Interview: Peter Tranter
Photos: Isobel Ollard,
Lou Kilshaw,
Jen McGaley,
Nick Bevis
& ‘Outdoor Animation’
A chat with… Mike Shaw
Mike has just returned from the Galway Fest and being a prominent paddler and coach on the freestyle scene, we thought it was a good time for a catch-up. Take it away Mike…
Before we start, Mike – just let our readers know a little about yourself, your family, your background, etc.
As I’m sure many readers would have, I started paddling in the Scouts. The days of putting on a freezing cold, still very wet wetsuit and spinning in circles attempting to paddle forward with a milk carton for a skeg are very much burned into my memory banks. That was before I was terrified of the Eskimo rescue. I remember thinking that the very pinnacle of kayaking was rolling.
I spent a lot of my time volunteering from about the age of 14. I helped to run watersports weekends at the Dockland Scout Project, where we hosted maybe 100 Scouts every weekend and ran water activities for them. I have many great memories from my time there, and that really helped my coaching and gave me a lot of confidence at such a young age.
My parents emigrated to Canada just after I left school, but my twin brother Chris and I chose to stay. University seemed sceptical at the time, so we began working as coaches at almost every centre across London. I had to make enough money to pay rent and have some savings set aside for the winter when the work dried up!
I now run my own company, London Kayak School, volunteer as a coach for the GB Freestyle Team, and run several charity projects. For a bit of variety, I occasionally work on film sets involving water, which is good fun. There is plenty to keep me busy!
What got you hooked on freestyle and WW kayaking?
Living in the south east of England, on the border between London and Kent, I didn’t have much opportunity to do white water. As you’d recognise it today, freestyle kayaking didn’t exist yet. It wasn’t until I worked at centres that I got into freestyle in about 2008.
I’d manage to throw a few ends in a boat, but once I picked up a 07 All Star, I set about learning some moves. EJ’s Playboating DVD inspired and guided me in my actions. I spent many a cold winter’s evening on the dock trying to link ends and work out tricky woos!
I then didn’t kayak that much for several years as I’d hurt my back and was busy renovating houses for a living. It wasn’t until after this that I made a significant effort to do what I enjoy. I guess it might have been taking the time out and nursing a slipped disc that made me want to get back into the sport in a bigger way and make it a larger part of my life.
Over the years, which freestyle competition has left a lasting impression?
They all have for a huge variety of reasons. Sometimes, it’s the location, or it could be that I’ve learnt something about coaching or a particular way that I’ve worked with team athletes. Every competition is unique, and there is always something to learn.
Two events still stand out to me. Anyone can attend, and they’ll be guaranteed a good time no matter their ability level.
The Natural Games. The year I went, it was a part of a larger European tour that I and many other UK paddlers headed out to participate in. It was a bunch of competitions across Europe whose dates aligned perfectly. It was so nice hanging out with all your friends worldwide for three or four weeks; every event was different. But the Natural Games set the gold standard for treating your athletes; backstage passes, big live music shows, hot tubs and chill-out areas made for a great weekend next to a premier freestyle spot.
The European Open/Club Championships, which occur in Nottingham every September, are always fun! There are so many good friends, all having a great time. Hundreds of competitors race down the course on inflatables, and there is a big party on Saturday night. That’s one event I always try to make. Last year, the team from London Kayak School won the club championship and took home a boat for the kids to enjoy.
Tell us about the spots you tend to paddle the most frequently – where are your favourites?
I spend a lot of my summer in Nottingham. It is unbeatable for the number and quality of world-class freestyle features that the course has. Over winter, you’ll find me in the Thames Valley on the weirs. Hurley, Boulters, and Marsh are amongst my favourites, but when Trent Lock is in its prime, it’s hands down my favourite spot and the best wave in the country!
Apart from freestyle and river running – are there other areas of paddling you would like to explore?
We are about to begin a new outreach project in partnership with another club in Brentford, ‘Team Keane’. It’s a flatwater sprint program with a focus on C1 Sprint, so I imagine I’ll be exploring those disciplines that are alien to me right now.
You’re involved in a charity project in Bermondsey – could you tell us more?
Of course, this began last year at Downside Fisher Youth Club in Bermondsey. The club is a stone’s throw from Tower Bridge and the River Thames in one of London’s most deprived areas.
My brother and I set up the project, which has been ongoing for over three years. We’ve just completed the first year. In year two, we begin training their existing pool lifeguards and swim coaches to become kayak coaches while introducing the cohort of young people to a wider variety of paddlesports.
They’re lucky enough to have a swimming pool, so we run pool sessions every week, and once a month, we take them out on open water. To the Thames, the local docks and the canal system. They had their first taste of WW at Hurley late last year. It’s all about new experiences, building skills and taking them outside their comfort zone and into the growth zone. We’re excited to get them into the countryside and expose them to camping and river running on natural rivers away from the big cities and home comforts.
I think the staff team is learning more than the kids. They’re a great group, and seeing our enthusiasm pass on is excellent. It’s a very rewarding project that has attracted numerous volunteers and favours from friends and fellow coaches. We couldn’t do it without them.
You founded the London Kayak School – what does this involve?
Having worked and managed paddlesport programs across several centres in London, I decided that it was about time I set up my own. I’ve thought about doing this for a while, and I was given an opportunity early last year that I really couldn’t turn down.
I wanted somewhere where we could run grassroots introduction sessions up to advanced WW. We have a base in Brentford, where we run regular sessions.
Every Saturday of the year, we run our club day for adults and juniors. We also run weekly activities for individuals, groups, and schools. We’ve introduced them to WW and freestyle, taking them on trips, and now run regular pool sessions on Wednesdays. The staff team has been excellent, and getting to know and develop each of them has been great. We’re also running kid’s holiday camps every week of the school holidays. These are in kayaks, SUPs, etc.
We also run an adult WW development program. We run a weekend of coaching once a month at different venues across the UK. We take a flexible approach and head to wherever the water is best! It’s great to see a group of strangers bond and see that friendship grow alongside their paddling skills. .
We have a few planned trips this year, one to Scotland over Easter and one to Montenegro and the Tara Canyon in September. The Tara Canyon is the deepest canyon in Europe, and the water is crystal clear. It’s an epic trip suitable for a wide range of experience levels.
Excitingly, we are also setting up our charity to deliver paddlesports to as wide a range of people as possible and remove many barriers to participation. I believe in paddlesports and the outdoors as a means of education and growing as a person, especially for those who otherwise wouldn’t have access, from urban areas.
Setting up London Kayak School allows me to reach a wider network of people and pass on my skills and knowledge directly through me or our team of coaches. To join our WW Development weekends, check out our website, www.londonkayakschool.com, or send me an email: mike@londonkayakschool.com
Coaching plays a big part in your life – who are you training now, and for which competition?
We’re gearing up for the World Cup in Germany in May, a trial event before the 2025 World Champs. A lot of our focus with GB is on that event. We then have the European Championships in Austria in August. We’ve yet to select a team for that event. Team trials are at the end of April, and we’ve also got our GB Freestyle Academy and summer camp running.
Regarding athletes with GB, we’re waiting for Nottingham to open back up after the winter of flooding to really step up into gear. We’ve got many new faces coming up with the riders program.
I’m enjoying coaching Suzi Page, who’s developing her squirt boating, and Izzy Wormall. Izzy is our top junior woman and is gearing up for a big year of developing her hole boating. Having coached her since she was nine, I find it great to have been there on her journey through the sport. She’s also volunteering at our charity project and has begun her journey developing as a coach.
What one piece of advice do you give to young paddlers just starting in freestyle?
Not just freestyle but WW paddling and life in general. Enjoy it! It can, at times, be frustrating, but being frustrated with it will only create barriers.
Practice edging! Edging, edging, edging, and edge control are so important! It’s a fundamental skill and key to success in WW!
Get a boat that fits and then outfitting is very important. It took me a good few attempts to get it sorted, and I’ll still be tweaking it. But the effort is worth it!
Lastly, get some professional coaching. It’s like a shortcut to success. Don’t be afraid to look around and find one that works for you.
The Riders Program – what is this, who’s involved?
The Riders Program is a long-term youth coaching program focused on WW and freestyle. Our goal is to produce outstanding, well-rounded WW paddlers.
It’s a partnership between myself and fellow GB coach Dennis Newton and Ottilie Robinson-Shaw. We started the program as a coaching collective. It is a place to put together a core of three of the best coaches in the business to offer quality coaching to young paddlers from the very beginnings of someone’s freestyle and WW journey up to the top flight.
We want to welcome everyone into the program, no matter their ability level, and progress everyone at a pace that suits them. It’s not an exclusive program. We’re a very friendly and welcoming trio who don’t take ourselves too seriously. It’s all about having fun and progressing, doing what we love.
This year, we’ve been running a series of regular dates in Nottingham, with a camp over Easter and one planned for the summer. We also have a weekend river runner at the Tryweryn. We’ll be moving to the Thames weirs and natural rivers in the winter. We hope to grow it from there and host regular camps and coaching days throughout the UK and abroad.
What’s the one river you haven’t paddled that would be on your bucket list?
One? I will have to pick two, the Zambezi and the Rio Claro. Well, all of Chile, really. Ah, and New Zealand. It’s an extensive list! I’m going to need a bigger bucket.
Do you have any final thoughts on freestyle or the wider paddlesports industry?
We’re in an exciting place right now. The work that the volunteers at GB Freestyle are doing under the new chair, Tanya Neilson, has been great. In the summer, we’re running our second GB Academy camp; last year, we had 30 enthusiastic kids in Nottingham for a week’s coaching camp.
The Young Guns Freestyle series is kicking off again this year with three events across the UK, and that’s before we have any of the fun competitions and events that run every year. It’s a very welcoming and friendly scene. There is a lot of enthusiasm for the sport and WW kayaking. It’s a great time to be involved!
Quickies…
If you could paddle with anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be?
I wouldn’t pick a paddler. I’d go for the conversation and have a great day out. David Attenborough or Steve Irwin would be pretty epic! Imagine that! No, wait, I’m picking Arnold Schwarzenneger so we can float down the river quoting Commando, Terminator and Predator endlessly at each other. Get to the chopper!
Pick two celebrities to be your parents.
That’s a hard one! I don’t think I’d ever want to have to live up to my parents. I think you’d feel like you’re living in their shadow. Dane and Emily do a pretty good job, though.
Which famous person would you most like to see play you in a film?
It’d be hard to find someone with the good looks, modest nature, emotional depth, comedic timings and absolute adonis physique to portray me;) Perhaps Tom Hiddlestone, so we could talk nerd or the ageless wonder that is Keanu Reeves.
Are you a bathroom/shower singer, and if so, what do you sing?
Nothing in the shower! Though, you’ll find me singing along in the car to Metallica and Black Sabbath.
An ideal night out for you is?
After a long day outdoors, a big group of my best friends sit around the campfire with jacket potatoes wrapped in foil, baking away while some beans are bubbling in a pot. You won’t find me raving in any clubs!
What one luxury item would you take with you on a desert island?
Surely, a kayak to go surfing, assuming the island has good surf. Tell me it has good surf! C’mon. Please.
What would I find in your fridge right now?
Not very much. Having just returned from Galway Fest, it’s empty! But usually, you’ll find some cheese, hummus, oat milk, and a huge bag of onions to make the base of any good dinner or soup.
What would you prepare for us if we came to your house for dinner?
Anyone who has come on a kayaking trip with me knows that at some point, I’ll bang out a Mexican fiesta with all the trimmings: peppers and onions in a warm wrap with creamy mole, refried beans, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and tortilla chips. I also love cooking curries, so you might be just as likely to get a Paneer Masala or a Rajma with a Dhal and homemade garlic naans.
If you could be a superhero for one day, what superpower would you choose and why?
Flying seems hard to beat! I hate heights, though, and if waterfalls and cliff jumps in Mexico didn’t get me over my fear, I’m not sure if a day flying will.
What is your favourite sports team?
I’m a big fan of American Football. The Denver Broncos are my team. However, things have not been going well for us recently! I’ll do my best to watch them every week, even if that means keeping Den up till late in the hotel room in Columbus.
Who are your paddlesport buddies?
There are too many to list! I paddle with my partner, Isobel, and a big group of friends from Cambridge University, where she is studying for a PhD in aquatic ecology. We do a lot of rivers together and are always planning trips.
Matt Stephenson! We work together a lot. I bring him in to run many of the WW Development and Freestyle courses that we do. The man always has a smile on his face and finds the joy in life for everyone. He doesn’t have a bad bone in his body and is a phenomenal kayaker and C1 paddler. He is incredibly well-rounded and has zero ego. In fact, you should probably interview him next!
Rob Crowe, we spent three weeks living in a Dodge van together at Stakeout last spring. He’s a phenomenal paddler; whenever I’m in Nottingham, I’ll stay with him and mummy and daddy Crowe. They’re awesome.
Are there any final shout-outs?
Plenty, and I’ll undoubtedly miss people. Big up, Kay and Kev, thank you both! Brian Thomas, my Venture Scout Leader, and Aaron and Rhona at Square Rock. They’re always the first to help with contacts and sourcing any needed equipment. Lance at Mitchell Blades keeps me supplied with paddles.
All the staff, coaches and volunteers that assist and help. There are too many to name here, such as Paul, Miranda, Henry, Izzy, Kadeem, Fiona, and John. A final big shout-out to Big G! George is invaluable in the delivery of the charity project, and we couldn’t do it without him. A heart as big as the man himself.
Further info
www.facebook.com/mikeshawkayakcoach
www.londonkayakschool.com
www.instagram.com/riders.program
