Shaping the Future of Slalom Consultation

A big thank you to everyone who engaged in today’s event – over 80 people in person and online. Its great to see so many people passionate about shaping the future of our sport. Also huge thank you to the small team that have done so much work to pull together and present the proposals.

The slides from the event presentations have now been added to the published information so those that weren’t able to attend can see those details. All the comments, questions and feedback (over 200!) from the day have been collated. Answers are being drafted and these will be published as soon as possible, but gven th volume this will take a little time.

We also intend to gather feedback at a number of races through the spring. Please look out for further details of these shortly.

You can still have your say and ask questions about the proposal – a form for further comments is now available and will remain open until 31 May). It can also be accessed using the QR code or link. There is also a poster with the link to the form that can be used in clubs and at events to encourage people to provide feedback. 

Thanks
Slalom Committee

The published information about the proposals can be found here.

Original Event Information

Following discussions at November’s ACM, the Paddle UK Slalom Committee have been looking at ways to make changes to the competition structures.

Participation numbers are declining so we need to make some changes to retain numbers and recruit more paddlers into Canoe Slalom. Evolving the competition system is one way of changing the offer and appeal of the sport.

This event will:

• Set out the challenges that we are facing as a sport and highlight the need for change to secure the future of the sport in the long term.
• Present the proposals which aim to create and promote a system that engages and retains competitive paddlers for life.
• Gain feedback from the slalom community on the changes being proposed.

Who is the meeting for:

Anyone with an interest in the future structure of slalom racing in the UK. All that we ask is that everyone attending comes with an open mind, considers the issues we face across different levels of the sport, and willingness to contribute to and shape the future structure of slalom racing in this country.

How to attend:

Please register that you will be attending by completing this form. Please could you register by 2nd April, this will allow us to organise lunch for those attending in person and share a meeting link with those that are planning to attend virtually.

Advance information:

Proposals for a new racing structure have been developed and will be presented on the day. However, to help everyone consider their thoughts in advance, the proposals and a set of FAQs are being published in advance.

Update (29/3/25): a video explaining the process for calculating points under these proposal is now available

Update (3/4/25): a document showing example of event points has been published.

These documents and video can be found here.  These are available now, but please check back for updates and supporting information nearer the event date.

You are encouraged to read both of these, share your thoughts with those that are attending the event, and initially bring feedback to the consultation event.

Please also think about the positives and negatives of the current ranking system in general terms.  This provides an insight to illustrate why change may be needed.