Summer Series
Sprint racing is one of the Olympic disciplines for canoeing and regularly attracts world class paddlers to the major national and international competitions held at Nottingham between April and September. The Summer Series is a local competition which aims to cater for both serious sprinters and novices. The races are held over various short distances, with prizes on the day. Ideally, we aim to have three or more events during the season and issue trophies for performance across the series, but only one club is currently hosting events.
Summer Sprint format

A single seat fee covers participation in all the day's races. Paddlers will book in at the start of the day and will be assigned a race number. There are 16 classes by age and sex: male and female in each of u10, u12, u14, u16, u18, u23, 23+ and veteran (34+). C1 and Paddle-Ability paddlers will additionally be entered into C1 and Paddle-Ability classes.
At each regatta there will typically be singles races over at least two different distances (200m, 500m or 1000m) and at least one crew race or relay. For each race all participants will typically compete twice in small groups (usually 4 boats). To make sure everyone gets a good race, groups are arranged by ability rather than class. For the crew races, experienced paddlers are encouraged to partner less experienced ones.
Each event ends with a prize-giving, where the medals for the day are awarded for performance within each class, determined by the paddlers' overall performance across all the singles races. If there is more than one event in the season, Paddlers' class positions at each event also result in series points, and class series trophies are awarded at the last regatta of the season.
Please read the Summer Sprint Rules 2023. The series uses printed number boards which must be returned at the end of every regatta. Don't lose them because you will be charged!
At each regatta there will typically be singles races over at least two different distances (200m, 500m or 1000m) and at least one crew race or relay. For each race all participants will typically compete twice in small groups (usually 4 boats). To make sure everyone gets a good race, groups are arranged by ability rather than class. For the crew races, experienced paddlers are encouraged to partner less experienced ones.
Each event ends with a prize-giving, where the medals for the day are awarded for performance within each class, determined by the paddlers' overall performance across all the singles races. If there is more than one event in the season, Paddlers' class positions at each event also result in series points, and class series trophies are awarded at the last regatta of the season.
Please read the Summer Sprint Rules 2023. The series uses printed number boards which must be returned at the end of every regatta. Don't lose them because you will be charged!
Summer Series 2023
Unfortunately there will again be only Regatta in 2023 ( Bishops Stortford on 17th September 2023). We hope to have more events for you in future years.
Sign up to the FRA mailing list if you would like to receive details of future regattas when they become available.
Entries
Race entries will usually made by a Team Leader designated by your club. If you are paddling as part of a team, please let your Team Leader know that you would like to take part and ask them to pre-enter you. It is also possible for independent paddlers to enter without being part of a team. In this case they (or their parents if juniors) are effectively their own Team Leader. We hope to use an electronic booking system - details available on this page soon.
Fee: A single seat fee covers the whole day's competition. Juniors (u18 on 1st Jan) £5 and Seniors £10. There are no late fees. Your Team Leader will let you know whether you should book yourself in and pay at the desk on arrival, or whether they will book the team in themselves en bloc.
Race numbers: Boards will be issued at check-in. Boards must be returned on the day or you will be charged (£5). Paddlers who are not racing as part of an official team from a BC-affiliated club may be asked to leave a deposit for their board. Please use the pins provided!
Insurance: A BC membership number and expiry date must be given for every entry. For many paddlers this will be a Club Associate Number organised by their club. Anyone not able to provide a verifiable BC number before racing will need to purchase BC Competition Event Insurance ("Day Ticket" - £5).
Privacy: The FRA take your privacy seriously. We will process competitors' details on the basis of our legitimate interest as the coordinators of this race series. Race results and reports will be published and will include names and age/gender/Paddle-Ability classification. Photographs taken at events may be used in race reports and publicity for future events. You have the right to object to the processing of your information. Please contact the Secretary with any concerns. See the Privacy page for more details.
Fee: A single seat fee covers the whole day's competition. Juniors (u18 on 1st Jan) £5 and Seniors £10. There are no late fees. Your Team Leader will let you know whether you should book yourself in and pay at the desk on arrival, or whether they will book the team in themselves en bloc.
Race numbers: Boards will be issued at check-in. Boards must be returned on the day or you will be charged (£5). Paddlers who are not racing as part of an official team from a BC-affiliated club may be asked to leave a deposit for their board. Please use the pins provided!
Insurance: A BC membership number and expiry date must be given for every entry. For many paddlers this will be a Club Associate Number organised by their club. Anyone not able to provide a verifiable BC number before racing will need to purchase BC Competition Event Insurance ("Day Ticket" - £5).
Privacy: The FRA take your privacy seriously. We will process competitors' details on the basis of our legitimate interest as the coordinators of this race series. Race results and reports will be published and will include names and age/gender/Paddle-Ability classification. Photographs taken at events may be used in race reports and publicity for future events. You have the right to object to the processing of your information. Please contact the Secretary with any concerns. See the Privacy page for more details.