‘White Nile’ challenge for Tammy

WHITE-WATER kayaker Tammy Muir is one of eight kayakers from around Africa chosen to compete in the first ever African Freestyle Championship.

This will take place on the White Nile in Uganda in early April.

The only other South African in the party is Philip Claassens, who, like Tammy, is a member of the Likkewaan Canoe Club in Parys.

In the build-up to the championship, Tammy will take part in a development camp, where she and the others will receive training from two of the top freestyle kayakers in the world.

The event and camp is sponsored by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) along with Kayak the Nile.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and an amazing way to get people into paddling, as well as to expose the sport and the places it can take you,” she said.

In 2010, Tammy went rafting on the Zambezi. It was then that she decided she wanted to be a river guide.

“I then did the white-water training in Parys, and through working there, got involved in the kayaking community,” she said.

“In winter I’m in Norway and in summer I split my time between the South Coast and Parys. My parents have a guest house in Palm Beach and I stay here for about four months of the year,” she said.

The ICF Freestyle World Championships showcased the Ugandan freestyle team in 2015.

“Their journey inspired many and garnered followers comparable to that of the Jamaican bob sled team of ‘Cool Runnings’ fame,” said Tammy.

After the excitement of their participation, paddlers from Kayak the Nile were determined not to let the story end there.

In close conjunction with the ICF the dedicated team of paddlers dreamed up the African Freestyle Development Project.

The project aims to continue the development and progression of kayaking as a sport in Africa in the run-up to the next world championships in Brazil.

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