Dear Paddlers
As winter recedes and the first rays of a spring warm the vegetable garden and lift our hearts, it is time to plan our adventures for the warmer months.
The Burley Griffin Canoe Club (BGCC) would like to formally invite your club to join us on the shores of Molonglo Reach in Canberra for the BGCC 24 Hour Challenge in 2011. It is a relay event that runs from midday on the 19th of November through to the same time on the following day. It is a charity event which this year will be raising much needed money for Cure Cancer Australia. It is an event run for the sport and the participants with a raft of prizes and bragging rights up for grabs. It is an event with history dating back to 1992 when it was held between Central Coast and Burley Griffin Canoe Clubs. In 1993 it was first held at BGCC with participant numbers quite small. Since then it has grown to a community event which now brings the amazing benefits of paddle sports to anyone looking for a challenge.
In 2010 we opened this previously closed event to the wider community and welcomed more than double the number of entrants. We introduced prizes (including a brand new sea kayak drawn from a hat), onsite commercial food and beverage facilities, sponsors and a competitive atmosphere which extended from introductory paddlers through to seasoned athletes. The event was so successful that we now have a microcosm of industry specific challenges cropping up like Police versus Fire Brigade, the local store Wetspot Water Sports versus the National Capital Authority (they have an ongoing ÒdiscussionÓ about water quality) and commercials throwing down the gauntlet to each other. Some compete for speed, others for entertainment value. Everyone finds time to chill out and relax on the expansive shore, especially overnight around an open fire.
This year we hope to double the numbers again with a specific focus on growing the interclub competition. While we bring new people into the world of paddling we also strive to strengthen the tradition and provide a challenging environment for those that consider paddling to be more their lifestyle rather than an annual distraction. Our event is sufficiently disparate from both the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic and Murray Marathon that it could be used as an isolated event or dress rehearsal for the latter. We certainly have members attending either or both these great races as well.
To help us plant the BGCC 24 Hour Challenge firmly on the paddling calendar, we would also like your input on how we can make this event more appealing to you and your members. Please circulate this message through your club and anyone who has something to contribute can do so through their existing links with BGCC or via our email address: bgcc24@gmail.com.
For all the finer details on this yearÕs Challenge, please check out our website: http://bgcc24.blogspot.com/ we will continue to update it as registrations open (by Friday the 9th of September), prizes are finalised, the 4 Ð 5 kilometre course is mapped out, etc.
So please, come along, enjoy the atmosphere around the open fire, support a worthwhile charity and give each other (and us) a challenge. This is one of very few events which have gained approval to camp out in the nationÕs capital so take the opportunity to enjoy it with us. It will be great to see you there.
Kind regards,
Burley Griffin Canoe Club
