New Harefield Sharks Canoe Club chief Beata Fabinska was pleasantly surprised with what she saw from her charges at the first national sprint regatta of year.
Fabinska is a former Polish national champion and will lead the club’s coaching staff following her appointment last month.
She oversaw some strong performances in challenging conditions at the tricky Holme Pierrepont course in Nottingham and came away positive about moving forward at the helm.
Fabinska said: “This is the first chance I have had to see a race in the UK and to see the club paddlers racing.
“I am very proud of them, we have been working hard over the past few months and the results were very good in difficult conditions.”
First to race was Adam Stewart in the Boys D Single Kayak 200m, he was third in his heat with and fourth overall with a personal best time of: 54:91, repeating the feat a day later in the 500m with a time of 2:45.0.
Star man Grant Underwood was in form in the men’s D 200m as he stormed into first place with a time of 50:48, a time that was faster than a couple of men’s B paddlers on the day and would have won the men’s C final.
Alexandra Judge was back in action at her first regatta for two years, after giving birth to her first son Samuel, coming home with a good time of 1:15.9 in her 200m women’s D Race.
There was a debut for 13-year-old Amelia Combes in the 200m girls D, clocking 1:21.1 on the water, however her racing was cut short on day two due to 50mph winds stopping the action amid safety concerns.
Underwood was also disappointed by mother nature’s intervention after another excellent showing on day two. His final was a casualty of the winds.
Training sessions are held at Harefield on Mondays and Thursdays and at the outdoor pool at Hillingdon Leisure Centre on Tuesdays.
Sharks supply all the kit members need at whatever level they are paddling at. For more information about The Sharks, visit www.thesharks.org.uk or email canoeing@thesharks.org.uk or call Neal Underwood on 07952 770241.
