The Slalom Academy

The Slalom Academy – A Penrith Valley Canoeing Development Program

  1. The whitewater branch of Penrith Valley Canoeing (PVC) is setting up a local club-run pathway for the development of canoe slalom from beginners to elite level: The Slalom Academy. This club-run pathway will be complementary to, and work in close collaboration with, existing state and national development pathways run by PaddleNSW and Paddle Australia, respectively.
  2. The overarching goal of The Slalom Academy is to provide an inclusive and friendly environment for the learning, mastering, and enjoyment of the sport of canoe slalom.
  3. Similar to academies for the study of music, foreign languages or the arts, The Slalom Academy will have a grade structure based on canoe slalom ability levels, which will be aligned with those of Paddle Australia.
  4. The grade structure in The Slalom Academy will initially consists of six levels with associated colours (akin the belt colours in martial arts) and ability levels, ranging from a beginners level (Purple) to elite level (Red), via four intermediate levels (Blue, Green, Yellow,Orange), as summarised in Table 1.
  5. All PVC slalom members are welcome to participate in The Slalom Academy and will train with their respective grade group from the start of Term 4 (2019), the 21st of October. 
  6. Applying criteria outlined in Table 1, PVC slalom members will be assigned to one of the five groups by the PVC club coach, in consultation with the NSW Development Pathway coach, Emir Mujcinovic.
  7. Each grade level in The Slalom Academy will have a customised training program and corresponding fee structure.
  8. As paddlers progress in their canoe slalom ability level, they can be nominated for “graduation” from one level to the next by the PVC club coach or NSW Development Pathway coach, Emir Mujcinovic, and will be subject to the nominee meeting the ability criteria for the next ability level. Paddlers who change grade level halfway the term will be charged a proportional fee, according to the fraction of the term spent in each grade level.

2019 Term 4 Timetable