining forces and booking exclusive slots for the more quality sessions. All this causes the second drawback, there aren’t enough hours in the (sociable) day, meaning some early starts!
This first week will be about settling in and getting over the jet lag. Training will be lighter than normal to allow my body to readjust, before kicking off with two heavy weeks, and then easing off a little in the final week leading into a competition. I have a feeling this camp will fly by and I will be back in the cold in no time. So I’ll have to make sure I make the most of every session to maximise the benefits. Every little thing will help when it comes to Olympic selection in April!!
