"Every year at the first weekend in August,...", started last year's leader article in the Roots Issue, and yes, the Nottingham Trainee Day is a yearly event. It has become so popular that it had to be split into different weekends for the various regions of the BCU and the first August weekend is the one allocated to London and the South-East.

"The downside is a great accumulation of people resulting in the course being almost too crowded...", the article rambled on - and we were not prepared for the increase in numbers that showed up this time! The BCU obviously were, as they handed a whole sheet of instructions to all group leaders, pertaining to who was supposed to be on the water and when: For the beginner's sessions (up to 1/4 flow), only novices - so marked by their red helmet tags - and their instructors were supposed to be there, and groups with more than one instructor should have only had one on the water with the others helping bank-side.

For me, it was my third year taking part, but being an incurable wussie I still wore the red badge telling everybody to watch out for the guided missile... For a change, I felt comfortable enough with the amount of plastic I hit during attempts of something as simple as a ferry-glide - but I expect it must have been intimidating for any first-timer with a similar frame of mind.

However, the number of green "experienced-tags" shooting past me, obviously not in control of any group of beginners whatsoever, surprised me. What use is a sheet of directions with no one in place to enforce them? And why do obviously very experienced people go to the Trainee Day for their own fun, making things even more difficult for the beginners and genuine instructors? And then there is some - Seal being called off the course for trying to paddle down an inflatable mini canoe, squatting on it like an over-sized rubber duck, could not possibly have done the ACC reputation any good, either...

But apart from that it was good fun and in retrospective - remembering the weekend after on the Tryweryn being freezing cold - I suppose we were really lucky with the weather, too. After all, Nottingham Trainee Weekend means spending two whole days on and around the water, camping and BBQ - this year enhanced by a veritable water fight between the youngsters (of all ages) of the ACC and Hastings. All wet to at least some extend, various pastimes were invented to while away the early night, from clubbing (unfortunately the fun fair wasn't on this year) to games of football and hackysack, and to top it all off - the countdown to Carl's birthday! The poor lad hadn't had the stamina to stay up long enough, so he came to a dire awakening when the tent collapsed onto him over a trial intonation of "Happy Birthday To You". It wasn't even midnight yet. But we did let him sleep through in the end...

Was it different from last year? For a change, we did have a water session early enough to catch the low flows for the beginners which made for a smooth start. At that time, Kevin and Sean were the only instructors available, apart from Bob Gray who was already down with a tummy problem (certainly not from the Trent water, though...). They had to take care of a whole horde of first-timers or otherwise rather inexperienced ACC paddlers and should really be congratulated and thanked for their superb efforts.

Later on, the Topo Duo came into its own again and the lucky ones who got a go certainly enjoyed it (see "Dual Action" photo story, page 7). Thanks to Sean for making his boat available, as it is a brilliant way to get close to the "big bits". However, one other Duo getting stuck and wrapped around the tip of the concrete island below the Muncher with a paddler trapped in it was a reminder that you want to be sure you can handle its power - keeping in mind that the force of the water has a lot more effect over the length of such a boat. Sean had some safe runs with myself and little Danny, and rolled the duo after a capsize with Gary (unfortunately having lost his passenger who took a bit of a rough swim there). Seal's attempt to take one of the newcomers, however, resulted in two swims and some major gauges in the boat!

And what did some of the first-timers think of the whole thing? Two of them have given their opinions: Mike Manning, winner of the ACC 1999 Nottingham Fish Ladder, was very impressed with the Holme Pierrepont course and thought it was "excellent for beginners to get a first impression of white-water canoeing without the risk of getting your head knocked off". He, too, counted the Muncher under "some attractive features" - although it probably helped him to come first on the ladder... He gave top marks to the close-by campsite as well, only moaning about the lack of a close-proximity pub…

Mike on his experiences: "I would strongly recommend the trip for beginners. It has strengthened my initial impression of the Club being out for the fun of it, not just for “serious paddling”, which I’m totally incapable of at this stage in any case. The way the more experienced take time out to teach you how to stay afloat as long as possible (in my case, not very long) is superb. Especially thanks to Kev and Sid, and also to Seal for the experience in the Duo, just to get an idea of what things should be like eventually.

The most exciting bit for me was certainly doing the course in one go on my own – admittedly not stopping in the eddies and just going straight through the Muncher. No skill involved, but I enjoyed it all the way.

The most satisfying bit was finally making it up the set of obstacles, ploughing back up to the Muncher against the flow. Everybody else did it with apparent ease, and there was me struggling with paddling timing and inaccuracy like a pissed newt trying to swim backwards."

And how about all those swims that won him the medal? "I lost count of the number of swims on my first day once I reached double digits. The bit where Carl said "don’t worry, I swam this 7 times the first time I came here" didn’t fill me with glee either, as by then I had doubled his count, wishing I had mastered the roll before coming. The second day was a vast improvement - maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough anymore, or maybe I had gone off the taste of Trent water."

Asked for his scariest swim, Mike says "I suppose it's always your first. But for sheer embarrassment, try swimming the whole course (well, the last three quarters), watching everybody look at you from the bank. You realise it's not the smartest thing to do with the water at full flow. I should have had three hands really, two to hold on to the boat and the paddle and a third one to catch any throwlines."

The price for swimming a lot – Mike was one of the unfortunate who "caught the bug". He was knocked out with fever for two days which caught him unawares a day after getting back, and five days of flu. A price, he says, well worth paying!

Steve Gray was another newcomer to Holme Pierrepont who arrived early on Friday to have a look at the course in full flow. Comment: "It looked very tough and very swimmable!"

Steve thought that the weekend was great fun and very enjoyable, but especially ideal for learning because of the varying water levels. "The paddling was amazing and so much fun. It was such a rush when I made a break-out or crashed through a wave. The biggest buzz of all was on day two when I made it into the eddy below the pyramid. Thanks to Sid for having faith in me and so much patience!!!" Steve made a point of thanking all the instructors for "what they did on and off the water over the weekend, for giving up their spare time. Without them the weekend wouldn't have happened!"

On the fish ladder side, even with 5 proud swims Steve couldn't beat Mike! But he says the best of his was on day two, when he "swam half the course which included going through the Muncher and then performing the only deep-water rescue of the weekend with the help of Sid". Having swum 5 times, Steve was surprised he didn't end up ill. "The only thing I suffered was a bit of sunburn!"

Steve was "proud to be part of the ACC, who looked and were very organised and fun to be with on and off the water". He thoroughly enjoyed "one of the best weekends ever". He thought it was nice to receive a friendly welcome after the long drive there and very much appreciated Gary's cooking on Friday night, as well as the travel arrangements. "Special thanks to Graham for the lift home, without it I'd still be walking". And for the more experienced? Sonia, in last year’s article, said: "Frightening!" Now she was back with a vengeance and could be seen trying to get into the Muncher with determination (see photo page 3) -- as did Kev (trying hard), and Jezz (looking bored), and Dave Wayne (in a borrowed playboat)...

David Morgan, a more experienced 1999 addition to the ACC crew, thought the place made for a "good paddle with decent water levels, good car parking and large cold drinks readily available". (There's your priorities... ) As a paddler of intermediate standard, he found it was still a good idea to come, "useful for a range of abilities", and he thoroughly enjoyed his time. For an excursion on what traps Holme Pierrepont holds for someone at his level, read "SOS - I’m Stuck !!!" (below)!

by Petra Hudson, Mike Manning and Steve Gray, September 1999