Varsities
If you haven't seen it yet... We have a, Mike Sweeney designed, Varsities website up!
Check it...
http://kayak.csn.ul.ie/varsities/
Just the basics up at the moment... but we'll have more up in the coming weeks...
If there are any colleges that want to compete and haven't been in contact with me give me a shout now... You'll find my email address on the site...
Also my attention has been drawn to a rumour that started about me on this board! I would like to clarify that I don't smell of cabbage!!
Ah, a whitewater race on the mighty Castleconnell.
That'll have them quaking in their boots!
Connor
I'd say it's a combination of logistics and safety. Getting that many people out to the glens and that at a decient level of water it might not be ideal to make it an all inclusive event which castleconnell would provide.
This is just an edcuated random guess. I'm sure some one from ULKC can tell you the exact reason if you contact them on there comp website.
Adrian
Party on People!
And no doupt all the Cork heads wanted to do it in squirt boats....... and for anyone who was hardcore used hand paddles!
Party on People!
Yeah the main reason that the event is not being held on the glens is that it gives everyone on the club the possibility of competing in this part of the competition. Remember the varsities is designed in mind with keeping freshers in the club not scaring them off (as well as the older members enjoying themselves of course!) ...
Also there is no point in "possibly" holding the event anywhere. The Castleconnell is always ready for a run. Especially for those who don't feel competent to compete in this part, its a great river for introducing newbies to white water while having a bit of banter on the river at the same time, you don't need a grade IV to have fun...
Believe me a LOT of time and exceptionally brilliant effort has gone into the planning of what promises to be, a great weekend, and what is planned will work as opposed to might work!
Even if your not competing its one to pencil into your diaries and make the trip to!
See y'all there folks! 
P.s super work on the site Mikey!
It is easier to gain forgiveness than it is permission...
this is a debate that happens every year, and it really came to shine last year!
Erica said the varsities are for keeping freshers in te respective canoe clubs, but i really disagree with this. Its a competition, where the best are determined by a sufficient challenge. If its the case that everyone should be able to participate that's fair enough and a suitable river should be decided on, perhaps having 2 rivers like LYIT did last year, but having easy events really only shows which club has the best freshers, at the risk of estranging experienced members.
that being said, having been part of a club hosting varsities, as the river grade in the WW increases, the organisation difficulties increase too. access, safety and so on can be a nightmare on tough rivers with little road along the intended route. and bearing in mind that the hosting club are responsible for alot, its their prerogative to play it safe.
my 2cents, and as i remember the at the cork varsities, the gates w ere a scrape.
Well, it is an intervarsity competition so the aim of the competition is to award the best team in each event and the best overall college...
The white water race is a race.. Not a competition to find out who can get most team members down a section of river, they have never paddled before, without swimming!
In my opinion, and in the opinion of many of more paddlers around Limerick, including some of the guys that were involved in the 2003 varsities, the Castleconnell is the best location for this race...
If it is good enough for a Wild Water World Cup event then it surely is good enough for the Varsites! And we are guaranteed to have water!
We could have an event on the Glens, but where?
Start at top drop? Race down through the tight lines on constriction and little Eas? Come off Big Eas and land on someone?? A race through the whole section could be chaos! How would people know where to go? How many people eligible to compete out of the 60/70 competitors would actually know what they are doing on the river? Doesn't sound like much of a race to me if the competitors don't even know where they are going...
Take a short section somewhere along the river? The section from below little Eas down being the most realistic... Okay it doesn't have sections like little Eas and constriction but there is still plenty of potential for people getting hurt... I have seen 2 friends, both competent college paddlers, getting vertically pinned on this section... These were guys that knew where they should be going... Again, what happens when you have people that haven't run it before? Given the nature of the event with 4 disciplines and 2 partys squeezed into a short weekend there isn't really an opportunity for the competitors to run it before the event...
We are pretty lucky in Limerick with the locations we have for the weekend... The University Arena, the Shannon for the Long Distance, Curragower for the Freestyle... and many would think we are lucky to have the Castleconnell for the White water... Ok it might not be Jacksons or the Gates of the Flesk... Where here you have challenging, but safe white water on a section that can be easily accessed and examined...
However... It is a section of river that will seperate the fastest college white water paddlers from the not so fastest! Isn't that really the aim of the event? And hopefully it will be a bit of fun for everyone aswell!
Like Tiernan said, it's a debate that goes on every year.
IMO, any club that takes on the varsities should be allowed without question to put on a competitive inclusive event without constantly being second guessed.
The only potential room for criticism should be if the host club puts an event somewhere wholy inappropriate. The Castleconnell, while not as technical as the glens is obviously more inclusive and retains competitive element. It is appropriate. The glens, for first years, who will make up your club in years to come are unlikely to feel comfortable on the glens.
It's always a balance between the extremes of being all inclusive or being elitist.
Discussing it on a national freestyle forum is hardly appropriate either, opening it up for everyone to "take their shot" and tennis the thing between "but why not" and "but what if"....
If you have a particular problem you should send your opinions by email to the 2 addresses available from the varsities website.
Whoops, I thought you might have understood that I meant everyone enjoying themselves by the quote above, my mistake!
Sorry I just never took the varsities with such a spirited head! It might be just me, I have always entered the varsities for the fun of it more so than the competition,
(and I am NOT saying competition is all bad), I know that coming away with a bit of metal gives you a sense of achievment and adds to the atmosphere! (an excuse for another pint yey!) but we all know that the varsities is more than just a competition.
I do feel however that freshers should be kept in mind when choosing the river. I don't know if I would have been as eager to get back on a river if I was asked to race down the glens after my first few months of paddling in a nylon deck, schlegel paddles and boat that was (probably) not fitted properly. A river that caters for all abilities works best and this is why the varsity crew have decided on the CC.
Apologies for the mix up (but the Castleconnel is the best choice really no apologies for that!),
End of discussion (in the nicest way possible!)
The varsities will be great! 
It is easier to gain forgiveness than it is permission...
Difficult rivers for the WW gives the Freshers something to aim for.
"Next Year, I'm going to be good enought to compete" etc.
But I agree, it should be down to the organising college to deicde.
anyway, since when did anyone other than UCG take the Varsities seriously.
We seem to have posted at the same time, Yes Toe-knee your so right old wise man (can I call you splinter from now on?)...
Thanks for the apple pie & custard splinter! (its got a great ring to it!)
It is easier to gain forgiveness than it is permission...
RRRAAARRRR!!!
Saucer of milk!
Funny though - I always thought polo seemed to be the place where the heaviest competition existed. I remember hearing someone say once at a Munster League competition "I'll see you on the water" with a totally straight face. I expected the guy to follow up by suggesting handbags at 20 paces...
My face wasn't so straight - I almost choked.
I seriously question the logic of even suggesting the Glens as an appropriate location for this event. The locations for Varsities 2008 were chosen with the safety and ability of ALL competitors in mind. In my opinion freshers or any club paddler who is unfamiliar with the Glens or other grade IV rivers should not be asked to compete on the Glens. To do so would not inspire, it would frighten and jeopardise the safety of all involved.
Lets catch ourselves on a little bit here, if people want to run the Glens or similar rivers, they are inspired by watching really experienced and skilled paddlers running it well, taking time to scout it etc. and not by watching some unfortunate getting creamed because they really weren’t aware of the dangers or the required skill level. I don’t doubt that there will be some very skilled paddlers in the competition and the bar is constantly raised but surely common sense must prevail, the Glens would pose too many risks and would surely result in many budding paddlers deciding to choose chess instead...and we don’t want that
