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PKC Newsletter No.1 of 2008 |
| To all our returning members, welcome back, to all our new members Welcome to Phoenix Kayak Club. This year we plan on organising more River Trips along with sea-paddling in the vicinity of Cork Harbour and further afield, dependant on interest. |
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 Last month seen the running of the Ocean to City race. Uptake for this from Club Members was much greater than usual. Well done to all who took part (Ciaran Cooke, Tim Healy, Don O’Brien, Conor O’Geran, Dave O’Leary, Diarmuid Hickey, Don O’Hanlon, Kevin Leyne & Donal Clancy) Weather conditions for the race were amazing and the race atmosphere was also super. This year seen a much larger turn-out for kayakers with a total of 46 kayaks over the three classes. This really created a great pre-race buzz. The race was won in a time of 1hr 45min 15sec. The fastest for PKC was Tim Healy with a time of 1hr 50min 28sec. Full results can be found here http://www.oceantocity.com/ |
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| RSR 2 Course: On May 10th & 11th, there was an RSR 2 course run on the gates of the Flesk. This course was organised by Micheal McSweeney, which a big thanks must go to for this. The skills learned on this course were invaluable to the Club as a whole and brings us into the 21st century with the techniques used for River Rescue. The course was very realistic and examined all scenarios which may be encountered on a river. |
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| One of the simple tasks of doing CPR for 10 minutes. well it sounded simple at the time, but by God were we tired after 10 minutes |
Paul decided to have us appreciate the cold. So it started with footwear off first and quickly led to a bit more. But really you don't want to see those pictures. |
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Emergency Care in Sport: Earlier in the year a course in Emergency Care in Sport was run by the School of Medicine in CUH. This course was run specifically for Phoenix Kayak club and catered for 12 members of the club, ranging from Senior instructors to Site crew. The training received on this course was excellent and Paul Allen the course co-ordinator really put us through our paces for the weekend. More Photos from this course here: http://www.phoenixkayakclub.com/gallery23/index.htm |
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Remote Emergency Care Course: The 5th & 6th of April seen the next stage of the First Aid training with the running of the Remote emergency Care course. This was run by the school of Medicine at Cork University hospital. This course gives the student the skills to deal with most scenarios where assistance may be a few hours away. The course went into great detail and again really put us all through our paces. The course finished with an exercise in the woods in Inishannon, which did not begin until it was well dark on the Sunday night. This exercise ran for a number of hours and really tested our ability to cope with a number of different scenarios. More photo’s can be found here: http://www.phoenixkayakclub.com/Gallery24/index.htm
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| John Doyle gets in some practise under the watchful eye of Paul Allen |
Alan takes a break (again) Although I can't complain. Who do you think took the photo's |
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| Micheal Splints Evan's leg (time is now going on half eleven at night) |
Micheal (again) treating Conor for hypothermia |
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| Beginners Courses:Beginners courses began in April and ran for 5 weeks with an assessment on the final night. The uptake for these courses were unbelievable with each course being full long before it began. The first course catered for 28 paddlers and the second catered for 32. All of these have now been assessed with all obtaining their proficiency level 1 or 2. Congratulations to all and we hope to see ye back paddling with Phoenix Kayak club in the near Future. There is one course left to run which starts on the 15th of july. This course is now full and has been limited to 24 so as additional Instructors can work with existing Level 2’s for assessment. |
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| Upper Bandon River Trip: On the 8th of May there was a trip arranged to the Upper Bandon. This gave the Level 2 paddlers and new Level 3’s some much needed paddling experience away from the River Lee. River levels were low on the night, but as we all know this makes the Upper Bandon more challenging. There was a good turn-out on the night and people ran the short section a number of times. Safety on the river was enforced by the club safety officer. There were a few swims on the night but as they say ‘if you don’t swim your not trying hard enough’ Photo’s from this outing are available at: http://www.phoenixkayakclub.com/gallery25/index.htm |
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New Clubhouse: As some people are aware, this year there is a big push on to try and get a proper clubhouse for Phoenix Kayak Club. To date all the required surveys and site meetings have taken place with the relevant engineers. Just this week, Cork City Council have given PKC permission to apply for planning on the site which is currently being leased from them through a 99 year sporting lease. This news was welcomed by all as the plans need to be submitted in the coming weeks to avail of grants where possible. Here are some images of the proposed developement. These are still subject to change but give members an idea of the overall plan for the Club. A huge Thanks to SARAH KELLY Architect Kelly, Barry, O'Brien, Whelan Architects for her endurance and brilliance in producing what can only be said is the totally perfect Architectural Design which will enhance our site and bring a new meaning to water sports on the river Lee.
The clubhouse will contain storage for all our kayaks downstairs with both Male & Female Instructors changing & shower areas. There will also be store rooms for all accessories. Upstairs will have Male & Female changing rooms, showers and Toilets. There will also be a large meeting room which will facilitate courses, etc...
If anybody would like to get involved in the planning & developement of the Clubhouse please contact any member of the committee as the more assistance we receive from members and members parents the easier it will be. |
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| New Level 2 Paddler for PKC: Tuesday last seen the awarding of a Level 2 Proficiency award to the youngest member of Phoenix Kayak Club. This of course is the very talented Jamie O'Brien. As with all young members achieving Cert's there is always a little doubt of their ability. But for anyone who has the pleasure of paddling with Jamie, they know this young man's ability. He spends his paddling sessions showing off his bombproof roll (and trying to teach his dad how to roll) and practising his playboating moves. |
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Pictured Left is Jamie receiving his cert from Martin Twomey (Child Protection Officer with Phoenix Kayak Club) |
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Tuesday Night Sesions are now the only official night for paddlers. There is a beginners course starting on the 15th of July for 5 weeks so parking will be limited at the site. If people are using club equipment they are urged to park in the UCC car park adjoining the Club site. This allows for members with kayaks to park in the site and not have to drag there boats down from the UCC car park. All beginners have been asked and will be reminded on the first night to park in the UCC Car park.
Sea-kayaking will get a fresh boost over the coming weeks with a few trips arranged locally. As with all trips the forum ( www.phoenixkayakclub.editboard.com ) is where you will find all info on Club Events. |
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| People who recently obtained their Level 2 Proficiency Cert's are reminded that they are very welcome in Phoenix Kayak Club. Just come along on Tuesday nights with a fully completed Membership Form and the appropriate fee. River trips are organised on a regular basis and tend to run on Thursday nights at present, weith a few organised at the weekends. As the Summer evenings get shorter and the Club scale back on kayaking there will be a number of outings planned for the winter. These outings are currently being planned and will be sent out on the next Newsletter. |
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For members who are unaware of the New Club Clothing. This is what it looks like. I'm unsure as to when we will be ordering more so this may be your last chance to get hold of some.
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| Club Jackets in Black with Club Logo, available in Small/Medium/Large/Extra Large
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Limited Edition Club Hoodie in Red with White Logo available in Small/Medium/Large/Extra Large
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Black Polo Shirts with Club Logo available in Small/Medium/Large/Extra Large |
Black Woolen Hat fleece lined with Club Logo Limited number left |
Only €30 |
Only €25 while stocks last |
Only €14 |
€10 each. |
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| Lower Bandon River Trip: Last Thursday night seen the Club take on the might of the Lower Bandon. Due to time constrictions we got on halfway between Bandon and Innishannon. There was a nice turn-out with a total of 19 paddling. Due to lack of water (not to bad though) we worked on Breaking In, Breaking Out and some ferry gliding. All in all the night was a huge sucess. The next trip is planned foir this coming Thursday (17th of July) Check out the Forum for up to date info.......... |
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| Just a quick note before I publish this. While at the Site today I seen the Planning notice up on the entrance. So for all the non-believers, watch this space or more importantly the one at the Lee Road. The clubhouse is on its way. |
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If you wish to have something included in our next Newsletter please e-mail info@phoenixkayakclub.com
Yours in Paddling,
Dave |
