VLC’s novice pair comes out tops
Novice paddlers take on the BASF Novice River Race.
The BASF Novice River Race, hosted by Watuni Canoe Club, kicked off the new river racing season on April 18.
The host club is based on the North West Campus in Vereeniging, on the banks of the Vaal River.
While the day began with a chill wind, the new paddlers were soon basking in the warm sun, which cleared the clouds, and they thoroughly enjoyed their first river race.
The Gauteng youth development programmes are highly successful and the winning novice pair in the K2 race were u-18 locals from the Victoria Lake Canoe Club (VLC), Buti Lamola and Kanyisa Mancoba, who finished in a time of one hour and nine minutes.
A large number of junior paddlers, who are new to river racing, competed in this first novice race.
The race, made shorter than usual to accommodate learner paddlers, took place from Henley-on-Klip, off the R59, and finished in Meyerton, a distance of nearly 15km.
While there were a number of new paddlers from all areas of Gauteng, some experienced canoeists also enjoyed the opportunity to get back onto the river after a few months lay-off and, in some cases, even a few years.
