THE OUTDOOR EVENT FOR OUTDOOR PEOPLE

MILLHOUSES PARK SHEFFIELD 11TH/12TH JULY

SHEFFIELD CITY KAYAK CLUB attended this years CLIFFHANGER event in Sheffield, as usual Matt from HEASON EVENTS put on a spectacular show with interests from the four corners of the outdoor community, from Parkour to Scuba Diving, from Bouldering to Mountain Biking, from Caving to of course Kayaking.

This year was slightly different, PYRANHA kayaks contacted us to see if they could support us in this event. Sammy, their Marketing Director, and his team brought over a truck load for the weekend which included open canadian canoes from VENTURE, touring boats from LV including a never before seen model which was hot off the production line especially for the event, THE FLEX, this was an outstanding boat in every respect getting rave reviews from all who paddled it, and an entire fleet of boats by PYRANHA, from the MASTER TG LITE to the top of the range KARNALI and everything inbetween.

The day started with mad panic, preparing for the stampede of over 20,000 people who would attend the event over the 2 days. The Marquee was quickly put together only to be taken down again to be relocated, the bouyancy aids were neatly stacked in size order, only to be later spread around the entire area, and the boats were all lined up in their technicolour splendor waiting to be used by the eager public.

At 10.30 the gates opened to let in the droves of people waiting outside, and quickly the queue that formed around the boating lake grew as people signed up for the free taster sessions that SHEFFIELD CITY KAYAK CLUB were offering.

Over the the full weekend SHEFFIELD CITY KAYAK CLUB provided over 500 free sessions to both children and adults. These sessions ranged from 10 minute tasters that ended in a short frantic race to a more development based introduction that lasted about an hour for the over 12's teaching basic paddle strokes and the skills to move forward in the sport. Throughout the weekend their faces were a testament to just how much fun kayaking can be.

On the Sunday we held a session for some of the CLIFFHANGER event staff, their hardwork was appreciated, so it was time to have a little fun. Mick decided he wasn't having enough fun so thought he'd bring his submersible kayak to the party. A short video can be seen on our YouTube site HERE.

For the very few who felt that a kayak was not daring enough then we brought along a CORACLE that Sheffield City Kayak Clubs Chairman Tony Canning had hand-made a few years ago - a traditional water craft that needs delicate balance.

Not surprisingly most decided that a more modern stable boat was a better, and drier, option. With SHEFFIELD CITY KAYAK CLUBs fleet of boats and with the support of PYRANHA there was a boat that suited everyones ability and taste, from a placid open canadian canoe, to a short stubby play boat everyone could feel comfortable in their choice.

Sunday afternoon brought with it the adventure race with competitors splashing their way through the boating lake to tag their checkpoint located in the centre of the kayaking area.

HERE ARE A SELECTION OF PHOTOS FROM THE CLIFFHANGER EVENT MAYBE YOU CAN SPOT YOURSELF ON THEM

With the hard work and dedication of the Sheffield City Kayak club members and team Pyranha the event was a complete success, not only did we give over 500 taster sessions to the general public but hopefully we showed that kayaking is accessible to anyone who wants to give it a go. From young to old, everyone without exception came off the water with a smile on their face, even when they had capsized and had a soaking.

As a club it was fantastic to give something back to the community in and around Sheffield, on a personal level all our coaches and staff said that they felt a great sense of achievement, and more importantly the public were eager and happy to try something that maybe they hadn't tried before, infact our membership has increased by 20% as a direct result of the Cliffhanger event with people wanting to take kayaking further, so all around a great result, a great event and a great team. Thanks to everyone who was involved.

Infact even our chairman looked happy when the event came to a close, Debbie was so happy she decided to do somersaults.

Thanks to Tony, Debbie, Karen, John W, Andy, Steve, Bob, Kevin, John L, Mick, Ian, Tim, Siubhan, Billie, Dave, Lauren, Rod, Stephen, Robert, Alan and especially to Elise for all her hard work and to Sammy and the boys from Pyranha for bringing that professional touch for us. Apologies to anyone who we have forgotten to thank but without your help we wouldn't have been able to make the event truly special.

A FULL SLIDESHOW OF THE EVENT CAN BE FOUND ON OUR

GALLERY PAGE