Helen makes her mark in the canoeing community
Helen has enjoyed participating in the Gauteng Canoe Union School League Canoe Races in past years and has had some exposure to local rivers and rapids and achieved the required proficiency certification to do the A-Rated Fish River Canoe Marathon.
Germiston High School learner Helen Jansen van Vuuren is making her mark in the canoeing community.
Her determination to participate in all aspects of canoeing shows no limits.
She has recently participated in the International Canoe Federation Sprint event – 2021 ICF Canoe Sprint Junior & U23 World Championships in September, in Montemor-O-Velho Portugal, followed by her participation in the Olympic Hopes Regatta, which took place in Racice, Czech Republic, also in September where she raced flatwater sprint as well as marathons.
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Her most recent participation was in the A Grade white water – Fish River Canoe Marathon, which took place on October 8 and 9 from Grassmere Dam to Cradock, a distance of 82km filled with exciting white water challenges and wave trains, and some huge daunting high swim risk rapids, over the two days.
“Helen has enjoyed participating in the Gauteng Canoe Union School League Canoe Races in past years and has had some exposure to local rivers and rapids and achieved the required proficiency certification to do the A-Rated Fish River Canoe Marathon – and was able to arrange a suitable adult experienced partnership with coach Richard Cele,” said Jennie Dallas, Gauteng Canoe Union PR and media liaison.
The two managed to shoot one of the most difficult high swim risk rapids at Cradock Weir, 5kms from the finish line successfully – finishing 13th in mixed double (male/female combination double boat), in a time of 6 hours 7 minutes.
There are a few compulsory portages on the river where weirs/danger requires that the paddlers get out their boats and drag them up the banks to run with them and put them back in the water later. The Fish River Marathon is an AR-rated river, which requires a certain amount of qualification/ grading and experience to enter the event, and provides much enjoyment to those who love white water and rapids in fast flow.
“A short course is also available for less experienced paddlers, which avoids the trickier rapids and sections, which require strong paddling ability.
“The race has become one of the best-supported river paddling events since its inception in 1982 as the concept grew from the ’70s when the Orange River Project started pumping irrigation water towards the eastern seaboard, bringing lots of milo-coloured muddy water to the fish, little fish, and Sundays’ river valleys,” said Dallas.
Contact the newsroom by emailing:
Marietta Lombard (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, or (Journalists) Busi Vilakazi busiv@caxton.co.za
