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Freestyle is having fun in your boat whilst performing moves. Freestyle boats are less than 2 meters long and sacrifice forward speed for manoeuvrability and vertical stability. Freestyle has progressed very quickly over the last decade due to boat design improvements. Moves can be as simple as an ender or as complicated as a McNasty. NACC has many freestyle paddlers who compete in events.

Freestyle is a white water sport where the name of the game is to perform a range of acrobatic tricks and stunts on a river feature (artificial or natural) such as a wave or hole. Freestyle boats are less than 2 meters long and sacrifice forward speed for manoeuvrability and vertical stability. Freestyle has progressed very quickly over the last decade due to boat design improvements. This form of the sport is enjoyed by many as a recreational sport and at the top level by those participating in competitions both nationally and internationally. The sport is constantly moving forward with paddlers developing new spectacular moves all the time. Most paddlers use kayaks but you do find the occasional C1 paddled too!

North Avon CC Freestylers will be on tour again this year as they compete in the UK Youth Freestyle Series 2009. There are 3 categories in the competition - U12s, U15s and U18s.

The events are a brilliant introduction to Freestyle competition for younger paddlers. The mornings see all the competitors being coached, often by British team paddlers. Afternoons are dedicated to the fun freestyle competition. At some of the venues a river race competition is thrown in at theend for a bit of fun. Prizegiving completes the day.

In 2008 8 juniors from NACC represented the club at the events and did us proud.

The paddlers have a brilliant time and parents walk miles as they pace up and down the course providing support. Substantialquantities of food and drink arerequired to keep the paddlers energised. At Llangollen the bacon butties from the cafe are to be recommended!

The Series kicks off on the 19th April at Llangollen it then moves to the Nene on the 14th June, then on to Boutlers on the 11th July and finishes with a final at Nottingham on the 13th Sept.

The Youth Freestyle series is a number of one-day events aimed at progressing white-water paddlers. It is open to any 18 and under paddlers with a fairly reliable white-water roll who want to improve their freestyle or white water paddling or who want to take part in a fun freestyle competition. It doesn't matter if you have no previous experience of competition or if you're on the GB team - the competition rules cater for all levels of paddler, and spot prizes at many of the events ensure that the people who provide the most entertainment go home with a prize.

Each day will now consist of paddling workshops followed by a fun freestyle competition and where sites (and time) allow a river race.

Further details of the changes to this years series will be available at www.youthfreestyle.co.uk (the website should be up and running by mid-March when they will start accepting entries.)