Inside the World Championships with Claire O – Team Training Week by Claire OHara | Mar 14, 2018 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Australia, Event Coverage, Events, Internationalisation, Playboating, Trip Reports, Trips, Whitewater, Wrap Ups, WW DisciplinesSo as team training week begun my plan for four days rest quickly turned into two and a half days rest followed by one, 20 minute, team training slot which equaled about four runs in the feature and then another days rest. A change from what I originally had planned...
3 days to go – The Atmosphere builds – Inside the World Championships with Claire O by Claire OHara | Mar 12, 2018 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Australia, Event Coverage, Events, Internationalisation, Playboating, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesThe Infrastructure is going up Things are beginning to take shape here in Argentina. After a few weeks of training in the middle of a desert on a feature surrounded by mostly dirt, gravel and dust it was hard to imagine that a major event was about to take place. But...
Freestyle Kayaking on Sky Sports by Claire OHara | Oct 17, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Event Coverage, Events, Internationalisation, Playboating, rivers, Video, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesEarlier this year I had the awesome opportunity to film with olympic medalist Helen Reeves for the Sky Sports Go Canoe kayaking production. The feature went out as part of the world championship slalom and sprint Sky Sports show and featured all the main paddle sport...
ICF Judges Seminar – Grade A Judge by Claire OHara | Sep 22, 2017 | Events, Instructional, Internationalisation, Playboating, UK, Whitewater, WW Disciplines45, 60, 90, 110. Clean , Super Clean, Huge, Aerial, Linked??? My brains is fried and its awesome. After many years in the sport and many many hours spent judging I have finally got myself on an ICF Judges Training seminar in Plattling with Sneaky Pete and Terry Best...
The Ultimate Packing List by Claire OHara | Jul 31, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Internationalisation, Playboating, Trip Reports, Trips, UK, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesAs I left for my trip today Jez asked me if he could have my packing list to help him make sure he didn’t forgot anything for his trip to the USA this weekend and it got me thinking. Traveling all over the world as much as I do the number of times I write and...
An Australian White Water Classic – The Snowy River by Claire OHara | Jun 26, 2017 | Creeking, Family Zone, Internationalisation, Karma, rivers, Trip Reports, Trips, UK, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesOne of the classic white water runs in Australia is the Snowy river and this summer I had the opportunity to lead a group of kids down it on a multi day paddling expedition. Having never paddled the run before I joined Josh and Rick to do a quick recci run before the...
There is a new freestyle park in NZ thats epic by Claire OHara | Apr 23, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Event Coverage, Events, Family Zone, Playboating, rivers, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesAfter the Hawea Academy finished we all jumped in cars and headed to Tekapo for 2 days of guaranteed water releases and non stop freestyle. Stopping on route for a quick hike up Mount Cooke. I had heard that a lot of work had been put into the course and that the...
Red Bell Black Snakes, Red Back Spiders and Gale force winds by Claire OHara | Apr 22, 2017 | Trip Reports, Trips, WhitewaterAustralia is stunning and has so many different types of landscapes and areas to explore. For the last few years I have wondered what the outdoor industry in Australia is like and this year I got the chance to find out. My good friend Josh Singleton put me in touch...
Proper Blue water – Tekapo Freestyle competition NZ by Claire OHara | Apr 11, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Event Coverage, Events, Playboating, rivers, Trip Reports, Trips, Whitewater, Wrap Ups, WW DisciplinesAfter the Academy finished we all jumped in cars and headed to Tekapo for 2 days of guaranteed water releases and non stop freestyle. Stopping on route for a quick hike up Mount Cooke. I had heard that alot of work had been put into the course and that the features...
Hawea Academy by Claire OHara | Apr 8, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Family Zone, Kid's Kayaks, Playboating, Whitewater, WW DisciplinesSo on January 22nd, 36 kids from across Australasia came together for the 3rd annual Hawea Academy. World class coaches Claire O’Hara, Dennis Newton and Anna Bruno flew in to the New Zealands South Island to join a team of local up and coming coaches to host...
Happy New Year by Claire OHara | Jan 9, 2017 | 2016 Rock Star Competition, Playboating, Reviews, rivers, Trip Reports, Trips, Whitewater, Wrap Ups, WW Disciplines2016 was the most amazing year of my life so far; not only did I get to travel the world kayaking on some incredible rivers with awesome people, winning every event I entered including winning my first European Freestyle Kayak Championship Gold. I also learnt to kite...
There’s something about freestyle by Claire OHara | Oct 10, 2014 | WhitewaterThis weekend the ‘Young Guns’ Youth Freestyle and Club Championship events took place at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham (UK). Paddlers of all ages and abilities came from clubs all across the UK to test their skills and show of their...