TI Top Deck

Doug Cooper Morocco 

So I really really wanted to talk about the best bit of kit I have ever owned / used, The TI topdeck. The 007 of paddling gear, combining function, fashion and freedom of movement.
I got hooked on TI tops some time ago. I have always been looking for warm weather dry kit and in the exception of a few years of my life I have been lucky enough to be equator bound or pretty damn close. Never too cold for the TI top and even in excessive heat it's pretty good. My brother and I traveled from Nile , to Canada to west Africa , round in circles and back to the UK. One bit of kit used thrice a day from july 2010 to August 2012 . My TI top out did my flip-flops twice over.   SO what I'm trying to say really, is if you don't own a TI top , YOU'RE CRAZY . Fact. So run out and get one for your planned winter sun trip, or just to keep in the kit bag for the spring.

Here is a selection of shots from around the globe in my TI top, testing to make sure we deliver you the best kit you could ever wish for. From Morocco to Senegal, through Mauritania, old Blighty and Uganda. The harshest of environment to test kit.

Doug Cooper white Nile Uganda 

Doug Cooper St Louis Senigal 

Doug Cooper , Nick Van Buren , Saharah 

Doug Cooper Africa 

Doug Cooper Mauritania 

Doug Cooper @ Hurley 

 AND just because I love the TI so much here is a short flick of myself and Matt Kenna putting the TI Top Deck through its paces on the white Nile!

Follow the link

http://vimeo.com/81502898

Autumn 2013

Where have the last few months gone! Last time I posted here I was in America reminiscing over the time spent at the world freestyle championships. So what has happened in my world since then...?

First up was the British and Club Championships held in Nottingham. This was held only a week or two after I returned from America so I was on top form going into the event. I would have liked to say that I had a nice relaxing return to UK competition but I spent most of the weekend dashing around like a madman (maybe because I was!) as I was competing, judging, tallying the scores and organising 150 people to be in the right place at the right time! I must give a massive thanks to all those who volunteered their help on the day, the weekend couldn't of run without you. The Saturday consisted of the more relaxed events (although still highly competitive) which included:

• 45 Second Ergo Challenge - The name says it all really... how far can you go in 45 seconds on a kayak ergo? 
• Extreme Slalom - Gates to go round, touch plates and balls to hit and freestyle moves to throw,6th Place
• Down River Race - Head to head racing all the way down the course.
• Triathlon - Kayak, Swim and Run... Very tough event this one and worth double points! 
• Cartwheel Comp - How many ends can you throw in one attempt. 
• Big Trick - Anything goes!

Cartwheel Comp

These were all based on different classes (expert, open, novice) and age groups (masters, seniors and juniors) as well as gender. Some events everyone competed together, some were split into these categories. Each paddler competing gets points for their club... 50 for a win, 47 for second 45 for third, 44, 43... etc. With a boat on offer for the winning club as well as a load of other great prizes everyone wanted to do their best for their club.

Sudbury Canoe Club wining a brand new D75 from Wavesport 

I had a pretty good day all in all... I managed the greatest distance on the kayak ergo (cross training does work!) at 204m a win in the Triathlon and  a joint first in the Cartwheel comp (24 ends) . I also managed a few other 3rd places. The other members of my club, North Avon, also did well and we went into the Sunday in Second place behind the reigning champions Sudbury Canoe Club.

Spectators enjoying the action

Sunday was the main freestyle event. With a jam session in the morning the event was designed to allow paddlers to do their best and encourage the less experienced. The top 5 in each class then when through to an ICF final. I managed to win both rounds of the C1 so got given the title as British C1 Champion! The standard of the finals this year was incredibly high. I remember scoring Rob Crowe's top ride about 1500 points in the final, a few years ago people were only managing that over two rides! 

Judging the jam session 

It was a fantastic end to the weekend seeing everyone's happy smiling faces during the prize giving... it definitely made all the work I had put in to the weekend worth it! If you havent entered the club champs before... its definitely worth a trip!

Handing out prizes

The next big event on was the Hurley Classic, now in its 24th year. Last year was big, this year was even bigger. With over 150 paddlers from 15 different nations it truly  was an international standard competition. Once again though it the event really encourages people of all ability. There was novice coaching sessions on offer from Den Newton, head GB coach and the jam session heats muddle everyone up. Even as a novice paddler you could end up competing with (not against) world champions. I had the overall winner, Stephen Wright from the US in my heat! 

Doug Cooper ripping it in the night final

Saturday consisted of GB Selections and an epic boaterX race with starting ramp, water cannon and "8 balls" (Aaron Dempsy and Andy Aldred) to bash you. The GB selection event went well as I placed in second but I definitely felt like I could have paddled better. The BoaterX had 5 rounds to get to through to reach the final and I managed to reach the quaterfinals. The course started with a massive starting ramp which launched the four competitors down into the water. You then had to fight your way through the 8 balls, fire man's water cannon and the river flow across to a yellow boy on the far side of the Thames. Once rounding this the return leg was the same with another boy to go round and the 8 balls to stop you in your tracks. The guys doing this job were certainly effective! In my final round I had a great start and reached the other side of the river way before the other 3 in my heat. I fought my way back across the river making good speed. Unfortunately due to my lead I was cannon fodder for the 8 Balls and I got trapped and lost my 30m lead and ended up in fourth. Still... it was great fun! 

Night time BoaterX under floodlights

Sunday was the main freestyle jam session event. I had written a brand new scoring system for the event which linked the judges computers to a big screen in the marque. Paddlers could get off the water and see their scores instantly. We think this was the first time such as system has been used outside of an ECA or ICF sanction event. This kept me busy for the most of the day but I still managed a 3rd place C1 finish. The Hurley Classic is a really progressive event.... next year is the 25th year and I know there are some big plans on the table! Definitely keep your diaries open!

This weekend was the final two GB selection events as well as the GB Freestyle AGM. The selections are being held for the European Championships in Bratislava in September 2014. The day consisted of two events; one in the inlet gate and on in the twin waves. Once again the scores were huge and once again I judged Rob Crowe's top ride to be well over 1500 points. I got my best ever combined score for C1 and paddled really well, achieving two first place finishes which puts me in the team for my 4th consecutive year!

The full team can be found on the GB Freestyle website: http://gbfreestylekayak.com/etive/?page_id=388. I am currently in the process of updating the website... we already have past results from all the international competitions since 2003 and I am currently creating athlete bios for all the GB team members. Mine is the first up so have a look! 

Splitting it up

At both Hurley and Selections it was great to paddle with fellow Nookie team mate and best buddy Sam. We both grew up paddling together, learnt to roll at the same time, pushed each other to progress and competed at our first international championships together. We both lived in Wiltshire about 10 minutes away and used to have regular trips to Hurley (including one I remember on a Wednesday afternoon when we should have been in school!), South Wales or the local Saltford Weir. Sam has moved down to Falmouth to study graphic design and I am in Derby completing my apprenticeship so paddling trips are now less often. It was great to catch up and plan our next boating adventure... Norway is on the cards for next summer! Who wants to join us?! Sam did well at selections and just missed out on a highly competitive British Team K1 place. 

In the evening the GB freestyle AGM was held. I am in the process of writing up the minutes and these will be on the GB freestyle website shortly. I am in my second year as secretary which I am enjoying despite a heavy work load. It is great to get paddlers feedback on how we have been doing as a committee and how we can move forward. This year Tim Ward stepped down as chairman after 5 years in the job. Tim has done an amazing job and has overseen the transformation of GB freestyle from a small organisation into the international and national body it is today. Tim has left some big boots to fill but I am sure our new chairman, Lee Parry will do a fantastic job also in the role. 

 

Few words on my kit... I have now had my new Airscrew cag for 5 months and it is still keeping me toasty warm and dry. The Iceman as ever is ensuring that cold days arent a put off and the TI vest is fantastic for the warmer adventures, whether that be surfing or competing in the world champs!

Thanks as ever to Nookie for support me,

See you on the water,

Josh 

2014 Nookie Catalogue

Just a quick blog to let you all know that the 2014 Nookie Catalogue is ready to download from any page on our website at www.nookie.co.uk.
We will be releasing this catalogue every 6 months from now as we have more and more new products arriving throughout the year.

New products featured in particular are the Softcore Thermal Base Layer which we have back in stock at the end of November. The Softcore was a favourite of ours back along (and our customers too!) but unfortunately the fabric became uber expensive so much so that they'd have to had retail at somewhere over £75!! NO Way! HOWEVER .... now, due to the popularity of our other thermal products we have managed to re-source the fabric. We've re-worked the fit and OMG its' the best thermal I think we've ever made! More info here or at www.nookie.co.uk/softcore.

Also new is the new Shadow Jacket (www.nookie.co.uk/shadow) which will be in stock early next year. A similar jacket to the Pathfinder but a little lower visual impact (i.e it's black) and an open waist, more like general outdoor jackets. A perfect all round jacket for everything from canoeing to instructing to walking the dog in!

The popular Surf Skirt, used by World Champions, is also now available in WHITE!
...... and the list goes on!
Take a look inside and let us know your thoughts by dropping us an email at info@nookie.co.uk

Enjoy!
Dan

First of the Fall

A deepening in the sunset, a touch of a chill in the morning all sings of the approach of autumn. 

We watch.  

A flourish of colour and the sharp patter of rain on the ground. 

The mighty Thames swells and pulses. 

Watchful eyes of eager kayakers, some Digital, some line of sight. Judgment and talk becomes a frenzy, who can tell when the weirs will begin to pump. 

Gauges sore, the lock keeper makes his way to his post. 

Oh it has rained. Three is the number .

 Welcome to the kingdom 

Matt Kenna cleans up

Matt kenna Airscrew

Doug Cooper deep in mother land 

Doug Cooper Clean Panam

Matt Kenna Helix's

Matt Blunting 

The window to the kingdom is open Doug Cooper bowels out a SideKick

These Chilling exposed conditions could not be tapped in to without the Help of Nookie the paddling company
                                                                 We give thanks

Road trip to Adidas Sickline 2013!

It was that time of year again, the best extreme kayakers from around traveled to the small alpine town of Oetz to battle for the championship belt! After a long drive from the UK I arrived in evening with my wife, father and friend. We were meant to be camping but to our delight we were offered a free upgrade to a cabin, a good start to the week! It rained hard all night which filled me with a little concern as to how high the river levels would be the next day.

                                  Lift off! Crazy fast line during my qualifier heat

                                      'Champions killer' in healthy flows

 We awoke to a damp misty day and after eating we packed up and headed to the river! We first took a look at the course, it was extremely high! The course was monstrous and no one was training on it as it was just too full on and dangerous. I met up with a group of Swiss and headed up to the middle section of the Oetz river which has a little less gradient. This was a grade 5 section of river in high water and I had never paddled the kayak I had before and was not fitted into it properly. Needless to say after three big sections I got pinned against some trees and had to exit the boat. After an hour of trying to recover the boat it finally came loose! Interesting first day!

                                               Signing my life away! 

Throughout the week it got drier and the river level dropped everyday to more manageable levels. For the rest of the week I met up with fellow paddlers and competitors and trained on the course. It was extreme water and it was awesome! Throughout the week we witnessed some awesome carnage, luckily no one was hurt. On Thursday I registered for the event, got my bib and goodies and had an early night for the big day ahead, qualification day!

                                       

After downing a couple of Beet-it shots I got geared up and headed to the event. The river was a little higher but still manageable. The event has a fantastic safety record, using the local mountain rescue and swift water rescue to help anyone getting into difficulty. The 150 competitors were split into two groups, I was put into the second group, and we then had to do our mandatory training run to ensure we were capable. My training run was one of my best and this filled me with confidence for the race! It was now time for the real thing. There were two qualification runs with both of your times being added together to form your score, the top 45 then go through to the finals, slim pickings!

                                                   Most colorful dude around!

So calming my nerves I carried my boat down the ramp and launched into the hissing white-water below! My first run was extremely good giving me a time of 1:24, this put me right up there with the pro’s. Feeling pretty chuffed, it was time for lunch! I knew I needed to match my first run or do better to qualify, which I knew I was perfectly capable off. After launching again, my line was good. But after dropping into the crux of the run I got pulled slightly right and slowed down, I paddled as hard as I could to get back on line. This minor mistake cost me six seconds giving me a time of 1:30, bugger!

                                                  Going deep in 'Minus 1'

This dropped me over all to 69th place. I was disappointed but also proud of my first run. My first run was not even my best so I know I have massive potential for the future. This was my first major race and out of roughly 15 GBR competitors I was 5^th fastest.  It’s just the name of the game, nature is unpredictable and sometimes it shows you whose boss! After a good night at the Loser’s party we headed to the course the next morning for the super final! A young Kiwi chap named Sam Sutton had won it three years in a row so all eyes were on him. After and epic final a young slalomist from the UK took the belt!

                                   Practicing on the qualifier course during high flows

                                       No turning back! Cruising into 'Minus 1'

Needless to say the Champions party was a little nuts! With slightly sore heads we started the long drive back to the UK. This was the most professional, intense and amazing event I have ever taken part in and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It’s made me more hungry to do better and put pressure on the racing scene, as we speak I’m working on purchasing a faster boat. With plans to hit the USA racing scene and dominate the UK racing scene, next year is looking full on! I’m very grateful for Nookies support throughout the event and supplying me with fantastic gear! Cheers guys, see you on the water!

Canoe World sprint Championships Duisburg Germany 2013

The Paracanoe team drove out to Germany on 24^th September 2013 loaded with the boats and took Euro tunnel across.   On the first day of the competition (Monday 26^th) the team had training and start bucket practice.  My first race was on Wednesday 28^th and i was in Heat 2 at 10:40am racing the Polish athlete Jakub Tokarz who beat me in the European championships in June.  My first goal was to win my heat and beat Tokarz, which i did and it was close on the line but job done and straight through to the final which was set for Friday 30^th.  The weather in Duisburg was good with temperature low to mid 20’s and a slight head wind.

On the Thursday i watched some of the other GB athletes compete in their finals, which was very stress full and exciting at the same time.  Some of the team had also competed on the Wednesday with heats and some had straight finals.  I did another practice session on the Thursday afternoon, working through my process.

I found it hard being one of the last GB athletes waiting to compete in the final when the rest of the team had done the race and got medals, so the pressure was more intense.   The atmosphere at the event was amazing with over 850 athletes both Paracanoe and Olympic from around the World.  The evening before my final i was not feeling great, and in the early hours of the Friday morning i was being sick and had a very bad stomach and spent the rest of the night in the bathroom.   I was due to leave the hotel at 8:15am Friday, and at 7:45 my coach knocked on my door to see if i was up because i did not come to breakfast.  I just said i had gone to eat early before anyone was up, but the truth was i was still in the bathroom not well and not able to eat or drink as nothing would stay in me.

I kept quiet and got down to the lake, the noise was amazing as some of the Olympic athletes were racing early and the crowds were growing even before 9am.  My final was at 10:40 and i was in lane 4 again as the fastest qualifier gets the middle lane.  This was great as it was exactly the same set up as my heat.  I warmed up in the GB camp area and got ready to get on the lake, by this time the rest of the team were down ready to watch and the noise from the crowd was getting louder.

I started my water warm up as it was a long way to the start area over 1500 meters, the weather was good and warming up with no significant wind.  I was called to the start area and then to the start bucket, they announced lane 4 Ian Marsden Great Britain and the noise was amazing even 200 meters away as we had a big GB following with flags all over the stands.  The bucket went down and race on, i had a slow start but stuck to my plan and got to speed quick and kept going.  I could not see anyone next to me as i never can when i race i just focus down the lane.  I crossed the line and next to me Fernando Fernandes from Brazil also crossed the line and i heard only one beep.  When the rest had finished i paddled to the big screen with all the athletes and the replay was on, we had to wait for a photo finish.  The announcement came and Fernando had won Gold with me second and less than 100^th of a second in it.   It was so very close and the best race ever, he was dead over the last 20 meters and i was on it.  Fernando has been racing for 5 years and has been number 1 since the start, and i have only been racing a year.  No other person has ever been that close before, even last year the second person over the line was 6 seconds back like all the other years.  We had both smashed the World record too on that race.  He admitted he was very nerves before the race and he panicked and had to change his game plan in the race.  One thing i always remember is the noise of the crowd, drums and air horns on the last 150 meters it was amazing

Ian Marsden
 

World Freestyle Championships... Day 12

So yesterday was my day. After a week of waiting since the opening ceremony it was finally the C1 heats. I was down to go 2nd in heat 3. In my heat were some of the top guns including Dane Jackson and Tad Dennis of the US and Sebastien Devred of France.

Waiting in the sign in eddy above the feature I was excited, if not a little nervous. I had spent the last week and a half training at this site to get the maximum possible points from my move list and it was to come down to the 90 seconds of paddling that I was about to do.

I dropped down into the bottom eddy once the previous heat had cleared. Due to the big wall on river left, the crowd of over 1000 on river right and the massive concert speakers above the feature the noise was intense. I tried not to focus too much on the noise or the big screen and concentrated on staying relaxed. I find that by cheering on the other competitors and encouraging others I paddle the best myself. Once Sebastien's 45 seconds were over and the judges had totalled up the scores it was my go.

I can't really remember much about my rides... I was in doing mode... not thinking, just doing. I nailed my loop and a right cartwheel but then unfortunately flushed. My McNasty didn't quite go so my first ride finished with a score of 103 points. The second ride was similar, a loop then a flush. The second time however with about a second to spare I threw the McNasty and hit it clean resulting in a better score of 250 points. Immediately knew that I had finished 11th after my ride due to the "megatron" big screen, I didn't know how close it was going to be however. Jez from Australia in 10th place went through to the semis only 13 points ahead.

Considering this is my first world championships that I have competed in I am super happy with my performance, I may have hit much better rides in training but  the experience of repeating the same training routine for a week then the mental stresses with waiting around is going to be extremely valuable for future competitions. The preparation that I did on the day of competing is also valuable. Each time that I do a competition such as this I gain valuable information about how best I perform, this can be fed into the preparation for next time.

 

In the feature

Despite being knocked out of the competition, the day was by no means over. The women's heats followed ours. Clare O'Hara put in another brilliant performance to finish top of the women's prelims and Islay Crosbie also got through.

The men's quarter finals also took place. We had strong British interest in the event as all 6 of our paddlers had made it through to the top 20 out of 71. The standard of competition was extremely high. With the scores in the top 5 it could of been a final. Both Bren Orton and Alan Ward of GB made it through to the semis in 8th and 9th  place respectively. Dane Jackson topped the leader board again with a combined score of 3,106.. the first 3000 point combined 2 ride competition score that I am aware of. Dane did this by throwing all of his moves clean and huge... his McNastys were something special to watch (easily head dry). My ride of the day however goes to Mathieu Dumoulin of France. He is the cartwheel specialist and linked perfectly tricky whus, lunar orbits and phonix monkeys. He also had time to throw a few massive McNastys and Space Godzillas to finish with a combined score of 2,616 (2nd Place) but only 40 points behind Dane's best ride. A round up of the day is linked below.   

Day 4 Round Up - Sportscene

The next big event to follow was the 8 Ball Race. 8 Ball Races are known for their carnage and tendency to knock teeth out... and this one was no exception! 50 paddlers had chosen to compete in this mad race where the aim is to get to the bottom of the course as quickly as possible... sounds simple? It would be if it were not for the "8 Balls"... 8 heavily padded paddlers intent on causing destruction to boat, body and ego waiting downstream. The briefing went something like this "We will try to hurt you. If you think you can hurt us, you are wrong. We will aim to ram you, flip you over and ride your boat down through the feature until you swim". The only rules for at least some margin of safety is that hands must remain on the paddles at all times and you can not hit someone in the face with a paddle... apart from that everything goes. Chief 8 Ball Ken Hoeve (the guy who invented the game) did give us one bit of advice... do not end up heading down first place!

There were 5 heats of 10 paddlers with the top two from each going through to the final round. A brand new creek boat was on offer so everyone was keen to win, if not a little apprehensive after seeing the carnage of the first heat! Sitting on the start line of heat 4 I was more nervous than for my freestyle run earlier in the day. 3, 2, 1... Go! All doubts were forgotten and 10 crazy paddlers charged off downstream with two objectives; get to the finish line first and do not end up as an 8 Ball's dinner!

Having seen an 8 Ball waiting near the top of the course I decided to take the far line under the first bridge, thus avoiding the first bout of carnage. This was a slightly longer line but did mean that I was in a strong position (3rd ish) coming down into the main channel of damage. Ahead of me I saw a Green Boat take out 1st place by ramming him into the bank. Paddlers to my left were being taken out and 2nd Place got taken out by another 8 Ball who would have gone for me otherwise. This allowed a clean sprint to the finish line through the eddy in a relatively clean race for me. Next round... the final.

Tactics for the final were pretty much the same, avoid the first, let a few people go ahead and slip through to take the win. Despite having to boof over a few playboats who had ended up 8 Balled into the middle hole I managed to slip through just behind one person. They got nailed and I headed for the right line again. Sprinting to get back into the flow to cross the line Matt Hamilton managed to break through the carnage and being in the flow just piped me to the line by a boat length + a bit. Great fun! Video of my heats bellow (Im paddling the blue boat sporting the Nookie TI Vest and much needed elbow pads)!

8 Ball Race - My heat and final

Overall a brilliant day... more semi-finals today so keep an eye out on the live feed!

Josh

 

 



World Freestyle Championships... Days 10 to 11

Just a quick post this evening...

 

Day 10 saw the squirt boating and junior women take to the water. In both these categories we did really well. Ben Aldred and Clare O'Hara of GB both progressed through to the next round in the squirt boating. In the junior women both Kim Aldred and Jen McGaley also progressed through to the final in a very tight prelims. All of these 4 paddlers did really well, particularly Clare O' as she beet her closest rival by nearly 1000 points!

 

Today the men took to the water for the first time. Though 14 heats the aim of the prelims was to cut from over 70 men to 20 for the quarter finals. This was a massive cut and with both rides counting the pressure was on. Luckily the GB athletes showed their talent and all 6 progressed through to the next round. Dane Jackson lead the way in the scores with a massive combined score of 2704 including one 1400 point ride.

 

Tomorrow (day 12) I take to the water for my first world championships! This evening I had the last training session before the competition. This was the first C1 only session and paddling with the 15 best C1 paddlers in the world was a special experience. We all were paddling really well, feeding off each other energy. Its not often such a large group (with such talent) of C paddlers get a feature to themselves for an hour. Some big moves and massive combos went down. I am in heat 3 tomorrow which will be at about 12.30US time (5.30pm UK Time). I am so excited and cant wait to get out on the water. My aim is to go out, have fun and enjoy myself. This for me is the best way to paddle at my best. Whatever the result, I will be really happy if I hit my ride and do my best for Team GB. Remember you can check out the Live Feed to cheer all the GB paddlers on from home.

 

We also have the K1W heats and Mens Quarter Finals tomorrow... should be pretty awesome!

 

Until tomorrow...

 

Josh

 

World Freestyle Championships... Days 7 to 9

It has began! Last night at the opening ceremony the ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships were officially opened.

The last few days in pictures...

The event is big news round here

In the newspapers

Last GB Team Meeting before the event kicks off

Handing Out of the bibs

Bib distribution



Lads photo at the opening ceremony



Canadian paddler and former world champion Nick Troutman grabbing a picture with team GB

Jess the flag bearer from Swain County Middle School and I

Crowds on the town bridge

Flags at the opening ceremony

The parade

Claire O'Hara waving a GB Flag

On the town bridge

The opening speeches and playing of the anthems

The warriors of AniKituhwa (local tribes people) welcome us using the medium of dance

 

Opening Ceremony Video

 

Big Air Ramp

 

Big Air Competition

 

 

Flags on the bridge upstream

Event schedule

 

Confluence Watersports' Stand

 

Tom Goddard of Team GB kicks off the K1JM prelims and the whole competition!

Kids from Swain County Middle School have come to watch the event

Competitor aiming to impress the judges

Big Screen at the event

 

 

Fun events between heats

 

Don't forget you can check out the live action at the live stream found at the link below:

https://www.freestylekayaking2013.com/worlds-live-feed.html

 

I am competing on Friday at about 5.15pm UK time (3rd heat of C1, first heat starts at midday US time, 5pm UK time).

 

Until the next update,

 

Josh