Coverage of the 1st ever 2nd Bathtubbing World Championships hits the Ukrainian Television. follow the link below to the article on the event.
A World Bathtubbing Championship takes place in Britain
An edited translation Posted on October the 12th, 2011 at 14:35
A World Bathtubbing Championship took place in the British Wales. This competition is taking place only for the second time, but it has already become international. The participants include citizens of Australia and France. As yet there aren’t many risk-takers. But the organisers are hoping that before long this entertainment will become more popular. Reporting on this new form of competition with pretentions to the title of a sport discipline – Ganna Gorozhenko.
The sportsmen approach the competitions very seriously. They must not only paddle their bathtub for 100 meters, but also negotiate obstacles. There is a judge to monitor the time; the results are entered in a protocol.
Ganna Gorozhenko, our correspondent, writes: “Only outsiders may consider this to be kids’ play. But in reality to manage paddling a bathtub for more than ten meters is very good”.
A bathtub is not a canoe and it can turn over at any moment. Such unpleasant occasions do happen during the competitions.
Alan, a competition participant, says: “The most important thing is to keep on an even keel. The fact is that the bathtubs are very unstable, any incorrect move and you could be out of the competition. For this reason you must paddle very actively. But it is enjoyable” .
These vessels are raced on a lake near the village of Llanwrtyd Wells which is in the very centre of Wales. When the competition begins, Tony Bain, a local carpenter, becomes a proper admiral; he monitors in every detail that rules are not broken. Tony checks over all the bathtubs because on them depends the result of every participant.
Tony Bain, the organiser of the championship, says: “As you see, this bathtub is varnished (coated) underneath. It can move very fast in water. Because of that, we have placed plastic tubes around its perimeter. This means that even if somebody turns over, the bathtub will not be able to sink quickly. Another helpful feature is the large duck (buoy). It is attached to the vessel with a line. If a bathtub begins to sink, the buoy will float and we will be able to find it in the lake. That is my pleasure – recovering my ducks”.
This year the best result of bathtub races – 1 minute and 35 seconds. All the participants are awarded medals. But those, just like the championship itself, are not traditional. They are bath taps.
Ganna Gorozhenko, Ivan Ermakov, Novini, the British Bureau of TV Channel “Inter”.