02 October 2009
Bluffers return to win brites Lough Erne canoe rally again!
On a hotly contested weekend the Bluffers returned to win the brites Lough Erne Canoe Rally for the second year in a row. With a slight adaptation to their 2008 team local paddlers Shane McGoldrick, Colin Lively and new addition Barry King fought off the stiff competition and remains undefeated in this paddling event with a difference!
The weather remained dry and sunny for the duration of the event as 60 paddlers from all over Ireland, North and South, competed over a series of competitions including a sprint, slalom, backwards, long distance and obstacle race. The competition had several twists to make it more fun and a tougher challenge for the competitors. Firstly the competitors were made to compete across all disciplines in the same boat. This took away any competitive advantage of the more experienced paddlers with more than one boat. Secondly the obstacle race had to be completed in the fancy dress outfit in the theme of comic book characters which competitors wore to the party the previous evening. This, along with a maths puzzle, caught out several people in the obstacle race with a time delay penalty for any wrong answers!
Share were delighted to welcome back the Newry based group Boots and Paddles who competed as part of a separate Special Olympics event in The CANI League. 9 Paddlers competed in a flat and moving water slalom, 100m, 200m, and 500m sprint. These fantastic paddlers train on a regular basis and put many of the competitors in the main event to shame by beating their times quite convincingly in the slalom! Paul Nugent was the overall winner in the Special Olympics Section followed by Donal McKay and Colin McVeigh.
The family fun event also welcomed a number of youths from local school Enniskillen Collegiate Duke of Edinburgh Scheme. The top youths in the event were paddling partners Audrey Herdman and Emma Barr who finished first equal on points. Third overall was Darren Rehill.
The event was made possible by title sponsorship from brites the wood pellet fuel used in the four biomass boilers that provide heat to run Ireland’s largest residential activity centre. Paula Keelagher, brites Technical Development Manager, at Fermanagh based Balcas says: “The second year of the Canoe Rally seemed to be an even bigger and better event than last year with many local companies, schools and organisations taking part. We are delighted to be associated with such a worthwhile event and would like to extend our congratulations to all the prize winners this year. We hope to see this event grow and grow in the years to come”.
The event made quite a splash amongst canoeing enthusiasts as Rory Martin, Share’s Marketing Officer, describes:
“It was great to see the canoeing clubs, classes and organisations come on board to help promote the event. The competitive fancy dress element and the strict event rules with regard to using the same boat for all disciplines made the event unique and lots and lots of fun for all involved. It was fantastic to welcome back Boots and Paddles for the Special Olympics section of the event and I hope that we can develop a similar group on Lough Erne”.
Colin Lively, on receipt of his team prize, commented on the success of the event highlighting the higher level of competition witnessed this year which made it a great spectacle for all involved. Robert Livingstone – Manager – Share Holiday Village said “it is great to see that the Share Instructors are still winning some of the prizes, however I challenge other people to come and take it off them next year! The theme for next year’s event will be ‘Film Stars’ and we hope you will all return to compete. Many thanks to the sponsors brites without whose help the event would not have been possible and to the many volunteers that helped out this weekend.”
Prize Winners
1st = Youth – Audrey Herdman + Emma Barr
3rd Youth – Darren Rehill
1st Special Olympics - Paul Nugent
2nd Special Olympics - Donal McKay
3rd Special Olympics – Colin McVeigh
1st Canoe - Laird McDonald+ Martin Gallagher
1st Kayak – Barry King
1st Individual entrant – Stephen Hempkin
1st = Male – Laird McDonald and Martin Gallagher
1st = Female – Louise Devlin + Leah Doak
1st Team – The Bluffers Return – Colin Lively, Shane McGoldrick and Barry King
2nd Team – Beatin Chastards – Martin Gallagher, Laird McDonald and Jacqui McVicker
3rd team – Eilidh’s Athletes – Leah Doak, Louise Devlin and Andy Ireland
For more information on the brites Lough Erne Canoe Rally and other outdoor activity packages please contact Rory– Share Marketing Officer on 028 6772 2122 or rory@sharevillage.org or visit http://www.sharevillage.org/upcoming-courses-and-events/
