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The British Freediving Championships in Dynamic and Static Apnea 2007

Thread Status: Hello , There was no answer in this thread for more than 60 days.
It can take a long time to get an up-to-date response or contact with relevant users.
I guess so... Maybe I will give it another go.

jayhem said:
We also promised a prize to the best newcomer, no need to do a 200m dynamic for that ! ;-)
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I didn't know that. Not a newcomer myself, but good to know that the prizes would be shared among more competitors.
 
Like I said Lucia it wasn't aimed at you, it's just that some of your comments were the same as comments we'd heard from other people. I wrote my post before seeing your BFA post.
 
Reactions: naiad
Can't believed that Nobody noticed that Freediving in the UK just ain't sexy. just like olympic walking ain't sexy.
Freedivers are *relatively* few in the UK so events are bound to be a headache... plus the moneys non existant... again cos it just ain't sexy.

The English are not a great sporting nation, they invent silly games like cricket then spend most of their summers getting their arses kicked at it.
The Welsh like choirs and sheep.
Northern Ireland is great if you like politics and guns.
Us Scots... well historically we just went around stabbing each other, waiting for someone to invent heroin.
So Benny, if You wanted enthusiasm and passion for fringe sports mate... You overshot it and wound up in the wrong place.
 
Reactions: BennyB

Whoah just a minute young man

England has got some very sexy freedivers - Sara Campbell, Emma Farrell, Sam Still (phroar) and others... The English are a sporting nation, they had strong rugby players for years, and just like South Africa, anyone can go through a bad patch.

As for the Scots... didn't they behave similar to your compatriots up in Norway? rofl rofl I never saw a sheep in a Welsh choir Pastor?
 
Reactions: laura storm
Ooooooh Sands, Pastor can make those sheep sing alright!!!!!!

Back in the days of Freediver magazine it seemed that UK comps were held regularly and well attended??? I used to go to Richmond Pool years ago when Steve Gardener was running training sessions there, used to be a decent turn-out.
 
Reactions: Pastor
I'm not criticising the English freediving talent. It's just the image of the sport, it doesn't promote itself very well.

Crap colonial games like cricket and rugby are proof that you don't even need something good to be popular... when everyone is bored of England getting beaten up by the South Africans, Kiwis, Pakis, Indians and Ozzies in the stuffy old cream tea olympics You just make a new faster version with colourful jerseys and market it as if it was good.

Freediving needs to get the talent showcased... Sara Campbell, Emma Farrell, Sam Still etc. in bikinis, selling beer.
AIDA needs a dictator and some direction... proper rules... Disciplines probably need shaking up... perhaps some leagues and regional, continental and world championships in the traditional sporting formats that most people around the world can relate to? What use is sexy if you ain't selling it?

Oh i didn't say the English weren't a sporting nation... just that they aren't a Great sporting nation fair play to them... they turn up after all.
I wouldn't compare Us Scots to Norwegians... Norwegians are really quite civilised lol.
 

can he now??? he was saying that's what a good pair of wellies were for rofl

I might come for the one next year, and see what it's all about .
 
I'd like to say that there are plenty of freedivers in the UK...
...and at least we can get in the water as opposed to trying to dive into rock hard ice which more of the Norwegans seems to find fun.
Maybe that's why you've forgotten how great we are here back in the uk, you've had too much concussion.
And at least cricket's got 'balls'!
 
Reactions: laura storm
atomichaggis said:
Can't believed that Nobody noticed that Freediving in the UK just ain't sexy.
Click to expand...

great post Davie:ko askin' for trouble!

Who am I to comment though, a Brit. on the other side of the world!

There is some joy to be had participating in a minority sport. The friendships are stronger, and the waters uncrowded. I started snowboarding 22 years ago and it was the same, a happy, disorganized, small club, with open pistes. Is it better now? Comps every weekend and millions of fools falling over themselves on the pistes? I think I have answered that question already.

Now, as long as no one brings rugby into things right now, I think we might all finish this thread as buddies
 
Lucia - you did NOT enter the competition last year, you were an "opener" which is entirely different.

Atomchaggis - British Freediving is extremely sexy - just come down to any SaltFree meet and you'll see!! at least all the scuba divers seem to find us very sexy as we ooze our way into our neoprene and walk around the carpark in extremely tight suits. And we dive all year round, and no, there is no ice and it's not even that grim. At SaltFree in the winter we have about 15m viz, clear, beautiful, drinkable water, no current, loads of depth, you are warm enough in a 5ml and most importantly, the company is fabulous.

I'm not in London any more so it was very difficult for me to get there this year (6 hour drive) AND I have to work the day the comp was planned for - which are my excuses - not that I think I need one after running the only comp that did go ahead in this country this year...

I've been in touch with the organisers with some other reasons. One of the biggest is that there have been a few "issues" with the leadership of the BFA - which means this comp was launched at fairly short notice, without much detail which also didn't help. That problem should be sorted soon.

Saltfree in the meantime will stay as an independent republic of freediving and will for sure be running a comp next year - and doing the absolute utmost we can to get people to enter and make it fun for everyone whether they are diving 5m or 50m - as we've always tried to.

We have bid to the BFA to run the national depth champs next year - in CW, CWNF and FIM (choose two, its a two day event), probably in July but tbc at this stage. More info on www.saltfreedivers.com as its available.... Laura and I had our first chat about it last night.

We can't promise anything but we'll obviously do our utmost to make sure there are people there for you to compete against! If necessary, as last year, I'll enter myself just to boost the numbers and make my gran, brother, dog, cat and goldfish enter too......

S
 
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Reactions: alix.leclerc and Pastor

I was in the UK less than a week ago... it was a long 5 days lol. Felt so good to get back to Norway. I've just spent a couple of hours fishing in the fjord, the surface of the water is like glass and its nice n' sunny. The trees are turning oranges and browns and the colours are breathtaking (colours are better under norther skies) and I got a couple of dabs and a cod for My efforts in these harsh conditions.
 

Year on year record numbers of Brits are moving abroad... Don't think the freediving is the problem tho lol. Think they all just want something that is lacking there and its probably the same thing that is stopping people getting into freediving in a big way or the people that are into freediving from competing.

I don't think freediving could ever have the same problems as snowboarding or some popular sports... the seas and lakes are pretty big places and nobody is gonna go on a freediving trip to get hammered every night and I don't think we'll ever see freedive hooliganism lol.
 
Sam,
For all the sexiness oozing into neoprene all over the UK its still not drawing in the crowds... nor the competitors it seems.
The only time anyone in the UK ever mentioned freediving to Me in a conversation that I didn't start was the day after one of Tanya streeter's doco's aired... It was spoken of quite enthusiastically too So You all know whats required.
 
Ben, I'm sorry about the misunderstanding.

Sam, I did enter the competition last year. Due to a change of plan after I entered, I did the 'opener' event instead. I will explain by PM if you need an explanation.

I was trying to be helpful by explaining why I did not enter this year's competition, so that the organisers could have a better idea of why people may not have entered, so these reasons could be addressed next time. I certainly don't feel like competing now, when I try to help and receive rudeness in return.
 
Reactions: BennyB
Atomchaggis - No need to diss us to the world! I know loads of freedivers in the UK who dive all the time, I can only name 2 from Norway but that doesn't mean I start having a go at Norway on the forums. Play fair!

S
 
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Now now campers! Too many people pointing fingers and winding each other up,
 

Just trying to get to the root of the problem that was being discussed and of course a little gentle ribbing but I think I have a valid point about British attitudes and about the sports image as I am a 'British subject' and one that was never impressed by the sport whilst living there.

Say what you like about Norway... It does alright for a country of less than 5 million (to 60+mil in UK) spread over a land mass much larger but it changed My opinion of freediving due to the good attitudes towards spearing and recreational freediving here. I'd like that for the UK too but it just ain't there at present... not just in freediving but a lot of things.
 
atomichaggis - one last thing... if you were interested in freediving and in the UK, I am AMAZED our paths didn't cross - you certainly didn't ask about diving with SaltFree, we've been around for 4 years now and have a great set up.

next time you're here, get in touch, come and dive with us and we'll change your mind!

Sam
 
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