Join a Club Formal paddling in South Africa is run through an efficient club system. Each club is affiliated with one of the five provincial unions, who are in turn all members of Canoeing South Africa (CSA) – the body that manages the sport on a national level. In order to compete in a paddling race like a river marathon, surfski race, slalom event etc, each paddler has to be registered with a club (and ultimately with CSA). There are nearly 100 clubs situated all over South Africa, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding one close by with a bunch of similar people to you. Visit the CSA website (www.canoesa.org.za) for a list of provincial unions and affiliated clubs. Each club has different annual membership fees, broken down as follows for the 2008/2009 season: - R215 for CSA to administer the sport nationally
- R160 to run the provincial union
- Variable club fee to administer the particular club
The easiest way to join a club is to call the secretary and ask for a registration form. Paddlers are free to join a club any time during the year, although you will have to renew from 1 April each year if you want to continue racing. Get hold of the provincial union if you want to find the nearest club in your area. See our links page for contact information. Clubs offer the easiest way to break into paddling as they offer provide contacts for lessons, they usually run a weekly time trial, they offer boat storage options, training partners, development initiatives and generally a good social vibe. Take Lessons The best thing to do when you’re starting out in the sport is to get some introductory lessons. These will help you get to grips with important things like balance, technique, boat and paddle choice and how to train. Get hold of your club secretary or chairperson for contacts within the club who offer lessons. Alternatively there are a few independent paddle schools in Durban and Cape Town. Visit www.surfskischool.com or www.canoeschool.net for more information. Enter a Race After getting comfortable in your boat, it’s time to get out onto the water and take part in one of the hundreds of races that happen all over the country throughout the year! In order to enter a race, a paddler will have to go through a proficiency test either in the sea or on a river – to make sure you are capable or handling your boat and that you know what to do when things go wrong. Each club has a safety officer who will perform these proficiency tests with you, and they are generally straightforward and not much to worry about. Once that’s out the way, it’s time to have some fun! Keep an eye out on club and provincial notice boards, as well as online calendars (like ours) or the SA Paddler magazine for any upcoming races. River season generally takes place in the Western Cape during winter, and in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in summer to coincide with the rainy seasons. Summer in the Cape is surfski time while in KwaZulu-Natal surfski dominates through the winter months. Start off with the easiest races on the calendar so that you can work your way up to the bigger goals like the Fish River Marathon, the Dusi Canoe Marathon or the Surfski World Cup. For river races, new paddlers will have to compete in three C-Grade races before being allowed into a B-Grade race, and must have completed 6 races to be allowed entry into an A-Grade river race. Surfski races depend on conditions, and race organizers will let you know if there are any restrictions on paddlers if the conditions are too tough. All races have safety back-up, plus there are usually lots of fellow paddlers around so safety is seldom an issue. Races can be entered online through the provincial or race website, by filling in the race entry form, or even on race day on some occasions. There is an entry fee for each race depending on its length and difficulty. |
Getting Started 
