Cardington Artificial Slalom Course facts for kids
The Cardington Artificial Slalom Course (CASC) is a special waterway built for canoe slalom in the UK. It was the very first of its kind, finished in July 1982. People started talking about building it way back in 1972.
This course is located on the River Great Ouse. It's near Cardington and inside Priory Country Park. It's about 2.5 kilometers downstream from Bedford. The course has two main jobs. It helps control floods and also provides a place for whitewater canoe slalom training and competitions.
The course cost £273,000 to build. Many groups helped pay for it. These included the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (now the Environment Agency), Anglian Water, and the Sports Council (now UK Sport). Local councils also helped. It was a great example of how a necessary flood control structure could also become a national sports facility.
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What is the Cardington Slalom Course?
The Cardington Artificial Slalom Course is a specially designed channel. It helps control water flow and creates exciting whitewater for canoes.
How Does the Course Work?
The course starts with a special gate called a dropleaf control sluice. This gate is 9 meters wide and opens automatically. It controls how much water flows into the channel. The channel itself is 120 meters long. It slopes downwards, dropping 1 meter for every 100 meters of length.
To make the water flow just right for slalom, there are special shapes in the channel. These are made of fiberglass and are called "hippos" and "dollies." They are fixed to the bottom of the channel. The water can drop up to 1.7 meters from the start to the end of the course. It can handle up to 15 cubic meters of water flowing through it every second.
What Happens at the Course?
The Cardington Artificial Slalom Course is a busy place for canoe sports.
Training and Competitions
The course was first built mainly for training canoe slalom athletes. But it also hosts two national ranking canoe slalom competitions each year. These events are for up to Division 2 level paddlers.
Every year, the course hosts the Inter Clubs Final. This is a big event where teams from the best canoe slalom clubs compete. It runs all weekend, and people can even camp overnight. The Inter Clubs Final is the largest canoe slalom event in the UK. It's a fun social gathering for the sport and a major highlight of the UK slalom calendar.
Celebrating Milestones
In September 2007, the course celebrated its 25th anniversary. The Mayor of Bedford, Frank Branston, visited for the celebration. The original idea for the course was to make it a "regional center for canoeing." This dream has definitely come true!
Who Organizes Events?
Competition events at CASC are organized by the Viking Kayak Club from Bedford. This club also arranges national ranking events and finals for kayak marathon races. The Viking Kayak Club celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011.
