A brief look at Wild Water racing

Competitors choose their own route down the river, to pick the fastest line. To be successful requires technical ability, in reading the river and achieving an efficient paddling style. At the elite end of the sport, a high level of athleticism and stamina is necessary. However, if you know how to hold a paddle, you know enough to have a go. Wild Water Racing is a competition between paddler and river; an aggressive attitude to other competitors is not required.

The races are run as time trials, with competitors starting at minute intervals. There are no poles, penalties or points for style; simply, the fastest time wins. Typical races are 10 to 15 minutes long, although there are some "sprint" events with two short runs of 2 or 3 minutes.

Most competitors use single seat kayaks, although there are also single and double Canadian classes, where the paddlers kneel in the boat and use single bladed paddles.

Almost any type of kayak can be used, but specialist models have developed for Wild Water Racing (WWR). These are made from Kevlar and carbon fibre, 4.5m long, very fast and shaped to cut through stoppers and waves. For paddlers new to the sport, the Wavehopper has been developed. This is similar in shape to a WWR kayak, but is only 4m long and made from polythene. A fleet of Wavehoppers is available, with boats distributed around the UK. These are available for people who want to try WWR.

If you have any questions, or if you want to try a Wavehopper, please contact Howard Blackman, National Development Coach, tel 0115 9821100 .

The Wavehopper is produced by Perception Kayaks