Nick Wright previews this weekend's clash between York City Knights and Hull FC
Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
James Tompkinson reviews an excellent pre-season victory for the York City Knights against Yorkshire rivals Leeds Rhinos
Well, give or take the odd goat-track trek down to a river get-in, he has a valid point: kayakers do like to spend most of their time sat down, whether this be in a boat or, ahem, the pub.
Despite this, kayaking –and especially kayaking with YUCC – is one of the most exhilarating, rewarding and, yes, comical pursuits open to students at York. Whether it’s running white water rapids and hurling yourself off a waterfall, or the salty waters of surfing at Filey, or piling as many people onto a kayak as possible and tobogganing down Clifford’s tower, there are a myriad of ways to entertain yourself with a boat. It can also be used as a beer cooler …
Throughout the year, YUCC meet on Mondays for pool sessions at Waterworld (we have yet to persuade them to let us go down the slides in our kayaks, but there is always hope …). Every weekend, water levels permitting – which they usually are, given York’s semi-permanent embroilment in monsoon season – we head off to paddle one of the local rivers. Not only is paddling a great hobby, but it also offers you the chance to see some of the most beautiful areas of countryside from a unique perspective – a wonderful escape from the (equally wonderful, but sometimes monotonous) campus bubble.
We also organise weekends away, from scampering up to Scotland to larking about in the Lakes to the mighty Tyne Tour, an immense gathering of all Britain’s university clubs. Including a gorge of scintillating proportions, mass spooning in tents and a ceilidh, it’s one of the highlights of the kayaking year.
For the more competitive among you, YUCC also take part in the local and BUSA canoe polo leagues (imagine basketball, but in a boat. And you can push people in). There’s slalom, whitewater racing and for all those showoff freestylers out there, the National Student Rodeo, where cartwheels and flatspins come to the fore.
And if that isn’t enough to tempt you, there’s an annual trip to some of the world’s most exciting (and bluest) rivers in the French and Austrian Alps. Plus, neoprene, nikwaxed nylon and latex make for some of the sexiest sporting kit ever known to man …
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