The 2025 Irish College and University Polo Festival was a great weekend for UL kayak Club. ULKC entered six teams in total, two women’s teams, three teams in the open division and one freshers' team. A total of 25 club members took part in the two-day competition held in Belfast.

Saturday kicked off bright and early with team captains attending a 9 a.m. briefing. By 10:00 a.m., everyone was geared up and ready for the first matches. Our freshers were first on the water, opening with a draw against TUD. They followed up with two strong wins, securing a solid place in Sunday’s knockout rounds. In the open division, results varied across our three teams: Group A: Two wins, and one loss saw the team finish second, advancing to the Gold League. Group B: One win and two losses placed the team third in their group. Group D: A win, a draw, and a loss also led to a third-place group finish. Both of our women's teams played hard-fought matches but were narrowly defeated in their group games.

Sunday we were into the knockout stages. The women’s quarterfinals were first up, but both teams were knocked out by strong opposition. Our freshers were up next with their quarter final, a decisive 5-0 win over Trinity saw them progress to the semifinals. In the Silver League, both open teams performed brilliantly in their quarterfinals and advanced to the semis. Meanwhile, our Gold League team put up a good fight, but TUD got the better of them. The semifinals brought more exciting action, freshers were up first against UCD. In a close game our freshers were victorious with a 2-0 win, earning their spot in the final. In the Silver League, one ULKC team advanced to the final while the other narrowly missed out. The finals were the highlight of the Weekend. Our freshers put on an amazing performance to secure a 6-2 win in their final. Shortly after, the Silver League final saw an intense 3-2 win over Trinity, giving ULKC another first place finish.

With a fantastic weekend coming to an end ULKC headed home with 1st place in freshers, 1 st and 4th in silver open, 5th in gold open and 5th in women's as well. It was a brilliant weekend full of great paddling, team spirit, and strong results. Huge congratulations to everyone involved!

This year’s Kayaking Intervarsity’s Competition took place from the 7th-9th of February, on home turf! Hosted by the UL Kayak Club this event was a long time in the making, after hours of preparation, some hard manual labor and many late nights, the Varsities Planning Committee were ready to host the 350 paddlers that were quickly descending on Limerick. With competitors coming from 13 colleges and universities, including the notable return of QUB, ATU Mayo and Shackleton, everyone was set for a busy weekend.

Day one took place on CastleConnell, with the Whitewater Competition Registration taking place at 6am to allow for the lengthy shuttle and inevitable faff of trying to herd everyone into position. With 4 competitors from each college, and teams of safety boaters milling around at the get on, this was quite an impressive feat. However, everything was set and ready to start on time at 9am, with the UL Whitewater team, John Flynn, Calvin McDonnell, Isobel Reidy and Kirsten Hand-Howard first up. The course saw racers beginning on the S-Bend section of the river, catch 3 upstream gates and touch a banner before proceeding downstream, through the rapids at Castle Wall and a straight sprint to the finish.

After the last paddler had finished up, there was a brief moment of chaos as everyone scrambled to get boats on roofs and into trailers before shuttling to the end of the river and the start of the BoaterX course. BoaterX, for those who don’t know, is a head-to-head event with paddlers competing in heats of 4 in order to progress to the next round and avoid being knocked out. With the event due to start at the much more reasonable time of 12:30, many colleges brought spectators to support their paddlers in this event.

The course this year involved sliding off a ramp, constructed specifically for the event, ferry gliding across the river to catch an upstream gate, proceeding downstream to catch a second gate, immediately ferrying back across the river and catching a third gate before a finish line sprint. Typically if there is any carnage, this is the event it will happen at so definitely not one to miss!

With 6 UL paddlers competing, Beibhinn Bulter, Lily Michaud, Eve Mahon, Cathal Ward, Kevin O’Connor and Aaron Thompson, and all 6 making it out of their first heat, the atmosphere was electric. In the end we had three paddlers make it through to the finals, with Kevin and Lily narrowly missing out in their semifinals. It was tense off the blocks, but after two very competitive finals, Beibhinn and Eve came second and third respectively, and Aaron placed second. A great start to the weekend for the UL Team!

Day 2 began bright and early at the UL Boathouse, with boats being unloaded from trailers by the dozen. With over 300 people competing across 8 disciplines, it is definitely the most chaotic event in terms of registration. UL had paddlers compete across 30 disciplines, with many of our paddlers placing in the top 3 in their category. Notable achievements include Lily Michaud and John Flynn finished first in the HP categories for the third year running, and Isobel Reidy, placing first in Women’s GP earning her the Aisling O’Connor Memorial Trophy for the third year in a row.

After a quick ice-cream break after the Long-Distance Event, we were straight into Freestyle. Teams of 6 paddlers compete, with two 45 second rides each, to impress the judges with their “fancy tricks”. The UL team, consisting of John Flynn, Kevin O’Connor, Rory Kearney, Beibhinn Butler, Lily Michaud and Kirsten Hand-Howard, were the 6th team to compete. Battling the frigid temperatures and nerves, they were able to secure high points all round.

Day 3 saw us at the UL Sports Arena, where the final event, polo, was set to begin at 8:45. With UL’s first game kicking off at 10:15, the team played admirably well pushing through the exhaustion from the weekend. With 8-0 to UL against Atu Mayo and 2-1 to UL against DCU, we were through to the quarter finals. Nerves were high going into the game, facing down UCD who had beaten us last year to take the 3rd place position, we knew it would be a difficult game. Our team, Paul Hamilton, Kevin O’Connor, Calvin McDonnell, John Flynn, Aaron Thompson, Isobel Reidy, Kirsten Hand-Howard, Holly Ogilvie, Eve Mahon and Heather Barnett, gave it their all but in the end UCD beat us 4-1.

After a high intensity weekend, an exhausted but happy UL team headed to the Kemmy Business School for the Awards Ceremony…………………………………… WE WON!!! UL finished first overall drawing with UCC on points but winning Overall on Events. What a way to wrap up the weekend, our first overall win since 2019. #1inarow!!!!

Achievements of note:

• UL Whitewater Team placed 1st Overall: John Flynn (1st in Men’s), Calvin McDonnell (5th in Men’s), Isobel Reidy (1st in Women’s), Kirsten Hand-Howard (2nd in Women’s)

• UL BoaterX placed 1st Overall: Beibhinn Butler (2nd in Women’s), Eve Mahon (3rd in Women’s), Lily Michaud, Aaron Thompson (3rd in Men’s), Kevin O'Connor, Cathal Ward

• UL Freestyle Team placed 1st Overall: Beibhinn Butler (2nd in Women’s), Lily Michaud, Kirsten Hand-Howard, Rory Kearney (2nd in Men’s), John Flynn, Kevin O'Connor

• UL Polo team placed joint 5th:  Isobel Reidy, Eve Mahon, Holly Ogilvie, Kirsten Hand-Howard, Heather Barnett, John Flynn, Calvin McDonnell, Kevin O'Connor, Paul Hamilton, Aaron Thompson

• UL placed second overall in Long Distance: John Flynn (1st in Men’s HP), Lily Michaud (1st in Women’s HP), Eve Mahon (1st in Sea Kayak W), Ana Swanson (3rd in Sea Kayak W), Aaron Thompson (1st in Men’s GP Comp), Aysha Griffin (2nd in Women’s GP Comp), Kirsten Hand-Howard (3rd in Women’s GP Comp), Kevin O'Connor (2nd in Men’s GP), Isobel Reidy (1st in Women’s GP)

• Male Paddler of the Year, Colm Johnson Memorial Cup: John Flynn

• Women’s GP Winner, Aisling O'Connor Memorial Cup for the 3rd Year in a row: Isobel Reidy

At the end of January UL Kayak club embarked on its annual trip to Wales. The kayaking Wales trip began with an early start to make it to our ferry from Rosslare at 8 in the morning. After a little bit of faffing by some members of the club, both cars and the sprinter made it safely on board the ferry for the journey to Llangollen, the town where we would be staying.   

Llangollen is a popular destination for kayakers because of the river dee which flows through it. The river dee offers a wide variety of large whitewater features such as serpents' tail and town falls as well as smaller waves which are ideal for playing on. Over the week we paddled the river dee four times. The first two days the water levels were quite low meaning many of the features were relatively tame. While it might not look as exciting these levels give a great opportunity to practice our paddling skills. However, the other two days we paddled the river dee the water levels had exploded due to heavy rain during the week. This provided an exciting opportunity for us to paddle on big whitewater, especially for newer members who did not have much experience on bigger rivers. Although there may have been a few swims, this river was an amazing chance for everyone on the trip to push their comfort zone and improve both their skills and confidence.  

During the week we also paddled the river glaslyn, about an hour from where we were staying. This paddle was notable for the rainy weather when we were getting ready, that thankfully cleared up by the time we got to the river. We paddled this river before the rain came so the levels were quite low, and the river was very rocky. Despite this we still took the opportunity to practice navigating rivers and working as a team while paddling. Two of the more experienced kayakers on the trip, Kevin and Calvin, also got the opportunity to paddle a section of river known as ‘The Gorge’, along with the instructors accompanying us, Dave and Lowri. This descent was an amazing way to test the skills of some of ULKCs most experienced paddlers, as well as providing an exciting spectacle for the rest of us watching. 

After a week of smooth paddling, we had a slight hiccup in that our ferry home got cancelled meaning we had to leave much earlier in the morning than planned. Despite this we managed to keep spirits high and enjoy our last night in Wales. After another long road trip we ended up back in Limerick, bringing Wales ‘25 to an end. Overall, it was a fun and exciting trip that helped everyone on it to test and improve their skills as a kayaker. All of this is thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone on the ULKC committee who helped to organise the trip, as well as the instructors, Dave and Lowri, who accompanied us on our journey.  

3, 2, 1...Action!, stairs slide, nice waves, good vibes, awesome people, anticipation, bigger waves, facing fears, Serpents Tail, must make lines, holy shit, fast water, massive waves, catch your breath, feel ALIVE! Highs and Lows and Hot Tubs!!! Welcome reader to a short story of the January 2025 ULKC Epic International kayak trip. Prelude: Rewind to Jan 2013: 5 months into my journey with the ULKC I ventured to Wales for my first international kayak trip. Wales that Winter was an ice planet, we sledged down a snowy hill in our kayaks to the River Dee for an amazing week of whitewater kayaking. On that Maiden voyage the biggest challenge for me was a tricky rapid called Serpents tail! In one day I swam through it 3 times. I was determined to try and get it upright but it got the better of me! My fellow kayakers mentored me, encouraged me and rescued me and at one point created a penguin huddle to try warm me up after a Chilly swim. It was a bonding experience, something much more than any trip I had been on before. It was early on that Id to feel that I loved this club. Fast forward to late 2024 and an opportunity to return to Wales with the ULKC after more than a decade. I remembered those cold Welsh swims but also how alive I felt pushed to the limit on the water surrounded by like minded amazing people. One word popped into and stayed in my mind, YOLO, and that was it I was going back for a second bite of Wales Whitewater Kayaking! Story Time! In mid January 2025, 12 brave souls ventured by car and ferry from Limerick to North Wales. Our home base for the next week was a very nice AiRbnb in a town called Llongollen that is also home to an epic Whitewater river called The Dee! Special mention has to go to our awesome drivers, Eva, Orlagh and Podge for transporting us in un-godly early hours across a longer distance through Pembroke to our destination. Ahead of us lay 5 days of kayaking with one rest day in between. Partnering us on the trip was the adventure company FreeFlow and their professional instructors Lowri, Dave and Ben, all legends of the sport with oceans of experience.  

Day 1 Monday: After a meet and greet with our instructors and a debrief we geared up and split into two groups. In my group for the first day was Calvin, Podge, Orlagh, Eva and Holly with Lowri and Ben leading us. As I approached The Dee if felt a bit surreal to be back but nice. Excitement levels were high among everyone for what lay ahead for the next 6 days. Challenge one - Entering the Dee, there was a steep embankment slope beside the river offering two choices 1: Slide down a steep staircase at speed in your kayak or 2 bring your kayak down first to water level. We all choose the slide!!! #adrenaline-junkies The Dee changes challenge levels depending on the amount of rain and water level and early on for the first two days was at a great level for easing us into the week, nice waves, clean lines and not too many stoppers. We took turns kayaking some of the bigger rapids, catching eddies, practicing S moves and surfing options where available also! Pretty soon we reached The Serpents Tail! A larger more continuous rapid with a 50 meter lead in before you encountered the bigger waves. We got out to scout the rapid from land and I then watched as everyone their way down it. My turn. I felt calm, much calmer than before, I Ferry glided out to the center of the river, passed a rock on the left as Eva suggested before entering Serpents, paddling through it and then catching a re-circulating eddie river left at the end. Few cheers from everyone and I was smiling, felt amazing. Day 1 went perfectly for everyone, lots of nice bouncy waves, surfing opportunities and good vibes all round.

Day 2 another choice, Lap Serpents tail to hone your skills on this or a bit more chilled dayng few kilometers further up on The Dee and then complete the section from Day 1. Still early in the trip I liked the sound of a Chill day and was joined by Cathal, CJ, Eva and Eve with Dave leading us. Dave is a very mindful instructor who had us practice efficient techniques like using as few paddle strokes as possible and also completing challenges like Ferry gliding across the river with your eyes closed!! It may have been a Chilled day but the upper section also had a few very nice strong rapids. On one of the largest rapids Dave set up a Rescue scenario. Eva would be stranded on a rock in middle of rapid without her kayak and it would be up to us to rescue her. To keep Eva from swimming we decided on a "Raft rescue. Myself and Cathal walked upstream with our kayaks, paddled down to Eva through a rocky rapid. After checking how she was "Oscar for being slightly confused" we held on to each others kayaks with Eva at the back and paddled her back to the embankment, All good. Next up we had a very nice Boof off Hourseshoe falls, a 2 or 3 foot drop which everyone and soon after we were back at Serpents Tail for a second go in two days. I decided to take a few videos of everyone first for the "Gram" and for my go paddled down a center line and managed to catch an Eddie on the right where Dave was sitting in a line of sight / safety position. Again Day 2 went smoothly for everyone, all 12 of us were paddling great and we were making Lowri and Daves life very easy Towards the end of the White water section of the Dee is a feature called Town Falls. A 200 meter lead in to a larger more complex rapid that merges from a few angles on the river. The question on our minds was when we were going to run this. Not yet on Day 2 but I would be having some "interesting" encounters with this rapid later in the week!!!

Each international kayak trip we have a trip playlist, trip members submits a song or two in secret and we are then mandated to only listen to this playlist on repeat during the trip especially while driving. We then have a game of "Guess Who" to find out who submitted each song with notable mentions for best and worst song! This year's playlist was mostly very good with a few "lets say non-standard" songs, somehow those bad songs slightly grew on you! With Wednesday as a rest day we had the playlist game Tuesday night and a chance to let loose a bit and to get to know each other a bit more also. For the trip booklet (Eva's awesome creation) I revealed a few things from my past but one thing I did not reveal was that I was almost a professional poker player years back but when it came to that song game my poker face failed me and I had way too many Tells. Our Courageous Captain Isobel was picked to guess the song and she correctly guessed my song, that meant a punishment for me all in good fun. We had a rest day Wednesday and bit more time to explore our immediate surroundings and the town of LLangollen. I had noticed a structure outside our accommodation beside a small wooden building. I had not yet realised there was a large heated Jacuzzi that we had access to with our accommodation, absolute win! It's a bit of a blur but I think it was Wednesday after the town tour I was first time in this Jacuzzi and it felt amazing. Exceptional thanks has to go to Calvin for booking the accommodation with this Hot Tub Jacuzzi, absolute legend.

Day 3: Llyn Dinas Lake and Glaslyn River: To change things up a bit our instructors Lowri and Dave suggested we try another river about an hours drive from our accomodation for Thursday. Everyone was happy to go with this option. We were hearing stories of the extreme weather from back in Ireland, mostly from CJ and when we arrived at the lake let's say it was a bit Windy / Chilly. In true ULKC spirit Podge led an epic round of "Get Loose" warm up game to get our blood flowing before entering the lake, to warm up a bit more we paddled both up and down the lake surrounded by some very picturesque nature, played a game of Kayak Bulldog, I think either Holly or CJ won and then split into two groups when we entered Glaslyn river at the south of the lake. I was in a rowdy group of Podge, Eva, Calvin, Holly, Orlagh and Dave. Surfing play waves quickly turned into Party waves with No mercy given, Holly was full of song and giving us renditions from the trip playlist, Dave was Stern squirting at every opportunity along with valiant efforts from Calvin, Podge in Half Slices and extra valiant efforts in Holly and Orlagh in river runners kayaks. I don't think my Necky Blunt is able to Stern squirt, but she is a lovely boat. On the Glaslyn we had some very cool white water boulder garden sections to eddie hop on, Dave was giving us turns to lead the group and it was an awesome day! Towards the end of the Glaslyn is the most challenging section with some tricky boulder gardens needing perfect lines. Our two best kayakers on the trip Kevin and Calvin took on this part with Lowri and Dave with the rest of us spectating and cheering them on. Never a doubt they there way down the section inspiring the rest of us. Awesome day all round of White Water kayaking!

In evening times our group was bonding more over the days, wed to become more familiar with each others personalities but the thing that stood out was the sheer effort, good will, team work, fun, resiligence and discipline from everyone on the trip. Group Dinner efforts where excellent, paddlers are a hungry bunch including myself, banter was great, Games of Uno where ruthless, we had a chillout room for watching movies, in this case the Pixar Animation Cars Trilogy - A Hero's journey for Lightning McQueen, full of emotional highs and logs, Triumph and Disaster. In many ways this mirrored each of our own journeys on this Wales Kayak trip, we were each on our own Hero's journey and would be tested with challenges both on and off the water, huge highs and lows to overcome. I have been on many kayak trips but this group felt exceptional, it felt great being on this trip with these awesome people.

Day 4: Intense River Dee. After a good bit of rain Thursday evening and Friday river volume raised all around Wales including The Dee. Lowri gave us various river options but we settled on this more challenging Dee andd slightly later in the morning to be a bit more rested. There was a feeling of excitement mixed with anticipation in the air. We first scouted the Dee from a Chain Bridge to plan one of the first lines, a centre to right push to avoid a "munchy" hole before next taking on Serpents tail at a more challenging level than Monday or Tuesday. I was in group two with Dave leading myself, Isobel, Calvin and Holly. We watched group 1 of Lowri, Kevin, Beibhinn, Cathal, Eva and Podge go first before it was our turn. To the average person what we were about to do would be classed as pure terror. Fear is a real and legitimate feeling and facing it and choosing to not let it stop you shows courage, we were about to test our limits. As I walked with Isobel to the start we were both trying to prepare ourselves. Down at water level the water was moving much faster than earlier in the week. A few F@#k Yeahs later I was following Calvin as we went first. I was breathing heavily trying to get as much oxygen / energy in me as possible to paddle hard right to avoid the Munchy hole which I just about did, the wavesd getting taller, and taller, these waves may have been the biggest I was ever on. Serpents tail looked different, churning in front ready to gobble me up, a series of intimidating waves, 5, 6, 7 of them, paddling up and down these until the last one came right over my head and everything went dark. I was eaten alive, one roll later I could see again and paddled into the eddie river left gasping.

After we regrouped emotions where high. Kayaking is a sport of the heart as well as the body and mind. We love this sport and go through highs and lows and everything in between. As we continued on, numerous challenging large wave trains lay ahead to kayak through. This was turning into an awesome day kayaking, it felt like the best I have paddled, as we neared the end towards Town Falls rapids we got out for a quick scout from the Bridge overlooking it. Dave, Calvin and Myself decided to run it with other members watching and cheering us on. On the water I followed Dave as best I could in the lead in, the waves where pretty huge, I disappeared under one on the lead in but braced and popped up, continued on, spun on an eddie line just above the Balcony of Town falls, spun back to face the rapid, paddled down, caught a good line and made it through. Felt frickin awesome! Few High fives from my Wales buddies off the water. What an epic day with the ULKC. To celebrate I had an hour in the Jacuzzi while trying to hide from the dinner crew, it was our turn to cook on Friday evening and to finish the evening off we completed the Cars Trilogy movies before getting some much needed sleep.

Day 5: Highs and Lows. The final day of paddling with the ULKC in Wales had arrived. The Dee had dropped down a little bit to a "friendlier" level and we would complete the trip on The Dee. I was in Group one with Lowri leading Calvin, Pidge, Eva, Holly and myself. Stairs slide in, nice waves and plenty of wave surfing opportunities! Serpents Tail was still stronger, bigger than earlier in the week but more calmer than the previous day. All went good. I took the chance to take some footage of Calvin, Podge and Holly style some wave surfing along the way. It was a lot busier on the river on Saturday with lots of local paddlers out enjoying the water also. As we got to Town Falls, we stopped for a scout before we all decided to run it. The lead in was a bit milder than before but you still had to paddle hard through some rapids. As I got close to the "Balcony" above the main rapid I took a much further right line before descending into the rapid right to left and getting demolished in the wave. Under the water I tried to set up for a roll, gassed out, and went for a nice refreshing swim, cheers to Podge for letting me hitch a lift on the back of his kayak as the adrenaline was finally wearing off! As the saying goes Everyone Swims, it was just my turn. I also parted ways from a true love of mine, my awesome Werner Powerhouse paddle, the Dee had claimed her as a sacrifice to the River Gods. After such an Epic week of paddling with awesome people its a sacrifice I was willing to make, may you see whitewater paddling again at a future time.

Final Thoughts: There are things in life I love: Family, Friends, The Soca river and my trusty Necky Blunt kayak but I am lucky to have found and been part of something special for the better part of 12 years. More than a group of cool people or just a club, something more, something exceptional, in this case the amazing ULKC. Many of my best memories, greatest achievements, true feeling of living and feeling alive have revolved around the many epic adventures I have been on with this club and its awesome members. The people on this Wales trip were especially lovely, I had such a great time and it was a privilege to be part of this trip. Heroes all of ye! Cheers to our amazing Captain Isobel and all the other ULKC committee members for putting such an Epic trip together. Thanks for sticking around to read my story.

Until the next adventure, Peace, Richie.

ULKC Wales Class of 2025: Isobel, Calvin, Orlagh, Eva, Kevin, Podge, Eve, Beibhinn, Cathal, Conor, Holly, Richie

This is my first time in ULKC and the first time I am ever kayaking, but the club made me feel incredibly welcome and was excited to train beginners.

The trip to Lahinch was an amazing opportunity to not just get some practice kayaking, but also get closer to other people in the club. Kayak surfing was definitely an unique experience, and not something I even knew was a thing before this trip, but the instructors and club committee made sure we had a great experience while being safe on the ocean. Having people from University of Galway Kayak Club join us was also an opportunity to get to know another club in Ireland and work on building an actual community of people passionate about kayaking. Overall, the trip was well worth it and I would love to travel to more places with ULKC in the future!

Wolves acheived great success on the 21st September by placing second overall in the Metalman Polo competition. It was a great day of poloing with a sunny morning on the water. People were very eager to get on the water and surprisingly the matches were prompt and on schedule, so we were already off to an amazing start!

We played our first match against DCU giving us a challenging start to our day. The match resulted in a win for DCU with a score of 2-8. They certainly kept us on our toes, but our heads were in the game for our next matches. These were full of fun and great vibes. However, we faced another tough match, this time against Galway ending with a tie. We had an fun game against WIT resulting in a win for Wolves 3-1. This was followed by an impressive game from our team, beating the Metalman polo team 6 nil.

After this game we came back fighting in the semi-finals to take the lead against Galway, and thankfully we succeeded with a score 2-1. With such a successful day of polo we found ourselves in the final! We played for the win against DCU. The match was a challenge for both teams-defence was strong from the wolves with a powerful and attack from DCU. However, after such a tough game DCU took the lead with a score 5-2. Although this was an unfortunate loss for Wolves, overall it was a great day for the team. We got to show off the skill which we’ve been working very hard on, whilst having a great time getting to know other polo teams. Once again, we can say that this was a wonderful achievement for our team!

Wolves placed 6th in their division at the Mullingar Polo Competition which took place just two weeks ago.

The Competition kicked off Saturday morning with our first match scheduled for 8am, against Metalman Polo Team. With such an early start it must be admitted some members of the team took their time getting to the pitch, however everyone was lined up and in boats on for the throw in. A close game for sure, Metalmans managed to secure the win with a tightly fought 2-1. Yet this was just the warm up game for the UL Wolves.

We played a total of five games Saturday. Ending up top of our group, with 3 wins and a loss. The last game of the day was against the Wildwater Misfits. After a hard day of polo, the team was quite tired, and unfortunately the game ended with a loss for the Wolves.

Topping our group on Saturday meant we were in the top 8, out of the 19 teams in our division, with everything to play for Day 2. Sunday started off well with a tightly fought game between us the Wildwater Women, but we managed to secure the win. Followed by a 3-3 Draw game against Mullingar 4. This secured us a spot in the 5th/6th play off match against Cavan Cobras. Hoping to end the weekend on a high, the Wolves gave it their all and at the full time whistle it was a 2-2 Draw meaning the game was down to Golden Goal. Despite many attempts at a goal and some great saves the Cobras scored and won the game.

However this was still a great outcome for the team, coming from bottom of the table last year to Silver in the Silver Division was a huge improvement overall and definitely an achievement the team could celebrate!!

Dear Reader, welcome to a short story of an Epic Trip of a lifetime. When the following words get put together: Adrenaline, Awesome people, Bad Haircuts, Tent life, Fast water, Sticky holes, Huge Waves, Smiling faces mixed with Fear and Excitement, it can only mean one thing, The ULKC is back in the Alps for some awesome kayaking and shenanigans. #ULKCAlps2024 

This year the club travelled on a maiden voyage to the Beautiful Styria Region of Austria with a basecamp in the picturesque mountain town of Wildaplen directly beside the Slalom section of the Crystal clear Salza white water river. 18 awesome people joined the trip led by our captain Isobel with an equal gender ratio, a milestone for the club on an annual trip like this. Our trips officer Lily and committee did such a great job organising everything that even a missed ferry only caused a blip and a few comedic punishments were issued later in the trip by the mob to balance the scales. More on that later.

When we arrived to Wildalpen, this was our home for the next 10 days, we pitched our tents the first evening surrounded by some beautiful mountains, the sound of the Salza river in the background only meters from us and the occasional shouts of UP, UP, UP. There happened to be a kayaking competition on the Salza the first few days and this was the phrase of encouragement locals used on repeat! We settled in for 8 days of kayaking to come with one rest day in between. 

The morning of Day one paddling we met our 3 professions instructors from FlowFree adventure company. Lowri (8 times world Freestyle Champion), Alex (Team Pyranha member) and Adam a season pro on the Salza from Poland with an obsession for Birds. We organised into 3 teams of 6 and we would keep these teams for the first 4 days of kayaking. I was on Team two with Lowri, Isobel, Chloe, Heather, Aysha and Calvin who joined us for days 2 to 4.

For day one we stayed on the Slalom section which had a few very interesting features. The entry rapid has a very nice rowdy play wave that is quite “Sticky”. After kayaking through it we approached from below, at first ferry gliding below before getting closer to its grasp where it would hold you and you would be surfing or capsizing or just about escaping! On one pass from right to left I thought I had made it through only for the wave to catch me from behind, pull me back in and send my bow skywards, I capsized and rolled back up but it got my respect! For the rest of the Slalom section we did some cool training with Lowri, catching eddies through waves and at the end of the Slalom is the biggest feature, a relatively small but powerful drop with very nice eddie catching possibilities. 

Each evening we had a rotating cooking group who got to show off their culinary skills for hungry paddlers. Nearly everything served up was great except for one meal that made Eve cry. Possibly another first for a ULKC trip. #Shlop. For the next 3 days kayaking, a factor that was coming more into play was a high level of rain and the Salza jumping to a very nice Medium level. Each day we paddled a bit further down the valley on the Salza and the thing that stood out to me was the sheer number of large bouncy wave trains rolling one after the other. After 5 previous Alps trips I can’t remember there being so many continuous rapids at that high water level compared to other Alps trips I have been on, which was frickin awesome! Along the way we stopped at one of the many surf waves to see who dares to try paddle in and catch the hold point. Over the days everyone was getting more confident and there was definitely some girl power showing with Heather, Chloe and Isobel taking turns to try surf on some of the bigger rapids.

Over the first half of the trip, our Food Gazebo nearly got blown away, we pranked our instructor Alex by hiding his kayak in a tree, we learned a cool Ninja warm up game that Isobel won in a dramatic Captain Vs Ex Captain finale with Aysha, We spectated the whitewater competition final (Bonus cheers for capsizing), made use of the Salza for mid-session rope rescue practice #RopeExpertCalvin, and had a nice Pizza evening at a local restaurant, I happened to miss the memo on that one that it doubled as a fancy clothes occasion!   

After our rest day our Instructors held a safety day for us on the Slalom section for day 5, time to get very wet. This involved both offensive and defensive swimming through rapids, practice of optimal boat rescues and various rope throwing techniques for roping in swimmers! Was great for everyone to have such excellent instructors in Lowri, Alex and Adam share their knowledge on this front.

Day 6 was an especially interesting day in Austria, we started by visiting a maybe 6 meter waterfall to potentially kayak off of this but on close inspection the entry line was not clean so this got abandoned. We then set off to the Enns river. Unlike the Salza this was a harder section with very strong rapids, needing a bomb proof roll and zero doubt in your mind. 7 members of the group took on this section led by our 3 instructors while the rest of us took a time out for a few hours. We spectated the first part which has what can be described in kayaking terms as a huge munchy hole. Everyone cleared this obstacle without much issue, some did it upside down but only momentarily.

For the afternoon we returned to basecamp to take on our next challenge, the 70 steps of a tributary river called Hinterwildalpenback that fed into the Salza just above the Slalom section. The 70 steps (Drops) ranged from .2 of a meter up to 3 meters in height. I was in a group with Lowri and Aaron for my go at this. At the time I thought the biggest drop was about 1 meter so I was pretty surprised when Lowri completely disappeared in front of me on a few of the drops! All good, somehow if felt like boofing was built into each step or just maybe everything was just going great. Either way it was an awesome section to paddle and something I have never encountered before in paddling with ULKC since 2012. 

Evening times had upgraded also thanks to our Senior Scout Leader Jill who is an expert in starting bonfires, we had a stone circle already setup next to our camping area, wood was plentiful and with the arrival of marshmallows and various musical playlists the warmth from the evening fire really felt like you were on an adventure in a mysterious new location surrounded by a lot of excellent human beings with a shared need for action and the outdoors. 

For the final two days of the trip we changed up the groups a bit. Adam was leading our group the final two days and his style was Dance moves warmup, encouraging leadership on the river and fine tuning eddie catching and other skills. The Salza had dropped down a bit and presented more defined lines with more rocks exposed in the river. Was a great learning experience for me and a different unique experience than previous trip to the alps.

On the final day in late afternoon after we finished the main river trip the majority of the group got back on the Slalom section to take turns surfing on the first rowdy play wave. Each Surf was met by a cheer by our kayaking buddies and there was some awesome displays of side surfing, spinning, rolling on that wave by the group, where was I, sitting on the bank filming and getting just as much fun watching. A trip is only as good as its people and the people on this trip where especially awesome:

To finish proceedings on the Trip we had Kangaroo Court, A chance to air any grievances to the court for ironic punishments, notable court sentences included Odran mandatory Tomahawk display and general mob rule that everyone is guilty and should do a funny punishment . I did one myself, also a first for me on an Alps trip. I have been on some really life changing Alps trips in the past, 5 of them but number 6 has been my favourite to date. It was a privilege to be invited on this trip with an awesome Club and great bunch of paddlers. Cheers for sticking around to read my story. Peace. Richie

ULKC Alps Class of 2024: 

Isobel, Thomas, Lily, Aaron, Chloe, Orlagh, Odran, Feargal, Paul, Heather, Calvin, Eve, Podge, Oisin Laura, Jill, Richie, Lowri, Alex, Adam.

ICUPS was my very first experience of a polo competition and my first time in Belfast! Although nerve-racking, I was beyond excited, to say the least.

ICUPS Is an inter-college Polo competition, where each college goes head-to-head in tournaments with various divisions. I had played a few matches in the pool before, but this would be an actual test of what we had learned throughout the year. We began our journey on Friday evening and spent the day travelling to Belfast. The trip was long but enjoyable; it was not until late in the evening that we reached the outdoor adventure center "Let's Go Hydro". 

Being new to the sport, I was in the fresher’s division with seven of my fellow club members. This division is all about learning new skills and having fun. Unfortunately, the Saturday games were all cancelled due to strong winds and bad weather conditions. The matches were set to resume on Sunday and would compensate by hosting more matches. We spent Saturday exploring Belfast and seeing what the city had to offer. We even ended up at the ZOO! That was one of my favorite parts of our city adventure.

On Sunday, the weather cleared, and all matches were in place to start. The first of them was set for 9:00 AM. My match was on at 10:40. Nervous and excited at the same time, our team took to the pitch and had our first game. I was the designated sprinter; it was my job to sprint into the middle of the pitch and grab the ball for my team; all I had to do was beat my opponent sprinter to the ball. Happily, I did, and we scored an early goal to begin our first match! When the day was done, our team came second in Division 1. I was over the moon; our team got medals and €60 to spend on new polo gear. I thoroughly enjoyed my first ever Polo competition, and I cannot wait to go back next year!

Galwayfest 8th-10th March

This was my first Galwayfest and my first proper competition so I was so excited but slightly nervous! 

I had paddled a lot of new rivers recently so was feeling confident in that perspective but I had never done mass start and hadn’t tried freestyle until the week before so had a a lot to learn there. On Friday we drove up to Tuam and watched a couple of runs before heading to get ready and signed on. I hopped on the water and did an entry move when getting into the feature which I was delighted with. It was nice to have people cheering you on and helping you at the sides lines in between runs it made a big difference. I was happy enough with how it went but was in complete shock when I realised I had gotten third in women’s intermediate, I was not expecting it at all! 

Saturday with Whitewater where we did a time trail on the River Corrib and the start was a seal launch before paddling down, going round a buoy and touching a flag at the end. In the afternoon we did the Whitewater Team Trial which was pretty much the same course but you had to paddle down further towards a slipway and we finished when our last team member got out of their boat and touched the chair on the slipway. I loved both of these races, it was a very different sort of kayaking to what I’ve done before. 

On Sunday we did Mass Start in the morning where all of Women’s Intermediate started at the same time and raced down the Corrib. We all had to put our paddles in the mud and face the wall before hand paddling backwards to grab our paddles. Everybody had to roll before paddling down the course and completing the time trial course again. After that we did Boater X where we were all put into heats of five or six and all tried to be the first one down Jury’s drop before aiming for the buoy on the far side of the river. When I came out of Jury’s drop I ended up capsizing and by the time I had rolled back up I was too far down the river to try and make the buoy. It was disappointing but I still finished the rest of the course which I was happy with.  

The awards were held in one University of Galway’s lecture halls and it was such a lovely couple of hours it was very wholesome and was nice to see everyone get well deserved prizes. I was delighted with my first GalwayFest and I can’t wait to go again next year and hopefully improve on what I did this year. 

ULKC Presents: Suited & Booted

Suited and Booted has been a fan favourite in the club, but the event has not run since pre-pandemic. As a club, we wanted to get this event back on the calendar for 2023. 

In the past, this event is simply a night of formal dress, usually set in Stables, Scholars or some other local venue, and is a night of socializing, live music and club bonding. This year, we wanted to do something a bit different, we wanted to make the event more of a fundraiser, and incorporate our club awards ceremony, to create a night of glamour, live music and inter-club bonding.

The event was held in Cask,  a live music venue in castletroy. Local talent Annabelle Toone was the opening act for the evening, performing live, from 8pm whilst all guests were arriving.

Following Annabelle's performance, we proceeded with the club awards ceremony. These awards are a mix of acrediting the achievements within the club, but also the standout moments over the past semester. Here's the highlight of the main awards;

• Most Improved
• Best Fresher
• The Dermott Bannon Award

Once the awards were out of the way, we collaborated with UL DJ Society, and acquired the services of Greg Shiels to provide music for us for the rest of the night. We threw in a few minigames, such as Mr&Mrs, along with raffles.

The event was a huge success, having raised over €700 for the club!!!!!

Huge thanks to everyone who came along and made the night possible.

With the Annual General Meeting finished last night in the Student Life building, there have been several changes to the our constitution, and most importantly; the next committee has been elected. The current committee is still in place, with the hand over being on the last day of the kayaking intervarsities on the 19th of February.

Captain: Aysha Griffin

Secretary: Lily Michaud

Treasurer: Calvin McDonnell

Safety and Technical Development Officer: Rian O'Connell

Assistant Safety and Technical Development Officer: Odran Furlong

Public Relations Officer: Eva McCormack

Equipment Officer: John Flynn

Assistant Equipment Officer: Sean Hogan

Disciplines Officer: Oisín Brady

First Year Representative: Orlagh O'Regan

Trips Officer: Isobel Reidy

Polo Officer: Aaron Thompson

Web Administrator: Luke O'Sullivan

Spare Person: Adam Ryan

The annual Club Olympics is Back!!!!!!

Taking place Wednesday 19th to Friday 21st of week 7, this is an event not to be missed with competitions for everyone, from freshers to intermediate/advanced paddlers.

Proudly sponsored by ICanoe, we have some amazing prizes t give away on Friday evening, at the closing ceremony.

Sign Up Now to secure your place!!!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfuQnHmvdgEb6Wr3RULUZ-qUv9gvrYabYRL8vxTGVvkqSGTZQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Event Breakdown:

Polo:

Typical polo, but with our specialist canoe polo boats. Score as many goals as possible to win!!!

BoaterX:

Simple. Its a race!! Ran in heats, just be the first to the finish

Freestyle:

All those fancy tricks you've learned, now is the time to show them off. Everything from waving to the judges to loops will earn points. Person with the most points awarded wins!!

Whitewater:

Its a race against the clock on a section of rapids on Castleconnell Fastest time wins!!!

Long Distance:

It's exactly what it says on the tin. This is a test of endurance and stamina. Ran in heats, just be the first to the finish to win!!!

FULL TIMETABLE:

Event	When	Where	Who
Opening Ceremony	Wednesday 21:00	Courtyard	Everyone!
Polo	Wednesday 21:45	UL Sports Arena	Inter/Advanced
Boater X	Thursday 10:00	Outback	Everyone!
Advanced Freestyle	Thursday 14:00	Outback	Inter/Advanced
Fresher Freestyle	Thursday 21:45	UL Sports Arena	Freshers
Whitewater	Friday 09:00	Castleconnell	Inter/Advanced
Long Distance	Friday 15:00	Castleconnell to Boathouse	Inter/Advanced
Closing Ceremony/Awards	Friday 18:00	UL Boathouse	Everyone!

PHARMACIA

Tuesday 11th

9pm - 2am

Tickets €8

It's been a few years, but its fantastic to see the ULKC UV Paint Party back on the calendar.

Everyone will be given some UV Paint upon entry. Its up to you what you do with it :)

There are still tickets available. DM us on Instagram to get yours!!!

• UV LIGHTS
• LOTS OF PAINT
• TUNES
• MEET CLUB MEMBERS
• AND MUCH MUCH MORE!!!!!!!

THIS IS A TICKET ONLY EVENT. 

NOTE: UV paint WILL NOT WASH OUT. It's recommended to wear old clothes.

Don't miss out. This will be a night to remember!!!!

Hello everyone and welcome back to ULKC.

For both new and existing members, we are delighted you have decided to join us for the 2022/23 Academic Year.

We have lots planned for the upcoming year, including overnight trips, day trips, competitions and much much more....

For now... here's the schedule.

Pool Sessions:

The pool is the perfect way to learn the basics of kayaking in a warm and safe environment. It's also a great opportunity to meet new people in the club.

Beginner: If you are new to kayaking, then our beginner sessions are for you. Our experienced members will be on hand to get you comfortable in the water and teach you the fundamentals of kayaking.

Advanced: If you've been paddling loads, you're comfortable on the water and want to push your limits, then our advanced sessions are for you. We will work on freestyle techniques, more advanced skills and play some Canoe Polo matches.

Tuesday (Beginner): 9:45 - 10:45pm

Wednesday (Beginner): 9:45 - 10:45pm

Thursday (Advanced): 9:45 - 10:45pm

Whitewater Wednesdays:

Our weekly Whitewater river trips are back for 2022/23. For anyone who doesn't know, this is the opportunity to experience Whitewater Kayaking on our local stretch of the Shannon. We will be commuting to Castleconnel, to get on the river, and will face multiple rapids and river features while on the water. Our experienced members will be on hand to show you the ropes and teach you everything you'll need to know.

Stay tuned for more information!!!!!

This year promises to be bigger and better than ever... so make sure you follow us on on our socials and are keep an eye on our weekly emails so you don't miss out!!!!

We look forward to seeing you on the water really soon!!!

THROWBACK TO OUR WEEK 10 TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT!!

The Triwizard Tournament came to life for two important reasons:

1) Harry Potter is amazing;

2) I wanted a competition that everyone, regardless of kayaking ability could win.

We utilized the week 10 pool sessions and made it a week-long event, running 3 events over 3 pool sessions.

The first event was freestyle, where everyone had two 45 second runs to show what they had to offer. Anything Harry Potter related was given extra points. Freestyle is an important kayaking discipline here in Ireland. Also, within the club it is the easiest to practice, through pool sessions and offers the foundations for all the other disciplines.

The second event was boater-cross, a very common whitewater race, where every competitor starts at once. We had balloons in the pool and winning the races involved not only getting the boats across the line, but the unpopped balloon too. The rule for the first race was that the team's balloon couldn't leave the water, which resulted in some very interesting techniques to maneuver the balloon to the finish line. The second race involved keeping the balloon out of the water. It was great to see everyone really taking the rules of boater-cross seriously and trying to find inventive ways to win.

The final event of the week was polo. This is another major discipline the club caters for, but in keeping with the Harry Potter theme, it had to be quittich. We set up  a snitch that was a lemon, having first proven it floated:), and then bluggers that were space hoppers.

Overall, it was amazing to see everyone getting involved and all skill abilities able to win!!

The event was such a success that it has now become the Annual Triwizard Tournament.

Thanks a million to everyone who helped out and took part during the week. See you all again next year!!

After two long years, our famous Alps Trip is finally back!!

The Alps trip has always been a highlight of the year for kayakers. Due to Covid, we haven't been able to travel since 2019 so we are delighted to see this trip back on the calendar.

The Alps is more than just 2 or 3 weeks paddling in Europe.

Its an opportunity to improve your paddling ability at a rate, that would simply not be possible in Ireland. For our experienced paddlers, the Gene17 training camp is an opportunity to become leaders in the club and push their limits on some of the worlds best whitewater rivers. Completing Gene17 has long been a milestone in the club, to graduate from fresher to leader.

Speaking of our freshers, we couldn't just leave them behind. The freshers will get to fly out at the start of the trip's second week, to join in on the action. Throughout the year, our experienced leaders have been watching the newbies learn and develop in the club, to the point where they're confident enough to tackle the Alps rivers. This trip will challenge the club's newest members in new ways, on new rivers surrounded by stunning scenery (even the questionable haircuts). 

More than that though, the Alps is a bonding experience. The kayak club is like a family, and spending 2 - 3 weeks together in tents is the best way to bring that family closer together, share memories and make new ones.

Our committee has been hard at work to make all of this possible, and its all falling into place. Counting down the days until we get the sprinter on the road to Europe!!

The 2022 Kayak Intervarsities took place on the 18th-20th February in Cork. UCC were this year’s hosts having originally planned to host it in 2021. After cancellation due to COVID-19 UCC had many a storm to fight through to get their event running. However they did a spectacular job. Overall UL Kayak Club had 60 paddlers competing across all the competitions. We left on Friday morning with the Whitewater and freestyle teams heading down first for their heats.

Due to storm Eunice which carried a red warning for Cork, the whitewater race had to be postponed to 2 o clock. Our whitewater team consisted off Éidín Dowling, Eoghan O’Duffy, Kirsten Hand Howard and Adam Kennedy. With a last-minute location change and a battle through sleet, snow, hail and wind, the weekend did not get off to the greatest start. We placed 9th overall but did not let it get us down.

UL came back strong in possibly the coldest freestyle competition ever to run at an intervarsities. Our team (Éidín Dowling, Fia Coughlan, Emma Doyle, Kirsten Hand Howard, Adam Kennedy, and Thomas Nash) really pulled it out of the bag. In the girl’s heat Éidín won gold, Emma won bronze and Kirsten and Fia came 5th and 7th! Adam Kennedy managed to place 4th in an extremely competitive men’s competition and Thomas Nash placed 19th. Overall, the team placed 1st out of all the colleges, placing UL back at the top in the discipline.

After a class night in the Old Oak our polo team were up at 6am to head out the Ballyhass mallow. Competition was extremely tough but UL managed to win 2 games in the prelims, making it to the quarter final. Unfortunately we were knocked out in quite a well matched game against trinity. The polo team really smashed it in not the best of conditions. The pizza in Ballyhass made it all worthwhile.

In the afternoon it was time for the largest event of the competition, long distance. Hundreds of paddlers from all of Ireland took on the course in Ballyhass in boats of all shapes and sizes. UL’s 60 competitors really did us proud. The course consisted of 4 laps of the Ballyhass lakes for high performance categories and 2 laps for general purpose. We came back with 3 gold medals, 1 silver medal and 2 bronze as well as having multiple paddlers in the top 10. The freshers in particular did a stand out job. After loading all 60 boats into our trailers and the sprinter we were delighted to hear that once again we had placed first as a college in long distance above the others. If it were not for the training and dedication of our members on outback before the competition, this would not have been possible.

Last but not least was the boater x. Taking place on Sunday morning on the river lee, there were many groggy heads but the UL team used this to our advantage. All 3 of the girls in the competition (Jill Pitcher Farrell, Fia Coughlan and Emma Doyle) smashed it though the first 2 stages making it right into the final. Our boys were not so lucky, getting knocked out in the quarter finals. Fia, Jill and Emma placed 4th,5th and 6th respectively. UL were awarded best college in boater cross putting us into second place overall just behind UCC.

The awards took place that evening. UL paddlers took home prizes such as Helly Hanson gear bags and surf ears. Aysha Griffin was awarded most improved female fresher for her dedication to the sport to date! After a clean sweep of medals and officially receiving second place, we were quite happy to go home to our own beds and catch up on some much needed sleep.

Achievements:

Team medals:

Gold:

Freestyle team (Éidín Dowling, Fia Coughlan, Kirsten Hand Howard, Emma Doyle, Adam Kennedy, Thomas Nash)

Long Distance (Everybody)

Boater X team (Fia Coughlan, Jill Pitcher Farrell, Emma Doyle, Thomas Nash, Adam Ryan, Rian O'Connell

Individual medals

Gold:

Éidín Dowling (Women's Freestyle)

Éidín Dowling (Women's Sea Kayak Long Distance)

Sean Hogan and Aaron Thompson (T2 Long Distance)

Rob Campbell and Thomas Reidy (Duo Long Distance) 

Silver:

Fia Coughlan (Women's High Performance Long Distance)

Bronze

Emma Doyle (Women's Freestyle)

Jill Pitcher Farrell (Women's High Performance Long Distance)

Laura Molloy (Women's K1)

 

 

'There's more to college than college'

After a year of Covid, of an empty campus and online lectures, the shift from the virtual to the real world was a welcome yet worrying change. Come September, I was ready for a more involved college experience and to get to know more than the handful of fellow architecture students I had met last year. Joining clubs seemed to me, the quickest and easiest way to do this.
One of the beginner whitewater trips to Castleconnell, with the ULKC, was the first thing I did with any club. I remember sitting at my desk in studio trying to convince those around me to sign up as well. In the  end I managed to drag along two of my housemates after pestering them all day. We didn’t quite  know what we were signing ourselves up for but at the end of the trip we were ready for more. By week 6, the Lahinch trip, I had managed to make two Castleconnell trips and a handful of pool  sessions, but I still didn’t really know anyone. I remember worrying about it all week, debating whether to go and spend a weekend with people I hadn’t met or people I had but who didn’t  remember me. In hindsight though, that was the best way to go about it. Within minutes of sitting on the bus I made friends with a girl I had only met two nights ago at the pool.
Lahinch was the highlight of my semester. After that weekend I was hooked on kayaking, while it had seemed intimidating breaking into the club where everyone had known each other throughout Covid, I now had my fellow freshers. We went to every pool session we could, staying up till midnight to book  spots, every trip and every party. As we got to know the club, as a group, it didn’t matter as much if we turned up as a squad. For me, the ULKC represents the best part of my college experience so far.

To reduce our number of high contact points in the boathouse and reduce the risks of COVID-19 spread, we have decided to move to an entirely digital gear sign-out system! We have a lovely new app available on the play store which lets you sign out everything by just tapping your phone against a small NFC tag on each bit of gear.

We have tagged over 300 pieces of gear so far so you should be able to sign out everything really easily.  This system must be used by all members when going on trips (pool sessions exempt).There is also now a system in place to report broken and missing gear through the app and the website after a trip.

Download it here:

ULKC Gear Sign Out - Play Store 

For everyone on iPhone we unfortunately don’t have an app yet but you will still be able to sign out your gear buy going to https://ulkayak.com/gear/

Where to find tags:

Boats: On the back left of the backrest

Paddles: On the back of the left blade

Spraydecks: Top side of the grab loop

Helmets: At the end of the strap

BA’s: Inside on the back left side

Cags: On the left wrist cuff

Ropes: Top of the bag

Wetsuits: On the zipper

Please contact our equipment officer Eoghan O'Duffey if you have any questions 

To reduce our number of high contact points in the boathouse and reduce the risks of COVID-19 spread, we have decided to move to an entirely digital gear sign-out system! We have a lovely new app available on the play store which lets you sign out everything by just tapping your phone against a small NFC tag on each bit of gear.

We have tagged over 300 pieces of gear so far so you should be able to sign out everything really easily.  This system must be used by all members when going on trips (pool sessions exempt).There is also now a system in place to report broken and missing gear through the app and the website after a trip.

Download it here:

ULKC Gear Sign Out - Play Store 

For everyone on iPhone we unfortunately don’t have an app yet but you will still be able to sign out your gear buy going to https://ulkayak.com/gear/

Where to find tags:

?Boats: On the back left of the backrest

Paddles: On the back of the left blade

Spraydecks: Top side of the grab loop

Helmets: At the end of the strap

BA’s: Inside on the back left side

Cags: On the left wrist cuff

Ropes: Top of the bag

Wetsuits: On the zipper

Please contact our equipment officer Eoghan O'Duffey if you have any questions 

ULKC is back! We're running outback beginner sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with beginner white-water sessions on Wednesday afternoons. Sign up for all sessions is on UL Wolves. 

Everyone is welcome, even if you've never paddled before. We will have experienced coaches to take you through everything from getting into a boat, to basic skills and how to improve. Just bring swimwear, a towel and a water bottle. 

To return back to paddling safely we've adopted a number of guidelines for your safety and ours. These are available online at UL Wolves and ulkayak.ie/covid19 . New procedures also follow with a requirement that access is limited to the boathouse and there will be no access to the changing rooms, come ready to paddle. Gear will now be signed out through our app 'UL Kayak Gear Sign Out' for Android, or online at ulkayak.ie 

Renew your membership and sign up on UL Wolves. 

Kicking off 2020 in style. ULKC will be sending it!

This time we're heading off to Wales for our January trip. With beginners and some oldies. This trip will feature heavily on safety training some challenging rapids. And like every trip we do, will feature the best craic of any UL club!

Be sure to like us on Facebook and Instagram to stay updated!

To promote female paddling us gals here in ULKC like to have the occasional girls only day. These days are a great opportunity to learn new skills, have the craic and make new friends. This will be a beginner friendly flat water session, perfect for freshers.

When?
Thursday 19th September from 4-6pm

Where?
University of Limerick Boat House
https://goo.gl/maps/PmoPotNcVTHX9Bx26

What do I bring?
Swimwear, towel & old shoes if you have them. The club can provide everything needed to get you on the water.

It was that time of year again. The time of year for the kayak club to make its yearly pilgrimage to the seaside village of Lahinch, Co. Clare. Some say UL kayakers have been going to Lahinch since before kayaks began. Other more learned people say it’s closer to the last 30 years.

The weekend started at our own boathouse with a flurry of last minute packing of boats, wetsuits and enthusiastic but nervous new kayakers. With everyone piled onto three buses and what seemed like 100 head counts we were on our way west to Lahinch. The hour and half journey felt like so much less than that with songs being sung and stories being told for the entire journey. By the time the hostel was reached everyone was assured of exactly what the hole in the Rattlin bog contained.

A game of room roulette divided up the beds to ensure that everyone was making friends with someone new. The night continued with name games and after an exhausting night of getting names wrong everyone dropped away to bed with dreams of surfing some of the best waves in Ireland.

Saturday morning most of the kayaking contingent was woken by a Leitrim man with an eagerness to kayak beyond our understanding. Soon everyone was fed, geared up, and rearing to go. We got into our kayaks, and after a prolonged struggle to shimmy off the sand everyone was tackling or being tackled by the best waves Lahinch had to offer. A variety of skill was on display for the Lahinch locals but we didn’t mind one bit. Everyone managed to surf a wave by the end of the session and that gave all the instructors a warm fuzzy feeling walking back up the beach at the end of the day.

Saturday night was spent dressing up as every and any kind of criminal and heading to the local nightclub. We had some questionable costumes but ones that stood out for me were Donald Trump and Team Rocket from Pokémon.

Sunday morning, we tackled more Atlantic coast waves after a lovingly cooked breakfast. Everyone was determined to improve on the previous days surfing performance. It was a real pleasure to see so many beginner kayakers improve between the two days and get hooked on the sport of kayaking.

The journey home to limerick was a more relaxed affair with everyone being able to sit back and take in what a great experience the weekend had been. The trip was concluded with a mass clean-up of all the gear and everyone went home for a well-deserved, and probably long awaited, good night’s sleep!

 

 

It was an absolutely amazing weekend. I hope you all had as much fun as I had. I can’t wait to see everyone for our next trip.

Kayaking Intervarsities 2015 Champions for the 6th year in a row! On February 5th 2015, the University of Limerick Kayaking Club attended the national kayaking intervarsities hosted by NUIG/ GMIT kayak club with hopes and aspirations of return home with yet another victory. The Intervarsities is the annual event where all the college kayak clubs in the country come together for a weekend of competing, partying and serious banter! In the wee early hours of Friday morning, a handful of us excitedly set off to participate in the white water race on the Boluisce River. Paddling for ULKC we had Eoin Keyes, Andrew Regan, Emer Farrell and Mark Scanlon. They all did amazingly well as they battled down the rapids. Their months of hard training paid off as we placed an impressive 2nd place in that event. We then headed over to the Claddagh Basin for the canoe polo event. For anyone who has not witnessed the sport before, it’s a five a side, fast paced game that combines kayaking and ball handling skills with added excitement as it is a contact sport. Think of it as basketball and rugby combined, but in a kayak! Solid tactics and strong team work are key factors and are as important as the speed and fitness of the individual athletes. After months of intense training with a dedicated team we finally got to show off our skills and took on each game and college with everything we had. All the training was worth it as we placed 3rd which is a great achievement for ULKC seeing as canoe polo was never our strongest suite. Later on that night, the entire club had arrived at the Sleepzone hostel who were kind enough to allow some overly energetic kayakers stay the weekend. At 6:30am the next morning, alarms started ringing and a zombie march of exhausted kayakers began. At 8:00am we arrived at the canoe centre for the long distance race registration which includes general purpose and high performance categories. Once gear and boats were organised we strolled down to the river to wait for the race to begin. For the fresher’s you could see a new level of fear growing inside them as they were briefed on the 5km paddle up and down a river that they were about to face. Those in the GP category had a huge 10km paddle ahead of them. This is a tremendous task for any kayaker. In these two events we competed as individuals racing against each other. Eoin Keyes and Mark Scanlon took 1st and 2nd place in the GP men’s category while Gavin Sheehan and Eoin Farrell, both former captains of the club, achieved 2nd place in the GP men’s duo category. Everyone who competed put in a huge amount of effort and every person counted towards points. We continued straight from the Upper Corrib back to the Claddagh basin for the freestyle event. Our highly skilled team featuring Eoin Keyes, Andrew Regan, Eoin Farrell and Caoimhe Farrell represented ULKC with every trick in the book displaying levels of technique that took years to master. Andrew Regan was targeted to be hit with the biggest piece of fruit as part of the “banter league”. As well as being a kayaking competition there is a “banter league” where colleges gain points for accomplishing a list of tasks just “for the banter” and to gain ‘Banter-points’. It was quite a spectacle seeing dozens of pieces of fruit being flung towards him. Despite all the fruit he still managed to pull off lots of impressive moves! On Sunday morning we were up bright and early for the boater cross event after the Mexican themed fiesta held the night before. This was a new event in the intervarsities that consisted of five people kayaking down the white water of the Lower Corrib River in an attempt to get to the finish line, by any means possible. It really isn’t for the faint hearted. It was limited to a select few as Galway was quilted in fog. Five of our paddlers got through to the second round of the boater-cross, which we were very happy with. To finish off the weekend there was an awards ceremony held in NUIG where the winners of each event were announced including the champions of the entire competition. Seeing as many different colleges’ places first in the different events we were anxious up until the last moment as the title of “National Kayaking Intervarsities Champions 2015” was anyone’s for the taking. There was an explosion of cheering from the UL kayakers when it was announced that we had won the competition for the 6th year in a row! When we finally calmed down we set off back to Limerick with the coveted trophy in hand ready to celebrate our victory in style! By Cormac Rowe - P.R.O, Charlotte Ryan and Joe Doyle

The University of Limerick Kayaking Club have recently been on their first trip of the year to Lahinch, County Clare. The trip took place at the end of week 3, Friday to Sunday. Lahinch proved to be a great spot to commence the new season. New members got a chance to mingle and experience kayak surfing, as well as the joys of non kayak-related life in the hostel. The trip got off to a flying start on Friday evening. Everyone was excited about the weekend ahead, spirits were high and red bull was plentiful, only a short bus journey separated us from the fantastic weekend in store. The journey was shortened by the talented Brian Higgins and Darragh Keane who provided exhilarating renditions of popular songs on their guitars, and the slightly less talented rest of us, who provided the vocals. Once we arrived, and got our room numbers, the fun part of living in a hostel began. From spontaneous raves, to pillow fights, everyone was enjoying themselves and was thrilled to be there. Everybody was getting to know each other, fun was had and ‘selfies’ taken. At the end of the night the concept of assigned rooms flew out the window and we crashed wherever we wanted. As we got up on Saturday one of two things was going through or minds. Some were anxious and excited about the day of kayaking ahead of them, and others were trying to remember where they lost their things, as they realised that skinny dipping the night before may have been a bad idea. Kayak surfing proved to be an amazing experience for those who have never tried it before. For beginners, the challenge was to keep upright, and not be overwhelmed by the waves, it took quite a few attempts, but getting the hang of a kayak when being mauled by a wave felt like a massive achievement, and something great to walk away with at the end of the day. Of course there were less glorious moments, many were turned over, and "some", made the unfortunate mistake of being slightly too eager to get out of their turned-over kayaks in shallow water, only to realise that smashing your head into sand, hurts, even with a helmet on. Thankfully there were no major occurrences, thanks to the eagle-eyed, experienced members of the club, who watched over us, and taught us a thing or two about how not to get tossed over. Although exhausted from the heavy paddling, we could not pass up on a good swim, which was a great rest and made for some excellent photo ops. Saturday night was the highlight of the weekend for most, everyone dawned their fancy dress outfits, as per the cartoon/TV add theme, no one can doubt that there was a vast amount of variety, from "Popeye" to "Dick Dastardly", to two "Flintstones" and three "Bat"-men, even "Thomas" was there with a few cans, makes one wonder, what's Halloween going to look like? As we reached the night club the night went into high gear, the fatigue of kayaking wore off and the dancing began. There were three groups there on the night, but we were by far the loudest. Everyone was dancing none-stop all night, and when the music stopped, we provided our own. The fun wasn't over with the club either, sleeping only got in the way of us enjoying the night, so we avoided it. We got to know each other better and also got to hear some stories from the older guys. Our room packed it in at 5:30 am that night, or morning? Sunday's morning was bittersweet, there was still more kayak surfing to enjoy but the thought of going home was still constantly in the back of our minds. We went out that day and took as much fun out of the morning session as we could. By the afternoon we were all packed up, sitting together in our rooms, going back over the highlights of the weekend, at 6 the bus arrived and we made our way back to UL. The trip will definitely live in the memory of all the new members, it was our first time out with the club and it was absolutely mental to say the least. I'm sure everyone is ecstatic about the upcoming trip in week seven, and I hope to see you all there.

UL Kayak Club’s annual Alps trip was one for the books this year. After piling all the gear into UL vehicles, the first wave of paddlers began the journey with a pleasant ferry bop on over to France. Upon arrival, they took off to make the road trip to their home for the week: the Campertogno campground in Italy. Having set a higher standard this year for the first of the three week trip, the club was able to focus on truly pushing their limits like never before. The group greatly challenged themselves on various runs of the Sesia, Egua and Sermenza rivers. Along with honing in on personal paddling skills, they all further developed their river-leading skills in preparation for the second wave of the club’s arrival. After a more than satisfying week in Italy, the group continued on to the Milan Malpensa airport to unite with fellow members of the club. As a number of nationalities were represented on the trip, it seemed like ages before everyone was let through customs at the airport and allowed to join in on the fun. Here, the ULKC trip doubled in size to around thirty lads and a mighty rubber-duck mascot, named Chestnut. Getting on the road a tad-bit behind schedule for Slovenia, we arrived to camp around 4 am — just in time to set up camp in the dark before the sun began to rise. The next day began another adventure with the club and it’s range of paddling abilities. Over the course of the next week, longer than expected due to exceptional river levels, everyone focused on different goals on various runs of Slovenia’s Soca river. While one individual may have been working simply on getting their roll down, others really began to put their dynamic leadership and teaching practices into place. River leaders and beginners alike learned from each other and pushed each other to new levels of improvement. Beginners asked questions to develop paddling techniques and leaders asked for feedback from the river that day to gain insight on what methods had the most impact. Mixing up the river groups everyday, everyone had the chance to work together towards a common goal of bettering the club (with loads of craic along the way!) It was fantastic to see people overcome obstacles and new challenges everyday. Important skills covered on the river included basic river signals, rescue skills, river reading, and paddling techniques. While in Slovenia, members of all ability had the opportunity to participate in a competition right on the river of the campground. Those not competing enthusiastically cheered on our participants to some great finishes for the club. As well as improvement on the river, much was to be said for the kitchen. Along with paddling, the bar was raised for the cooking as well this year; chefs we didn’t even know were in the club prepared gourmet meals. Fire-baked potatoes were a delicacy one evening that reminded us of home. Even the standard baguette, ham, cheese, pesto and more baguette sandwich lunches seemed to transform overnight. Lettuce, tomatoes, and other veggies soon became a thing. It was crazy. Crazy good. A week quickly flew by before we said goodbye to the beautiful green rivers of Slovenia and packed up the vans with those we only brought along for their Tetris-like packing skills. Back to Italy we all went for two more full days of the river. As per the norm, we set up camp in the dark, and got some shuteye. The next two days challenged the beginners to new frontiers. Beyond some good wave trains, beginners had the option the first day to run Sorba Slides. This was the first experience for members who only began kayaking this year to really test their limits. A big testament to the great experience that everyone had on the trip thus far, was that everyone out on the river that day ran the slides. It was a thrilling experience to say the least. And the next day, a nifty rig was engineered to allow for a maximum amount of runs of the Top Drop on the Egua. In the morning, the group parted ways. After saying goodbye to those who so foolishly took the easy way out and flew back to Ireland instead of road tripping, some brave souls stuck around and reaped the benefits of a surprise trip to Disneyland in Paris. There, we relaxed from the long and tiring trip by running around, pushing little kids out of the way and catching as many rides as we possibly could. All in all, the ULKC Alps trip of 2K14 opened everyone’s eyes to what this club is really capable of doing and how fortunate we are to be involved in it. The Alps trip allowed us all to push our own envelopes, in one of the best environments we could imagine. The ULKC.