Bradford & Bingley canoeists in pursuit of honours (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford & Bingley canoeists in pursuit of honours

6:00pm Tuesday 19th March 2013 in Sport By Bill Marshall, T&A Sports Reporter

Bradford & Bingley Canoe Club members are being rewarded for their hard work with some fine early-season slalom results.

Cononley’s Beth Latham has already established herself as Britain’s leading under-23 woman, while Connor Bailey of Silsden is ranked fifth in the under-16 boys and Emma Kirkbright second under-16 girl and 20th senior woman.

Bailey, who is in the national junior slalom training squad for a second winter and ultimately wants to get on the Olympic development programme, was 15th out of 45 – Britain’s top Junior 14 K1 entrant – in the Vajda Teen Cup at Augsburg, Germany.

The teenager already attends 12 training sessions a week – at his club’s own Wagon Lane waters, plus his school’s gym, the canal and Nottingham Whitewater Centre.

Meanwhile, Sally Fairbrass of Wilsden has represented Ireland and has trained in France, while 13-year-old Amy Howarth from Skipton wants to reach the upper half of Division One in K1L by the end of the year.

Seven club members are on national junior squads, while others have competed in Europe and America.

Club members also have their own tournament to work towards as Bradford & Bingley Canoe Club are hosting a novice class slalom on the weekend of May 18-19.

The club’s senior and junior slalom squads train on the River Aire, while the beginners have been learning in Hazelbeck School’s pool, near Peel Park in Bradford.

Winter training has also taken place in the evenings on the club’s floodlit rapids, even when the temperature plummets below zero.

Meanwhile, club juniors have competed across Europe and America, seven of them securing places on national squads.

They also have an average of 12 sessions a week – including big-water training at Tees White Water Centre during the week, and weekends at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham or the Olympic Slalom Stadium at Lee Valley.

Further information is available at www.bradbingcc.co.uk.