TIP: Try a new sport. Go to one of the TrySport activities.

As the days darken and get colder, and I start to do more of my ‘moving’ indoors, I began reflecting on one of my past outdoor activities. Whilst last May was National Walking Month, I decided to try out a different TrySport activity and agreed with two of my colleagues to have a go at the Canoeing & Kayaking course. Part of the activity selection process was the fact it was held on a Friday afternoon and the weather had started to pick up, so floating about on the River Stour at Grove Ferry seems a lovely way to spend a couple of hours out of the office whilst being active!

The course ran from 1st May to 5th June, run by a local company Canoe Wild, and culminated in the achievement of the BCU 1 Star Award. We were very fortunate to be the only people booked on the course so had the attentions of Alex, our excellent instructor, to ourselves. Lesson 1 saw us in kayaks and introduced us to some of the basic strokes, although we spent most of the lesson working hard to stay relaxed on the water and trying not to tip ourselves over (one of my colleagues was not entirely successful at this!). This floating lark was proving to be much harder than we thought and giving us a good upper body work out!

Week 2 was more successful in terms of us all staying the right way up in the water, and we’d mastered most of the basic strokes, even if we often ended up paddling in circles in our spinny white water kayaks (even though the Stour was very calm). Then we learnt to correct our line using the rudder steer technique. We decided to get the ‘controlled capsize’, required to gain the 1 Star Award, out of the way next week. Gulp!

In Week 3 we travelled a little further afield to a wider part of the river where we did some turning and stopping manoeuvrability tests, and by now we could all paddle in a straight line! Finally, the time had come for the controlled capsize. Nerves-a-jangling and a big deep breathe and over we swung ourselves, one by one. Surprisingly, the kayaks were much harder to capsize than I thought they’d be and the water was much, much colder than I’d expected! Three very quick taps on the bottom (now top) of my kayak and I pulled the spray deck away and pushed myself out and scrabbled for the surface. We’d survived another week!

Week 4 saw us try out two-man Canadian canoes, practicing rudder steering and switching positions in the boat whilst in the water. A more relaxing session following our ‘swim’ last week.

The final week’s session was a longer stint on the water, making the journey from Fordwich to Grove Ferry (just over 5 miles). I, and our instructor, kayaked whilst my colleagues joined forces in a two-man canoe, which was very handy for transporting snacks to refuel on the way! It was pretty easy going initially, going with the flow from Fordwich to the tidal lake. Then everything changed! The Stour is a tidal river and the tide was still coming in so we had to battle against it for the rest of the trip. By now, we’d all mastered using more of our body to control our vessels so we all got a good few hours of a whole-body workout.

All in all, we’d had a fabulous time on the water and a really good workout each week. We hadn’t tried any of the TrySport activities before this, and I think we’re now quite keen to sign up for the next one! A great initiative to try out a new sport or activity and a new way of moving more! Have a look at what they are offering staff and students at www.canterbury.ac.uk/trysport

Caroline Digby-Bowl
Senior Lecturer in Sport & Exercise Biomechanics
Section of Sport & Exercise Sciences
School of Human & Life Sciences
Canterbury Christ Church University