Freestyle

The competition location for a freestyle event is a ‘turbulent standing wave’ or stopper wave which are features that cause water to be re-circulated upon itself. The nature of a standing wave enables a skilled canoeist to retain the position on the wave despite the strong flow of the river.

In a freestyle competition, the competitor uses a very short and manoeuvrable kayak. The boat is flung violently about in the wave and the competitor is judged on his/her ability to perform the most exciting and dramatic moves while still riding the wave. The top competitors harness the river’s energy to enable them to perform cartwheels and somersaults in their kayaks. Freestyle is a great spectator sport.

In the past few years a number of Welsh paddlers have excelled in Freestyle. Lynsey Evans and Lowri Davies have been GB Team members for over 7 years. Currently Lowri Davies is the Ladies European Freestyle Champion and Lynsey Evans is currently ranked number 2 in Europe.

Matt Cooke was 4th at the World Champs in Australia in 2005 and has ranked highly at several international events. Stuart Parry has been shredding in the Junior Men’s category and also represents Great Britain internationally.

Contact:

Paul Robertson, 4 St Mary's Close, Llanfair Kilgeddin, Abergavenny NP76 9YE