As 2006 draws to a close, I wouldn’t want to see the year end without posting a few thoughts about the recent 5th AIDA World Freediving Championships.
I have written news articles for Diver magazine and the British Freediving Association about this, and once there are web pages published with these articles, I will add the links here. A few brief facts and figures for now:
Denmark won the Men’s, with the Czech Republic and France gaining 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Russia won the Women’s, with Sweden and Canada taking 2nd and 3rd.
Great Britain ( men ) came in at 16th out of 25
Great Britain ( women ) came 10th out of 16
Herbert Nitsch made a new world record in constant weight with an 111 metre dive
Livvy Philip made a new UK record with a 5 minute 24 second breath-hold.
The athletes’ views on the event have been mixed. I don’t think anyone could argue that there was scope for better organisation. Looking back on my own reviews, I have been critical and some might say, harsh. Unfortunately the British team were at the receiving end of some of the ‘challenging’ situations that happened, so if that has created un unbalanced bias, so be it. A good reporter can dismiss personal involvement and write unbiased accounts. I chose not to, as I have preferred ( at least in my longer article ) to recreate the sense of frustration and add some realism to the whole affair. Next time I’ll bury my head in the gritty stuff and gloss over the cracks. Links to appear soon.
Casting back my thoughts to the Great Britain team performance, I can only say that it was exemplary, at least in the way we behaved as athletes and sportsmen / women, to ourselves and to other teams. There were some lessons to be learned, though, and I hope we can use these as a plan to create a stronger team in the future. This world championship was the first where dynamic scores contributed to team positions. When we look at Denmark, three things have contributed to their winning men’s performance. Firstly, their supreme abilities in dynamic. Not one out of the three of them scored less than 173 metres. ( The UK record currently stands at 156. ) Secondly, differentials between individuals was low. Having 3 athletes closely matched in abilities is usually a better strategy than having a broader range. Lastly, their focus on pool disciplines. If pool disciplines take a nominal 67% of the overall score, then this is where to put the work into.
In the UK we have a double-edged sword. To train in constant weight there are only a couple of facilities ( one involving trespassing ) offering depths in the 60m + range, and are somewhat cool with subdued lighting. Does this make the UK an ideal candidate for pool training? Unfortunately not - pools allowing freedivers to practise are few and far between. In our cotton-wool society, we would rather let the untrained general public do whatever breath-holding they want to in public pool sessions, than allow a group of properly-trained and equipped athletes practice when they ask permission to. Still, we can’t blame society - we need to educate them, increase awareness, and try to foster relations with swimming pool operators where we can. The ‘we’ in part, being the British Freediving Association. Further still, perhaps more can be done to spread a net out for new talent? ( Sam Kirby’s Mermaid Challenge from 2005 was a great initiative, and the recent Maverick’s Crystal Palace pool competition put together by Matt Kitchen, another. ) Another possible thought would be to streamline some of our pool sessions, so that those with the ability have access to sessions where they can put in solid training time. Freediving is a fun, sociable sport, but we should make some provision for serious competition too.
One final observation from Hurghada, was to do with how we train during competition. Although it wouldn’t have drastically changed our final team positions, we may have scored a few more points by changing our training methods. Looking back, we seemed to put a lot of effort into sequentially making performance improvements. Nothing wrong with that, but we might have overlooked keeping a consistent approach between training and competition times. So if a particular individual coaches you in a particular way on your training days, the same person repeats this on competition days. The more variables removed, the more the scores improve.
In fact, I think I’ll hang on to that for my motto for 2007. Let’s hope for a good year for us all.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
The Exit
Here’s a freediving challenge you might not want to try. Let’s say you’ve just had a fantastic fortnight’s holiday in Kenya, taking in a safari in the Masai Mara and lots of Scuba diving at the coast. You’re heading back to the airport in the early hours of the morning, bouncing along a pot-holed track in the middle of nowhere, in the back of a 4x4 with all your luggage. Ahead in the distance, the road disappears into a fairly large expanse of water. Same stretch of road was dry 48 hours previously. Difficult to tell just how deep it is, but surely no more than half a metre or so. Your Father is driving, your Brother in the front passenger seat. He puts down his foot and goes for it. Suddenly the car loses traction, and moves sideways, in what isn’t a puddle at all, but a dormant river, newly awakened by recent flash floods. It’s eroded the road away, enough to just about submerge the car you are in. Water is flooding in, and your Father and Brother are desperately trying to clamber out of their windows. Your windows don’t open, and with the pressure of the surrounding water, neither do your doors. At this stage, you will be excused if some degree of panic sets in….
Laura Storm not only managed to kick her way out, but incredibly kept a small bag with her camera and mobile phone in, just above the surface of the water. Able to call for help, what could have been a tragedy evolved into a traumatic escapade. She missed her flight home, of course. The car and luggage were retrievable, albeit the luggage contents ruined. The car? In the UK would have gone straight to the crusher. In Africa things are handled differently - if it ain’t really, really broken - fix it. And so the garage did, in a matter of days. There’s more to the story than this, but I’m relaying things 2nd hand here. Give me a rope and plate anyday - this is too Blaine-ist for my liking.
A short paragraph on training ( purpose of the blog, and all that ). It’s going well. Managed a PB in dynamic 2 weeks ago. Over 100 metres, but some cards have to be kept close to one’s chest as the World Championships approach. Doing lots of running, cycling, pool training, static tables, apnea walks, and being careful with diet. The only downside has been Constant Weight training - haven’t been able to do any depth training since late August, so a bit of catching up to do. I have a week in Egypt before the Championships kick off, so should be able to make up. He hopes.
Last but not least, another word about my mate Theo ( he seems to have kidnapped my blog somehow ). Yeah, he set another record. Yeah, it was impressive - 167 metres in dynamic, and he didn’t even look ruffled at the end. This was at the Maverick’s Crystal Palace Pool Competition, organised by Matt Kitchen. Sam Kirby and I were judging. Challenging stuff - we had to dish out disqualifications in dynamic for 33% of performances, which is difficult when most of them are friends. ( Or were, should I say. ) So a great feeling for us to judge such an impressive performance. This gives me 2 national records under my belt that I have judged. So if you’re reading this Theo - thanks for letting me share in your success!
Next post - post-World Championships.
Laura Storm not only managed to kick her way out, but incredibly kept a small bag with her camera and mobile phone in, just above the surface of the water. Able to call for help, what could have been a tragedy evolved into a traumatic escapade. She missed her flight home, of course. The car and luggage were retrievable, albeit the luggage contents ruined. The car? In the UK would have gone straight to the crusher. In Africa things are handled differently - if it ain’t really, really broken - fix it. And so the garage did, in a matter of days. There’s more to the story than this, but I’m relaying things 2nd hand here. Give me a rope and plate anyday - this is too Blaine-ist for my liking.
A short paragraph on training ( purpose of the blog, and all that ). It’s going well. Managed a PB in dynamic 2 weeks ago. Over 100 metres, but some cards have to be kept close to one’s chest as the World Championships approach. Doing lots of running, cycling, pool training, static tables, apnea walks, and being careful with diet. The only downside has been Constant Weight training - haven’t been able to do any depth training since late August, so a bit of catching up to do. I have a week in Egypt before the Championships kick off, so should be able to make up. He hopes.
Last but not least, another word about my mate Theo ( he seems to have kidnapped my blog somehow ). Yeah, he set another record. Yeah, it was impressive - 167 metres in dynamic, and he didn’t even look ruffled at the end. This was at the Maverick’s Crystal Palace Pool Competition, organised by Matt Kitchen. Sam Kirby and I were judging. Challenging stuff - we had to dish out disqualifications in dynamic for 33% of performances, which is difficult when most of them are friends. ( Or were, should I say. ) So a great feeling for us to judge such an impressive performance. This gives me 2 national records under my belt that I have judged. So if you’re reading this Theo - thanks for letting me share in your success!
Next post - post-World Championships.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Tbird Flies
Pictured here is one of the USA’s freediving freedom fighters, Theo Ivanovic. A national record-holder, survivor of a shark attack, and as of this week…proud father of new son Ilya. Another minor achievement ( which pales into insignificance compared to his most recent ), is that he snatched my NDAC constant weight record away from me about 3 weeks after I set it. So, not such a nice guy, huh? I suppose I can forgive him – at 64 metres he’s nowhere near his own PB, and joking aside, he’s one of freediving’s finest.
The last 2 months have seen a surge of activity in UK freediving. Firstly, the Saltfree Summer Splash 2006 competition – top UK female being Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler, and on the men’s front Paul Whincup. I chose not to compete, but to judge – something I have done before at national record attempts, but not in competition. I wouldn’t say I didn’t enjoy the experience, but I do know it isn’t something I want to progress further with. I’m judging again in a fortnight at the Mavericks BFA Pool Competition, so that perhaps that will influence my long-term decision…but I doubt it. I love competitive freediving, and if I’m not competing myself, then helping out with things like safety diving. I just don’t like disqualifying clean performances on technicalities, that’s all.
With the Saltfree Splash done and dusted, the BFA were able to select the 10-strong UK freediving team for the coming 2006 World Championships – just four short weeks away. My sponsors ( John Lewis and Suunto ) will be pleased to know that I’m provisionally on the team, although the split between the 3 competitors and 2 reservists will not be decided until after training has taken place in Egypt. Both men and women’s teams have a huge challenge ahead – standards have been raised higher than the last time the UK competed in Vancouver. We have new blood in the teams though, and are made up of people with spirit and good humour. I’m looking forward to being part of it, and to meeting old friends from around the world again.
The last thing to mention on the UK freediving scene, is last week’s BFA AGM, and the challenge for the chair. The two contenders are Steve Gardiner and Rachel Sharp. They are both good candidates for the post ( which has changed it’s aspect from ‘driving’ to ‘overseeing’ ), so it now goes to the vote. If you are reading this and are a BFA member, then read the manifestos carefully.
A couple of things to finish off with – my partially removed mole has undergone histology and been officially diagnosed as Lentigo Maligna. Bad that it is pre-cancerous and symptomatic of my sun-damaged skin, but good that it hadn’t turned invasive. The only additional treatment now is the final excision in January.
Lastly, I am about to wave goodbye to the Elf for two weeks, as she flies out of the October gloom to the shores of Tiwi beach, in Kenya. For me, I have just emerged from 6 weeks of post-op recuperation, head colds and tummy bugs. So when I am not working, I have a bit of catching up to do on the training front.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Sitting Next to Lois Lane
New wetsuit arrived last week. Although the sponsor logo looks stitched on in Photoshop ( some unkind people have said my head does too ), it hasn’t. I have to own up to admitting choosing the colour scheme. Blue, gold or black were the base colours to choose from. Not wanting to look like an extra from ‘Priscilla - Queen of the Desert’, I eliminated gold. Not wanting to overheat waiting for my boat to arrive, I eliminated black. Left with blue, and feeling somewhat patriotic, I added red and white. Unfortunately, I hadn’t really considered how the whole ensemble would turn out. I soon found out when I tried it on at our pool training session. Some people asked why I didn’t have red underpants on over the top. Others made flying poses. Some kind people didn’t laugh, but the majority behind me did. Not much I can do now….other than get a red satin cape to complete the outfit.Training continues reasonably well, and I managed to set an unofficial depth record in Constant Weight at the NDAC two weeks ago. Sixty-one metres is 14 short of the current UK record, but it is still a record at the NDAC. A great clip of the session it was part of can be seen here, expertly filmed by Simon the Jedi Knight. I discovered that part of the solution to my leg fatigue is to drop lead weight. By losing an 800g weight, my descent slowed significantly. The increase in glide time gave my legs an increased rest period. Ascending was then a breeze - kicking all the way. Of course there's a bit more to it than a bit of lead-weight-loss. My coach has been investing lots of her time and my agony down at the local gym. No pain, no gain.
Training will be having a short pause mid-September, while I have a couple of moles ousted ( my body, not my lawn ). No swimming for 3 weeks, they tell me. I’ve postponed the procedure until I’ve performed my judging duties at the Saltfree Splash competition, but if anyone wonders why I’m not resident at my normal pool training sessions after that, this is the reason.
People who know me well, may have noticed a sense-of-humour failure of late. I can only apologise, and report that an engineer is working hard to correct the problem. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.
Monday, July 10, 2006
The Big Six-Oh
Ah. Resolutions to keep the blog up-to-date haven’t really been honoured, have they? Over 6 weeks have passed since the last post. I have managed to squeeze in a competition, holiday and my Mencap Dive Challenge in that time, and haven’t had much spare to jot down the proceedings.
So, in chronological order….the CIPA International first. Another sunny weekend in Nice with good friends, cheap rosé, and a scenic train journey from / to Waterloo. One ghost finally laid to rest ( last year’s static blackout ), 7th place overall ( out of 58 ), and a PB in dynamic apnea. My ranking now UK 1st place for the 3 main disciplines. Just what the doctor ordered.
Next stop, St. Kitts. Well, almost - the pilot turned us back to Gatwick 2 hours into the flight, seeing as a warning light had appeared on his flight console. That lost us 7 hours of the holiday. Another 45 minutes went when he couldn’t land the plane ( hey, don’t blame the pilot - it was nighttime, there was a thunderstorm over the runway, and St. Kitts doesn’t have the luxury of ILS, even though there is a mountain next to the airport ). A week of diving, jerk chicken, Stag beer, and the friendliest people you’ll meet anywhere in The Caribbean, more than made up for the delays.
Finally, my opportunity to do some freediving and raise money for Mencap came into being last weekend. Sixty donations of ten pounds ( or the equivalent ) to dive 60 metres to celebrate 60 years of Mencap. It wasn’t about breaking records, but it needed to be challenging. Challenging it was. My legs have never complained so much about being asked to propell me back to somewhere I can breathe. Even the shouts and cheers from The Angels technical support team couldn’t get them to deliver the power I was asking for. But I did make it back, brought the tag up from 60 metres, and remained conscious throughout. Just to add that little bit extra, 3 of The Angels ( Laura, Simon and Mark ) volunteered to stay in the cold and dark for 60 minutes. OK, 2 of them volunteered; one of them was clipped into place for the duration whether she liked it or not.
If anyone from Saltfree, The Angels, The NDAC, or those that donated money read this - a big thank you to all of you for your time and generosity. This was very much a team effort, not an individual one.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Take a breath, take a deep breath now
Now that June is nearly here, just how merry was May? For David Blaine, a bit damper than for the rest of us, and with no personal triumph. The breathhold stunt failed, and he was rescued when diaphragmatic contractions started forcing air out of his lungs. ( Any other stunt person who wants to try this and secretly breathe-up on Oxygen beforehand, take note. ) I could have felt even more smug about the whole thing if ITN had aired the interview I did with them a few days before the bid, where I accurately predicted the outcome. Anyway, Sky News at least gave me 5 minutes to spout forth my opinions on it, albeit after the shouting had died down. Despite the cynical voicings of the collective freediving community, I think we are all secretly grateful to Blaine for giving our shadowy sport a bit of publicity. I haven’t yet heard of any nasty accidents with impressionable people trying to mimic what he did. In any case, I’ve never seen one of those big perspex spheres in our local Homebase, so that’s bound to put most folk off.
My summer resolution now, will be to keep this blog up-to-date a bit more, with more focus on my personal training. I have been very kindly sponsored by The John Lewis Partnership, who are helping me financially with training and attending competitions. My immediate aim is to achieve the necessary AIDA ranking to enable me to qualify for UK team selection, for the next AIDA World Cup Championship in December. Normally us freedivers keep quiet about ambitions like this, along with our personal secret techniques. However, anyone who has followed my ramblings will know that I have no respect for cloak-and-dagger within the sport, which is why I have laid bare on the blog from the outset.
In that case, what have I been doing to train myself for this weekend’s CIPA competition in Nice? Time I would normally have spent depth training in the quarry has instead been used as recovery from a cold virus, or instead doing a PADI Rescue Diver training course. I have been able to get some gym training in though, and concentrate on weight training for my underpowered legs. Also a bit of experimentation in the pool with using neck weights to counterbalance me. ( Big thanks go to Simon Reid for helping me with this, and supplying me with a 1kg neck weight for the forthcoming competition. ) My main objective this weekend is a clean performance in all disciplines. This may well mean dropping back significantly on depths / times, and this is far more difficult to do than instead raising the stakes.
Beyond the big blue of Nice, the not-so-big green of Tiddenham beckons, for something much more worthy than collecting ranking points. This time I want to collect money, and pass it on to Mencap to mark their 60th anniversary. This will take place at the NDAC on the 8th July. Donations gratefully received here.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a train to catch. All aboard for the Cote D’Azur.
My summer resolution now, will be to keep this blog up-to-date a bit more, with more focus on my personal training. I have been very kindly sponsored by The John Lewis Partnership, who are helping me financially with training and attending competitions. My immediate aim is to achieve the necessary AIDA ranking to enable me to qualify for UK team selection, for the next AIDA World Cup Championship in December. Normally us freedivers keep quiet about ambitions like this, along with our personal secret techniques. However, anyone who has followed my ramblings will know that I have no respect for cloak-and-dagger within the sport, which is why I have laid bare on the blog from the outset.
In that case, what have I been doing to train myself for this weekend’s CIPA competition in Nice? Time I would normally have spent depth training in the quarry has instead been used as recovery from a cold virus, or instead doing a PADI Rescue Diver training course. I have been able to get some gym training in though, and concentrate on weight training for my underpowered legs. Also a bit of experimentation in the pool with using neck weights to counterbalance me. ( Big thanks go to Simon Reid for helping me with this, and supplying me with a 1kg neck weight for the forthcoming competition. ) My main objective this weekend is a clean performance in all disciplines. This may well mean dropping back significantly on depths / times, and this is far more difficult to do than instead raising the stakes.
Beyond the big blue of Nice, the not-so-big green of Tiddenham beckons, for something much more worthy than collecting ranking points. This time I want to collect money, and pass it on to Mencap to mark their 60th anniversary. This will take place at the NDAC on the 8th July. Donations gratefully received here.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a train to catch. All aboard for the Cote D’Azur.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Six Days After
The virtual door bell has been ringing, but for something quite different to what I was expecting. Six days ago, three blasts shook the heart of Dahab. More terrorist bombs, this time aimed at the peaceful 'backpacker's' town where westerners and Egyptians co-exist in a harmony devoid of politics or religious hatred. Someone saw fit to shatter that idyll.
Twenty-three dead, mainly Egyptians. Many more casualties, some from Europe. And two freedivers among those injured. Lotta Ericson has written a first-hand account of what happened to her and her husband Peter, while they were out with Brigitte Hauenstein and Sam Still. Brigitte sustained quite severe injuries and will take some time to recover. Sam less so, but still bad enough to need his return to the UK for further hospital treatment.
Taking time out to answer press queries for this was the least I could do to help, but while this drama was unfolding, I took less kindly to questions about the forthcoming David Blaine stunt.
I was quoted ( a little too ) literally, while trying to explain to a non-diver why the illusionist was probably living up to his job title. The freediving community is divided between those who think his breathholding stunt dangerous and disrespectful, and those who think it is good publicity. Me? Well I believe I managed to boost hits to the BFA website by several hundred percent, and at the same time pour a bit more cold water into Blaine's perspex tank.
Last but not least, Mustang Sally turned up on my doorstep last Thursday. I've now taken her for a dunking, put her laces in, and repaired a little split I may have made. Let's see if pure carbon can help me achieve a new freediving ambition with CWNR - Constant Weight, No Resting.
Twenty-three dead, mainly Egyptians. Many more casualties, some from Europe. And two freedivers among those injured. Lotta Ericson has written a first-hand account of what happened to her and her husband Peter, while they were out with Brigitte Hauenstein and Sam Still. Brigitte sustained quite severe injuries and will take some time to recover. Sam less so, but still bad enough to need his return to the UK for further hospital treatment.
Taking time out to answer press queries for this was the least I could do to help, but while this drama was unfolding, I took less kindly to questions about the forthcoming David Blaine stunt.
I was quoted ( a little too ) literally, while trying to explain to a non-diver why the illusionist was probably living up to his job title. The freediving community is divided between those who think his breathholding stunt dangerous and disrespectful, and those who think it is good publicity. Me? Well I believe I managed to boost hits to the BFA website by several hundred percent, and at the same time pour a bit more cold water into Blaine's perspex tank.
Last but not least, Mustang Sally turned up on my doorstep last Thursday. I've now taken her for a dunking, put her laces in, and repaired a little split I may have made. Let's see if pure carbon can help me achieve a new freediving ambition with CWNR - Constant Weight, No Resting.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
Unique Creatures
The world has spun a fair few turns since my last update, and there are things I have meant to record, should have recorded, and haven’t recorded. A filming session for BBC3, with Peter Sheard at the University of Luton, for example. Seeing as that was about a month past now, I will possibly leave the detail of that for another time - perhaps nearer to screening.
What I cannot let go amiss, is the news I was presented with on Christmas Eve. The infamous Vodka Elf has reached another level. Diver Magazine’s ‘Buddy of the Year 2006’. I’m now desperately trying to find a ‘Nominator of the Year 2006’ competition to enter.
Another alternative I’d put myself up for, is ‘Bad Buddy of the Year 2006’. The last fortnight has seen us ‘working hard’ in The Maldives, on a Manta Ray research project, run by Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler and husband Matt aboard MV Gaayia. If we hadn’t assisted, who else would have? My part was to photograph the underside of these magnificent creatures, to pick out their unique identification marks.
Prior to stepping aboard though, the Elf and I spent a week ashore with Matt and Anne-Marie, on Kuredu Island. One of our objectives was a little familiarisation with the ripping currents that flow through the various thilas and channels out there. At one point, we had a channel to cross, at a depth of 20 metres or so. Matt and Anne-Marie had crossed to the other side and were hooked in with their lines. As I pushed headlong into the current, I was concentrating on doing the same thing, as my progress was made inch by inch. However, there is no ‘I’ in Scuba - it should have been ‘us’. I had completely overlooked The Elf struggling, and who had by now hooked in about 20m downcurrent. To make matters worse, I misread the whole situation - that the easier and sensible thing to do would have been to let go and drift with the current. Instead I stayed hooked in, until Elf had caught up ( and drained a fair proportion of her air supply ). It was a dive where we all learned some useful lessons, and I was given a new name that questioned my parentage.
Not by Vodka Elf, though. It seems that forgiving is all part and parcel of being Buddy of the Year.
What I cannot let go amiss, is the news I was presented with on Christmas Eve. The infamous Vodka Elf has reached another level. Diver Magazine’s ‘Buddy of the Year 2006’. I’m now desperately trying to find a ‘Nominator of the Year 2006’ competition to enter.
Another alternative I’d put myself up for, is ‘Bad Buddy of the Year 2006’. The last fortnight has seen us ‘working hard’ in The Maldives, on a Manta Ray research project, run by Anne-Marie Kitchen-Wheeler and husband Matt aboard MV Gaayia. If we hadn’t assisted, who else would have? My part was to photograph the underside of these magnificent creatures, to pick out their unique identification marks.
Prior to stepping aboard though, the Elf and I spent a week ashore with Matt and Anne-Marie, on Kuredu Island. One of our objectives was a little familiarisation with the ripping currents that flow through the various thilas and channels out there. At one point, we had a channel to cross, at a depth of 20 metres or so. Matt and Anne-Marie had crossed to the other side and were hooked in with their lines. As I pushed headlong into the current, I was concentrating on doing the same thing, as my progress was made inch by inch. However, there is no ‘I’ in Scuba - it should have been ‘us’. I had completely overlooked The Elf struggling, and who had by now hooked in about 20m downcurrent. To make matters worse, I misread the whole situation - that the easier and sensible thing to do would have been to let go and drift with the current. Instead I stayed hooked in, until Elf had caught up ( and drained a fair proportion of her air supply ). It was a dive where we all learned some useful lessons, and I was given a new name that questioned my parentage.
Not by Vodka Elf, though. It seems that forgiving is all part and parcel of being Buddy of the Year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
