Freestyle, friendships & fun – The GB freestyle kayaking academy camp 2025
Picture this: 38 teenage kayakers, a week of white water, and a campsite buzzing with energy. That’s the GB Freestyle Kayaking Academy Camp at Holme Pierrepont (HPP). It has become an annual summer event that blends freestyle kayaking, friendship, and pure joy. Now in its third year, the camp continues to grow, and I’ve been lucky to be part of the volunteer team that runs the camp each time. Here’s my behind-the-scenes look at the 2025 camp.
What is the GB freestyle academy camp?
As you might be able to tell from the name, this was a week-long camp run by GB Freestyle, which focused on developing junior (11-17) paddlers in freestyle. The core purpose of the camp was for the paddlers who attended to have a great time, to develop their freestyle and other skills, and to leave them with the confidence to continue growing both as paddlers and as freestyle enthusiasts.
The overriding goal of the camp is to spread the love of freestyle kayaking as a sport. By nurturing the enthusiasm of these junior paddlers, the hope is that they themselves are then in a position to encourage and inspire others that they know (parents, clubs, school friends, etc) to get involved and give it a go!
Paddlers who attended the camp had to be first nominated by their club and then selected by the freestyle committee to gain a place. Clubs had been invited to nominate any junior paddlers for the camp, and to nominate a paddler. It was a tough selection process, but ultimately 38 young paddlers were nominated and chosen to attend. This is the third year of the camp, and I really feel that it has grown and developed significantly since we first ran it two years ago.
Week of the camp
Day 1: Monday
After many months of preparations and a weekend of camp set-up, the GB freestyle academy camp officially kicked off at 08:00 on Monday. Young paddlers started arriving at the camp, laden with bags, kayaks, and paddles, ready for a week on the water.
Bethan, Laura, and I did the signing-in process. Laura and Bethan dealt with important matters, such as medical consent forms and behaviour contracts. I had the fun job of finding the correct name badge for each paddler and trying to subtly get everyone to sign the first of the birthday cards. We had three birthdays at camp this week, starting with Elsie’s, who was turning 14.
Once everyone had arrived and was signed in, we held a camp briefing to review the key points for the week. A session of kayak outfitting and tent set-up followed this.
We were fortunate to have had several kayaks to loan out to paddlers who didn’t own their own playboats.
A mixture of the GB Freestyle Jed fleet and other playboats loaned by clubs meant that everyone had a playboat they could use for the week. Coaches were helping paddlers ensure they were correctly outfitted in those kayaks, so they had a better time on the water.
Lunch followed, and those paddlers who had never attended the camp before found out just how well they get fed at the camp! If there is one thing that doesn’t happen at the academy camp, it is that Em and her team let anyone go hungry!
Getting started
By the end of lunch, paddlers were kitted up and ready to walk over to the course! Thirty-eight paddlers, all geared up, are quite a sight as we walk through the campsite. We arrived, and the coaches were all ready to get started. Bibs were on, warm-ups began, and it was time to go kayaking!
Each coach and their assistant coach had a group of paddlers, and each group were doing different things. Some groups stayed relatively stationary in one feature for the entire session, while others moved steadily down the course. Some started with a flatwater warm-up on the lake. Others went straight into working on specific moves in Inlet.
As the welfare lead during the day, I essentially spent the water sessions wandering up and down the white water course, checking in with groups and paddlers. Anyone who needs a little time out, some medical assistance, or anything else can then come and see me. This also means that I get to see what is going on across the groups, which is really lovely.
Despite there being some big showers earlier in the day, it had got very sunny in the afternoon. The warm weather, combined with everyone having lots of energy, meant that everyone seemed to be having a great time. Despite it being a 3-hour session, there were plenty of paddlers still raring to go by the end of it!
Once everyone was off the water, we stored the kayaks away and then walked back to camp. Showers and snacks followed, after which coaches had a daily debrief with their groups. Whilst dinner was being prepared, the kids were encouraged to join in with some of the camp activities.
Camp activities
Activities included designing a picture for their tent. Each tent we had given a freestyle move name, e.g. ‘Loop’. Each tent group had to create a poster for their tent, which was laminated and tied to the tent. There were some excellent designs, particularly from George and Bella, who both demonstrated artistic talent.
One of the activities that Em had brought with her was a nail salon set. One of the groups of girls got started and was quietly enjoying doing their nails. They were joined by one of the boys’ groups, who quickly got into it. None of the boys had ever done gel nails before and weren’t quite as practised.
Luckily, young Vivienne took charge and was quite happy to direct them on how to do it properly, as well as inform them when they weren’t doing it correctly. She soon had them in order, and there were some beautiful gel nails across the group by the end of the night! The group gave her the nickname ‘BOSS,’ which she seemed to be very proud of.
A lovely dinner of lasagne was followed by some birthday brownies and singing for Elsie. We did have some birthday candles, but these got misplaced during dinner. Luckily, Becky had a small tealight candle in her van, so this was used as a replacement. Everyone was very happy with the brownies!
Pete then retrieved his collection of circus equipment, and a juggling session commenced. It was lovely to look out across the camp as the sun set, to a group of amateur teenage jugglers just having fun and giving it a go! There were some quick learners in the group, and many had really grasped the concept by the end of the evening. Thanks, Pete, for loaning your equipment!
Day 2: Tuesday
Tuesday was the first full day in camp and felt very busy! The campers were up early, had breakfast, and were geared up by 09:30. Matt led them in a group warm-up, which involved penguin impersonations among other things. If you haven’t met Matt Stephenson before, whilst being an incredible kayaker and kayaking coach, he is also one of the biggest kids at heart you will ever meet. Any chance to be silly and do silly things – Matt will take it! He is therefore the perfect person to lead a light-hearted, warm-up on the first proper morning of camp!
The white water course
Warm up over, we walked over to the white water course and got on for the morning session. The same coaches led groups as on Monday and were once again working on different skills and towards various goals throughout the course. I had brought my camera along today, so I was busy getting some photos as well as checking in with the coaches and paddlers.
Different paddlers will face various challenges, and what was lovely was watching everyone push themselves to meet that challenge. For some of the paddlers, it was their first time surfing on white water; for others, it was their first roll. There were paddlers in Troll Hole trying to link moves or a group working on entry moves into features. It didn’t matter what they were working on; the joy on their faces when they got it for the first time was incredible to see!
When the coached session came to an end, the coaches spread out along the course, and the paddlers had some free time to paddle as they wished. This, of course, was met with great delight, and we had to drag them off the course when it was time to go back for lunch.
After lunch, we headed back to the course for some swim safety and rescue practice. Swimming at HPP is quite okay, as it is pretty deep. This is one of the huge advantages of HPP compared to other white water courses. If you don’t roll up, swimming isn’t really that bad! However, learning how to swim safely and also how to help rescue someone in a playboat yourself are skills worth learning.
The groups were joined together for this session, and it was clearly a lot of fun! With Matt leading the way, they started by swimming down through the Inlet gate, then swimming while holding onto their paddles.
This progressed to pairing up with one person kayaking down and the other holding onto the back of their playboat. This did result in a few people being tailgated while going through Inlet, but that is part of the learning process. The pairs swapped over so that each one had a chance to try the paddling part.
Finally, Den ended this session by getting them all to jump below Inlet for one last swim. The paddlers were ecstatic (and very soggy) at the end of the session!
We ended the afternoon session with an hour of kayaking as well. Once again, when our session came to an end, we had to drag them out of the water. Confidence was really building, and it was hard to remind them they still had 3 days of kayaking to go!
Back at the camp, everyone showered and was very glad of a delicious dinner of nachos! Em and the team really do spoil us when it comes to food at the camp! Evening activities then involved doing some juggling and video analysis. Being able to watch videos of a skill performance and constructively analyse that skill is a valuable skill in itself.
this is aimed at applying it to watching back kayaking videos and self-coaching, it was good fun for everyone to give it a go with juggling!
Day three: Wednesday
Halfway through the week! Wednesday morning is a lie-in day, allowing athletes and staff to recover from the first two days and have enough energy to continue for the rest of the week. There is no paddling in the morning; instead, there is a late brunch and other activities. Everyone appreciated the lie-in, but especially coach Gav, who was celebrating his birthday today!
The morning activities included designing t-shirts for the new academy camp, learning first aid, playing card games, and some impromptu guitar and singing practice. Becky and Matt had both brought their guitars out, and it turns out we have some very talented musicians in the group – especially Phil!
In the afternoon, paddlers had the choice to either stay a bit longer at camp or come down to the course a little earlier for some Balsam bashing with Matt. Himalayan Balsam is an invasive weed commonly found along the banks of canals and rivers, and it excels at seed dispersal to the extent that it rapidly outcompetes many of our native plants. This is a problem as it leads to a lower biodiversity, making ecosystems less stable. Matt is a big advocate for Balsam bashing and loves to share that with others.
Most of the paddlers opted to do some Balsam Bashing, and so we headed down to the course at midday. After some guidance from Matt, the team got to work. There is something very therapeutic about Balsam Bashing, and the kids soon got very competitive about who had pulled up the most Balsam or who could bash it the hardest. They almost seemed a little sad when we said it was time to go kayaking instead!
Different coaching styles
The rest of the group from camp joined, and everyone got kitted up and on the water. Coaches had changed groups today to give the paddlers a chance to experience different coaching styles. I spent the afternoon supporting groups from the bank and taking photos. My role soon evolved into that of chief snack supervisor.
The camp team had kindly left some extra water and snacks by the side of the course. Never underestimate how much a teenager who exercises all day can eat. The homemade cocoa bars and bananas seemed particularly popular. I think the record was four bananas in one snack break by one of the paddlers, which is impressive when they were only there for 10-15 minutes!
The paddlers all seemed to be having an excellent time on the water. It was really lovely how encouraging they all were of each other. When a paddler was struggling to paddle back onto a feature, they’d all be in the eddy screaming encouragement for them to paddle back up. When someone nailed a loop or a tailee, there’d be shouts of joy from the others in celebration. They might not have realised they were all doing it, but walking along the course and seeing all the groups meant I had the bigger picture, and it was a really wholesome one!
Once again, by the time our session had ended and we needed to return to the camp, I was having to drag coaches and their paddlers off the water, as they were all having so much fun. We went back to camp for dinner and raspberry cake for Gav’s birthday.
In the evening, a virtual talk was arranged with Dr Cooper about how changes in hormones can affect our bodies and performance as paddlers, especially for women. I hadn’t clocked who Dr Alison Cooper was until she appeared on the screen and I said to Becky – oh, it’s Oli’s mum! Oli Cooper is a lovely friend of mine and one of the UK’s most talented white water paddlers. Alison is also a phenomenal paddler, and it was great to hear her wisdom from her medical background shared with the group. Thanks, Dr Cooper!
Day four: Thursday
Thursday turned out to be another beautiful sunny day! Thanks to Gav’s birthday the day before and Teija’s birthday today, there was the option of a slice of birthday cake to go with breakfast, which, of course, everyone was thrilled about. We got everyone geared up and headed over to the course. There were a couple of paddlers staying behind this morning due to illness or over-tiredness. The option of an extra few hours of sleep was gladly taken, so they felt they had the energy to get back on the water in the afternoon.
This morning’s water activities involved trying out different types of kayaking. We started with a mass start down to the bottom of the course. Mass starts are always impressive, but when it is done in playboats, perhaps even more so! I particularly enjoyed watching them go through the stickiest of the features – Troll Hole. At one point, I looked over to see Brendan charging through Troll Hole, surrounded by not one, not two, but three upside-down fellow paddlers. It was pretty impressive!
Once everyone made it to the bottom, we headed back to the top to try out another activity. There was the option to try either squirt boating or OC1 (or both!) There was also the option to try doing some races off the ramp. This is always a fantastic spectator sport, and as I took some photos, a few paddlers came over to join me on the side to watch. Many of the paddlers hadn’t had a go at a ramp start over water before, and so were a little nervous, but they all smashed it!
Squirt boating and OC1
I popped over to see the squirt boaters and OC1 paddlers who were also having a great time! Both squirt boating and OC1 take a little getting used to if you haven’t tried them before, but the group of paddlers involved looked like they were having the best time!
We headed back to camp for some lunch before getting ready for the afternoon session.
I decided it would be great to let the paddlers take over their warm-up whilst we rallied everyone into getting prepared to go to the course. George was happy to take on the warm-up lead and soon had everyone gathered in a circle, working through some stretches. Excellent work, instructor George! Once warmed up and sun creamed up, we walked back over to the course.
The afternoon was dedicated to coached freestyle sessions, and the groups were with the same coaches that they had been with on Wednesday. It was a long, sunny afternoon as I wandered up and down the course, taking photos and checking in with the groups; everyone seemed to be having the best time.
Becky’s group were working on boofing through Inlet to start with. It was amazing to watch Vivienne (A.K.A. Boss) manage to get an accidental back loop in her run as well! She looked slightly surprised afterwards, but the other paddlers watching were all very impressed! Vivienne also did a fantastic job of helping her group with kayaks and paddlers. She was an assistant fisher and was really helpful in supporting other paddlers who had capsized. Well done, Vivienne!
Matt’s group were working on a range of moves in Inlet. I stayed a little while to take some photos and was very impressed when Dylan looped so hard that he went out of the frame of my photo. I first met Dylan about four years ago when he was a very keen young freestyle skier. Whilst little certainly can’t be used to describe Dylan any more at 17, he is still super enthusiastic, and it was lovely to see him having such a beautiful time at camp again this year.
Gav and Tamsyn had groups working on surfing, spins and more on Jaws. It’s very impressive to watch Gav coach something like this, as he is so comfortable that he can still be in the surf and fully describe the breakdown of each move to the group as he does it. Owen was thrilled to nail his surfing on Jaws and looked very happy while doing so. Owen came to the camp last year with little white water experience, and now he is so comfortable in a playboat, which is amazing to see! He is also the happiest person I’ve ever met – every time I saw him, he had a huge smile on his face!
At Muncher, Mike and Ottie’s groups were both working on a variety of moves, including entry moves. Muncher is a funny feature and one that people often seem to dislike. It is easy to get flushed off of it, and it can be harder to land moves on compared to something like Inlet. It was great to hear from paddlers, though, that by the end of the afternoon, they had really taken to Muncher. Mason said his opinion of Muncher had really improved that day, and he was now starting to enjoy paddling in it, which is excellent!
At the end of the session, I headed back up to Inlet, where Becky’s group were now practising some surfing. George was so happy from surfing in Inlet and even happier that I’d got some photos of him. It was a really positive end to the session.
I rallied the groups to leave at the end of the session, and we were soon on our way, walking back to the course. After dropping the paddlers back at the campsite, I returned to the course to take some extra photos for the coaches. There was a special occasion to celebrate as coach Becky had graduated! We celebrated with a little private girls’ photoshoot, which was really fun. Well done, Becky!
Back at camp, it was busy as usual – a delicious BBQ dinner, followed by my homemade chocolate ice cream. Olly had made the ice cream himself, and it was tasty, so thanks, Olly! Everyone was happy, either relaxing or engaging in various activities, such as playing ball games or board games. It was a lovely, chilled-out, wholesome atmosphere to end the last night of camp.
Day five: Friday
The final day of camp was here! The morning felt slow and quiet, as both the kids and the staff were absolutely exhausted by this point. The atmosphere was positive, however, and everyone was keen to get back on for that final session.
I really enjoy this point in the camp, as everyone has got to know each other quite well, and the weird friendships begin to emerge. I was treated to being part of ‘circle time’ with one group, who were setting each other challenges, such as a press-up with a clap behind your back. This, of course, resulted in most people landing flat on their faces with their hands behind their backs instead. I didn’t quite see the appeal myself, but they seemed to enjoy it!
Once everyone was ready, we gathered for some final group photos of both staff and paddlers. One final warm-up led by Alex, and we headed off to the course. After many days of glorious sunshine, this final morning was spent in a steady drizzle. By the time we got to the course, I was regretting not bringing my umbrella. Never mind, though – the paddlers were all still happy as they were getting wet anyway!
The morning began with coaching, followed by free time during which the paddlers could choose to paddle whatever they liked. They were loving this, and by the time the session ended, it was really hard to get them all off the water again, which is lovely. The whole point of the camp is to develop young paddlers in freestyle and foster their love for the sport, so it was great that they all wanted to continue paddling.
We then had a team effort to get everyone’s kayaks in a van or on the roof of a car. Luckily, many parents had come along to watch for the morning, and thankfully, several of them were happy to transport a few kayaks down to the campsite. One final roll call later, and we were walking back for the final time.
When we returned to the campsite, I had to leave promptly, as I was actually headed straight to Dover to drive to Austria for a kayaking holiday. It was a shame not to see everyone properly, but I shouted my goodbyes and had lots of kids’ heads appear from tents as they packed their bags to say goodbye back, which was nice.
The team behind the dream
This camp would not be able to run without the considerable help of all of the volunteers involved. This was split into three main teams: the coaches, the pastoral care team, and the wider camp organisation team. There was a significant overlap between the pastoral team and the camp team, and, of course, many of the coaches also took on a pastoral role this week.
The main coaches were Tamsyn, Mike, Matt, Den, Ottie, Gav and Becky. Their assistant coaches included Neil, Sol, JP, Pete, Lisette, Math and Issie. The talent within the coaching team, in terms of paddling and coaching skills, was phenomenal. The opportunity for the young paddlers to have that knowledge passed on from those coaches was huge, and I know many paddlers really appreciated and valued that opportunity.
The core camp team consisted of the Walkers (Em, Baz, and Olly), who have all been involved in all the camps so far and bring a great deal to the team. Running a camp that feeds 60 people four times a day is no small thing! Without the Walker family, the camp experience would not be the same for sure!
They were, of course, joined by a wider team of Nikki, Lisa, and Rob. Bethan and Laura were the pastoral leads at the campsite, and I was leading pastoral during the day at the white water course. We were fortunate as well that Laura had a medical background and could therefore lead on this. Many of the coaches were also very involved in helping to run camp life.
The care and dedication shown by all the volunteers throughout the week to ensure that the camp participants had a good week were incredible. There was a great deal of goodwill invested in making things happen and taking care of all the camp members. Thank you to the entire team for all that you have given.
Thank you also to Peak Paddlesports, Palm Equipment, Pyranha Kayaks and Dewerstone for donating some hats and stickers to give out to paddlers over the week.
The Peak caps were given as spot prizes to attendees who truly stood out for having a great attitude during camp, and the stickers were distributed to all paddlers. We appreciate the companies that support our paddlers.
A final massive thank you to River Legacy and GB Freestyle, of course, for providing the marquee and tents that are the core of the camp set-up. Camp couldn’t happen without you!
Final reflections
This is my third year of involvement in running the GB Freestyle Academy Camp, and I am glad to be back again. Whilst I am utterly exhausted whilst writing this, it was once again a fantastic experience.
I love paddling, and I love the paddling community more than words can describe. Volunteering to give this opportunity to young people has been an absolute pleasure. I have loved the chance to watch them grow over the week and am excited to see what the future holds for each of them.
I hope all attendees had a wonderful time and can now return to their own clubs and local paddling communities, giving back some of what they have received this week.
Happy paddling, everyone – see you on the water!
