British Canoeing Marathon Racing Committee

Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on 18th November 2017

Village Hall, Cropredy

1. Present at the meeting were:

Stan Missen (SM) (Chair)Alan Laws (AL)Mick Nadal (MN)David Enoch (DE)Dyson Pendle (DP)Roland Lawler (RL)Jim Taylor-Ross (JTR)Richard Ward (RW)Kat Wilson (KW)James Smythe (JS)Graham Warland (GW)Dan Seaford (DS)Keith Moule (KM)Brian Chapman (BC – SCA rep)Jim Rossiter (JR – South East Region rep)Anna Gray (AG – British Canoeing)

These people are referred to by their initials hereafter in the Minutes.

Apologies for absence were received from Ollie Harding.

2. Approval of minutes

The minutes of the Committee Meeting of 5th May 2017 were approved by the Committee and signed by the Chair.

The minutes of the Annual Consultative Meeting of 29th July 2017 were also approved by the Committee and signed by the Chair.

Both of these sets of minutes will now be published as final.

3. Matters ArisingThe following matters were noted that were not covered by the current meeting agenda:-

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a. Worcester CC wish to pursue an application to the ICF CAM for hosting of a major international championship. The club will again write to Gemma at British Canoeing to start the process.

b. It was confirmed that British Canoeing consider disclaimer notices on race details to be sufficient to cover Race Organisers.Action: MN to include in 2018 Race Organisers’ letter

c. A new trailer has been bought by British Canoeing and earmarked for MRC use. The old MRC trailer has been repaired at a cost of £1500 and will be advertised for sale at the April regatta.Action: DP to organize sale of old trailer

d. A new MRC Safeguarding Officer has been appointed and will pick up on British Canoeing policies including the implications of the Duty of Care in Sport report.

e. MN will send JS a set of documents to be published together as a checklist for Race Organisers; JS to publish on websiteAction: MN, JS

f. The need for a proper safety assessment at all assessment races organized by the MRC has been noted, and will be actioned by the Selection CommitteeAction: AL / Selection Committee

g. JS has spoken to the organisers of the Gent race about a lack of competition, and they have made efforts to engage with clubs in Belgium and nearby countries.Action: Selection Committee to decide if we continue to send a team

h. It was confirmed that the Rules will be amended to require the wearing of club vests as assessment races. There will be no time penalty for failing to observe, but the Selection Committee will be free to consider failure to wear a club vest as a negative influence on international selection, on the basis that paddlers unable to respect rules are less likely to perform to the MRC’s expectations at international races.Action: MN to add to Rules for 2018

i. ACM request: The National Championships organisers will consider adding a Women’s Open C1 class to the 2018 championships following a record turnout at the 2017 Open C1 event, as per the undertaking given last year.Action: DS

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j. ACM request: The regional league nature of the Hasler Series would not permit clubs to earn Hasler points out of region, so this request has not been allowed. If a club wishes to affiliate to a different region, as has happened by mutual agreement between affected clubs/regions in the past, they should contact Mick Nadal to discuss.

k. ACM request: start lists with numbers have been made available to photographers in advance at recent major championships, so this just needs to be maintained and better communicatedAction: DS

4. Committee Posts

a) The Committee appointed the following people to the following roles for 2017-2018

Vice Chair; SRC liaison; Selection Committee Chair – Alan LawsSelection Committee: Dyson Pendle, Roland Lawler, Kat Wilson, James Smythe, David EnochRules Secretary; Regional Marathon Advisers Co-ordinator – Mick NadalAdmin Secretary – James SmytheTreasurer – David EnochInternational Logistics co-ordinator; Race Records; Calendar – Graham WarlandSafeguarding – Kat WilsonRankings officer – Roland LawlerAthlete Development – Kat Wilson, Keith Moule, Andy DanielsCoaching – Jim Taylor-Ross, Richard WardMajor Championships – Dan SeafordWebsite/Comms – James Smythe, Andy Daniels, Dan SeafordTrophies – vacant; SM to ask Alice Clarkson

The MRC recorded its thanks to Ollie Harding who retired from the Committee in 2017.

b) It was noted that in order to function well with limited meeting time, MRC members appointed to roles have executive authority to execute MRC policy in their respective areas. Where responsibilities are shared by a sub-committee, members must agree policy between the group. In both of these cases, authority only extends as far as allowed by the Terms of Reference.

c) The MRC agreed to schedule an additional meeting mid-season to reduce the workload on the annual all-day meeting, and to bridge the gap in MRC meetings over the summer.

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d) JS presented the final draft of the 2017-21 Strategic Plan. It was agreed that its contents would be revised as and when needs or opportunities dictate. RW requested an amendment to the objectives in Coaching (2.3 and 2.4), and will propose an achievable and appropriate target.Actions: RW to send target to JS; JS to send final copy to British Canoeing.

e) SM gave feedback from the new Discipline Chairs group organized by British Canoeing. The new membership tiers were discussed; while there will be no change to the need for people competing in a marathon to have full BC membership, there will be additional categories for others: ‘sign up’, which is basically joining a free supporters’ database, ‘club associate’, designed to pull non-competing club members into BC membership, ‘on the bank’, for non-paddling volunteers and officials, and finally ‘family’, a discount scheme for multiple family members. The Committee asked how we could help British Canoeing with this once rolled out.Action: Anna Gray to keep MRC informed on membership strategy roll-out with a view to supporting this.

f) The subject of participants living in the UK and using overseas federation membership to participate in BC events was discussed. The key reason for membership is insurance cover for the participant and event organizer, and there is no reciprocal agreements, particularly on minimum insurance requirements, between canoeing federations covering this, so race organisers should be discouraged from allowing such entries.Action: MN to include in Race Organisers’ letter.

g) British Canoeing have requested that the MRC update its Terms of Reference following guidelines. The MRC’s existing ToR document is very close to what British Canoeing are seeking. JS presented a revised version with two significant amendments: formalizing the process for electing RMAs and how these guide regional marathon development on behalf of the MRC; and describing the responsibilities of elected MRC members.Action: Committee members to send any final comments to JS by 15th December; JS to send final version to British Canoeing

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h) The status of Home Nations marathon canoeing with relation to the MRC has not been definitively agreed by the British Canoeing Board, but meanwhile Home Nations representatives should be invited to attend MRC meetings. At the current time, Brian Chapman (Scotland) regularly attends, and Dan Golder (Wales) will be invited in his new capacity as RMA, both in a non-voting capacity.Action: JS to ensure RMAs receive meeting invitations

i) MN reported that Danny Beazley has been elected as RMA for Eastern Region, and Dan Golder for Wales. The role of the RMA in supporting the Rankings Officer was also clarified: requests for demotion should first be raised by clubs with the RMA, who will then discuss with the Rankings Officer if there is good reason. MN has also written a formal process for the election of RMAs which will be published in the 2018 Handbook.Action: MN

j) British Canoeing’s new Eligibility Policy has been accepted by the Board.Action: AL and MN to ensure these are incorporated in Internationals and National Championships sections of Handbook respectively.

k) The Athlete and proposed Parental Codes of Conduct are still under review for 2018. DE pointed out that the new Athletes Code would need revision to come into line with the new Eligibility Policy.Action: Anna Gray to feed back to British Canoeing, and provide final versions to GW for 2018 internationals planning.

l) All Committee Members completed their Declaration of Interest forms for the year ahead.

5. Finance

a. Following feedback from the ACM the Committee voted to increase the Racing Levy to £3 per head on senior entries, and leave it at £2 per head for juniors (not including Lightnings) effective from 1st Jan 2018Action: to be notified in Race Organisers Letter (MN), and

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publicized (JS)

b. DE presented 2015-16 Final Accounts which will be published with these minutesAction: JS

c. Anna Gray announced that British Canoeing may increase the grant paid to the MRC form £25k to £35k for 2018, the first increase in at least a decade. This will be confirmed in December. Some of this additional allowance must be spent on Errea international kit. Committee Members had a number of spontaneous ideas for how this additional windfall might be spent to support our objectives, but were asked to present fully costed proposals to DE by the end of December, before review by the Committee. The draft 2018 budget, written before knowledge of this potential increase which as yet has not been confirmed, was nevertheless adopted.Action: All

d. British Canoeing are to provide RDTs with event dressing kits to support a professional image at regional events.Action: Anna Gray to pass details to MN for distribution to RMAs

e. The Committee were asked to provide clearer requests to the Finance Secretary regarding payment of invoices and expenses, to avoid the risk of making the wrong payment.Action: All

6. Domestic racing

a. Feedback from the ACM was that the MRC should not alter the current system of promotions and demotions, but that the process for appealing them should be clearer. Speeding the flow of information between race organisers, RMAs, clubs and the Rankings Officer would help, and JS outlined ideas for improving the availability of results data, covered off later in the meeting.Action: MN and JS to discuss how to communicate this better to the paddling community

b. KW and MN presented the results of their consultation on the future of U12s racing. The Committee approved their plans to

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develop a transitional, mixed class for under 12s promoted out of Lightnings but not yet ready for Div 9. This will now be developed with a clear timeplan to phase out single manufacturer class competition within the next three seasons (i.e. by Sept 2020)Action: KW and MN to develop detailed plan; BC to contact Pete Jones to discuss the future of the Geoff Sanders Trophy. JS to post advance notice in website from early 2018.

c. GW explained that the Calendar is almost complete. The question of how to incorporate more detailed race information, suitable for the less experienced paddler to understand the severity of the course and actual entry process, is being explored, as suggestion is that the whole process lacks clarity for those new to the sport. Action: GW

d. The Committee agreed that RMAs have the right to approve the calendar listing of Hasler races in their regions, and to withhold this status from any race unable to fulfil its obligations under the rules, and to the health of the competition in the region.Action: MN reminder to RMAs

e. BC presented a paper on changes to regional competition structure in Scotland. It has been proposed that Scotland retain six Hasler races and take the other four regular descent races out of the Hasler series as these are less suitable for that competition. It is proposed that the two Hasler regions in Scotland will stay separate to maintain the number of regional Hasler Final places, but Scottish clubs may score Hasler points in either region. This proposal was approved by the MRC. BC was asked to present back to the MRC in late 2018 on the impact of participant numbers as a result of this change.Action: BC

f. Following a request from the last meeting, MN has collated a set of useful documents for Race Organisers which would collectively constitute a best practice handbook.Action: MN to send to JS for publication online

g. Feedback had been received that information on the Racing Calendar for the potential, or less experienced participant is inadequate. GW will compile a template that Race Organisers should complete. The Committee were asked to feed ideas into GW.

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Action: GW & All

h. The status of Surf Ski remains ambiguous at British Canoeing, even though this is now recognized by the ICF as a branch of Canoeing. Under Lee Pooley’s guidance this is improving. However the Committee believes it would be inappropriate for the MRC to oversee this discipline and that British Canoeing needs to constitute a new discipline committee.Action: Chair to feed back to British Canoeing

i. The Committee discussed the future of the Racing Handbook. It was recognized that some parts of the Handbook change frequently and that this is no longer the most appropriate medium in which to publish them. Committee members were asked to suggest to MN any areas which should be removed, with a view to publishing a much pared-down Handbook in 2019. Its usefulness longer term due to ability to pick up all content through other means seems to indicate that its need is nearing an end.Action: All; MN to prepare a review for Nov 2018.

j. JS reported back on a meeting he and SM held with the DW Committee. They had raised the issue of information for newcomers discussed in 6g above. There was also a request to support prospective DW participants in gaining long distance race experience by publicizing a set of ideal preparation races, from among the existing marathon “classics”. GW agreed to collate a list in discussion with race organisers.Action: GW

DW’s need for volunteers was also discussed. The MRC agreed to advertise for volunteers via our website.Action: JS

JTR reported on the successful National Schools Championships, organized by the DW Committee each November. There are plans to run regional championships one month after DW each year to support the continuation of participants in the sport. The Committee agreed on the need for MRC involvement in these events.Action: JTR to report back on how this might work in practice

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7. Internationals

a. DP reported back on a very successful international season, culminating in a world title and four world championship medals in South Africa. This year we tried the German Nationals as a development event for the first time, which was felt to have been a success.

Class strength was an issue at the World Cup, in which very few classes have competition that is comparable to a major championship event.

For the first time we were able to send both a men’s and women’s K4 to the International K4 cups in Sanabria, the women winning one race against Hungary’s crew of multiple world champions.

Two athletes were invited and selected to race at the end of season World Cup race in China. BC also attended as an ICF official. Feedback from this experience casts considerable doubt on the course for the 2019 World Championships. AL was asked to write to the ICF CAM on the MRC’s behalf.Action: AL and SM

b. GW presented his work on a policy for international race logistics planning. This document brings together existing documentation, current practice and experience from team managers and logistical staff in an effort to ensure that best practice is observed in future planning and execution. The new policy provides for a committee role heading international logistics and staffing, with GW being appointed to this role earlier in the meeting. The Committee are asked to provide any final feedback by 31st December.Action: All

c. KW has proposed that the marathon Selection Policy be reviewed, following feedback that it needs to be clearer to athletes seeking selection. The Selection Committee will discuss and review the current approach, in time for any new guidelines or policies to be published in the 2018 Handbook.Action: Selection Committee

d. The question of International commitments in 2018 was delegated to the Selection Committee, working with the Logistics Officer GW.

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Action: Selection Committee to meet, agree and publish list of internationals and assessment races by early December

e. Ali Pendle, Jim Rossiter, Sarah Swallow and Brian Chapman would like to be put forward as International Technical Officials for the coming season. Ivan Lawler will also need to be nominated for his media work. It was agreed to publish more information on this role ( ITO ) to encourage new applicants to consider coming forward.Action: JS to notify British Canoeing

f. JS has raised the issue of the scheduling of the European Championships with British Canoeing, with a view to write to the ECA. AL suggested that we write instead to Jorn Cronberg at the ICF CAM.Action: AL and JS

g. Anna Gray showed examples of the new Errea kit which is standard across all British Canoeing disciplines. Committee members will each be issued with a polo shirt and long-sleeve top to wear when representing the MRC at events. The on-water kit has not yet been finalized, but DE has worked up budgets for equipping marathon teams with the new kit in 2018. British Canoeing will hold stock, reducing the need for us to buy a long way ahead. Although some of the additional grant awarded for 2018 will need to be spent on kit, British Canoeing will be subsidizing some items for all GB teams. SM brought up concern over kit budgets having been broken in the last two seasons and that more care needs to be taken on estimating and actual kit expenditure if we are going to meet budget.Action: KM to finalise arrangements for on-water kit, and liaise with BC regarding new Errea kit.

h. The Committee recognised the step forward made two years ago in securing a kit deal with Joma, and KM’s work in securing this.Action: SM to write to the Joma UK supplier to thank them for their partnership.

i. The request by Jon Simmons to switch to racing for Ireland has been approved and passed through British Canoeing to the ICF in time for 2018.

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j. A previous discussion on “community service” for selected GB athletes was reopened. It was agreed that we could not make this compulsory but we should support it, and let RMAs and Race Organisers know that this is already happening and requests can be made for Elite paddlers to attend events.Action: MN to mention in Race Organisers’ letter

8. Coaching

a. British Canoeing have facilitated the creation of a new Level 2 direct entry coaching course as requested by the racing clubs. A joint committee of the MRC and SRC nominated 19 preferred candidates from 35 applicants to train as course tutors, and these are in the process of being inducted.

A cost model to pay tutors is being put together by RW and JTR, Tutors will face considerable personal cost in acquiring the necessary modules to train to be providers, notwithstanding the MRC paying their initial induction course fees. The Committee agreed on the need for proper remuneration of tutors, ideally run through British Canoeing HQ.

The next steps are a tutor day for the 19 prospective tutors, and a handful of initial courses observed by groups of tutors.

RW requested that the MRC and SRC collectively create a Technical Group to contribute expertise. The Committee indicated that it is happy for RW and JTR to form part of this group on behalf of MRC.Action: RW and JTR to report back on commercial model proposals.

b. On athlete development plans, KW has been working with Mark Hoile of the Performance Dept on plans for cross-discipline “Racing Skills” training days. These will have clear learning objectives, and include parents and coaches as well as athletes. British Canoeing are charging £10 a head for attendees.

The Committee agreed that these days are an excellent development, however there is still need for some regional development events which will support invitations for the Gent marathon or similar entry-level international event.Action: KW to discuss regional training day dates with GW and

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identify host clubs.

KW reported back on a very successful Ladies training day held at Reading CC, with 49 female athletes of all ages taking part. This will be repeated in 2018.

c. KM agreed to take on the task of co-ordinating the National Training Squad activities for the year ahead.Action: KM to work with KW and AD to plan training opportunities for later this winter.

9. Major Events

a. DS reported that Pangbourne CC had made a very healthy profit running the National Championships, but the effort had nevertheless required around 100+ volunteers. DS requested feedback on how future events might be improved, and suggestions included race commentary, and a race programme.

JTR suggested that clubs may be awarded championships for a few years in succession, or alternate years for a fixed period, which would help with volunteer training and optimizing returns to the host club for their efforts.

The post-event review meeting facilitated by Laura Sutherland at British Canoeing also highlighted the opportunity for BC or MC to provide the results service, as this is frequently a problem area for organisers. JTR suggested that we talk to the DW Committee about infrastructure they may have available.

The MRC was also asked to consider how an effective protest committee might be ensured for these races.

The Committee agreed on the establishment of a major events sub-committee led by DS, to investigate these ideas. KW, JTR, GW and KM volunteered for this group Action: DS to co-ordinate sub-committee

b. The proposal from Reading CC to host the 2018 National Championships on 21st/22nd July was approved by the Committee.Action: DS to progress planning with RCC

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c. The 2017 Hasler Final was agreed to have been a great success, excepting a long wait for results. This experience will be learned from and the new sub-committee will emphasise the importance of existing advice in this area to future organisers.Action: DS

d. The proposal from Norwich CC to host the 2018 Hasler Final on 30th September was also approved by the Committee.Action: DS

e. A paper from Jo Bates at Falcon CC was discussed, on potentially limiting participant numbers at the Hasler Final to allow more clubs to host them as a smaller event, and to improve the average quality of competition in each race. British Canoeing are keen on events staying as large as possible, and reducing event size would not meet our current strategic objectives. The Committee agreed that the right approach would be to offer better support to host clubs, and this was referred to the new major events sub-committee. Jo Bates is also to be asked if she would like to be co-opted to this sub-committee.Action: DS

f. A proposal for each racing region to host the Hasler Finals in rotation was briefly discussed. It was recognised that not every region would have the volunteer workforce or venues appropriate, but that this idea should be explored by the new sub-committee and put to RMAs via MN.Action: DS, MN

g. The ongoing question of the future of Trophy photos was discussed. It was agreed to delegate this discussion to the sub-committee.Action: DS

10.Communications

a. JS raised the issue that the organization of the Hasler Series in particular makes considerable demands of our HRM-based results reporting system, and that the standard outputs make it hard for Clubs, RMAs, the Hasler Final organisers, the Rankings Officer and the Race Records Officer to collate and analyse the information

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they need. They usually have to resort to manual compilation of results over time.

JS proposed that amendments be made to the HRM which would allow a single database file to be exported after each race, and fed into a master database of all results to date. This could then be used to inform promotions/demotions, Hasler Final qualification, club rankings and other decisions in one place, without the current level of admin. The Committee agreed that Wiki should be approached to design this additional feature.

DS reported that he is developing an online entry system designed to run alongside and feed into the HRM, which should be ready in December. DS also agreed to work with JS to progress these ideas, involving British Canoeing’s new data officer and new Committee member Andy Daniels.Action: JS, DS, AD

b. British Canoeing advertised for volunteer support to help report on major marathon events, in time for the 2017 Hasler Final. Siobhan Urquhart of Banbury CC was appointed and wrote an article on the Finals. The MRC will work with Siobhan and British Canoeing on 2018 events.Action: JS

c. British Canoeing has asked the MRC to write a report on Marathon for the 2018 British Canoeing Annual Report. This article should highlight our successes and the strength of the discipline. The Committee suggested approaching Siobhan to write the report.Action: JS

11. 2018 Meeting Dates

a. Sat 24th March, Nottingham. Half day meeting, time 2pm to 5pm.

b. Fri 11th May, 7pm, Holme Pierrepont.

c. ACM 21st July, Reading

d. 28th July PM, venue tbc

e. 17th November, all day meeting, Cropredy. 9am to 3pm

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12.AOB

a. Following reports of aggressive racing tactics which went unpunished at the National Championships, the Committee is reminded that there is a disciplinary procedure but the lack of witnesses did not always make this enforceable. A concern was raised that in this instance, the athletes were being coached to race aggressively. The Committee agreed that racing ethics should be covered in the new Race Coach syllabus.Action: JTR, RW

b. RW reported on plans for a Youth Racing Festival in the South West, combining distances in a fun way similar to the National Schools Champs.

c. MN reported that some Racing Rules have been tidied and clarified for the 2018 Handbook.

The meeting closed at 16.00

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