The first in the series is...
This is Adam Norfolk, 28, the front left monster on the mens team. Occupation?
Firefighter
Where do you live?
Nottingham
Time on the water?
Kayaking for over ten years now and rafting for four of them.
So then, what do you bench?
Probably only around 85kg's! I'm built for endurance (I hope..?!)
Why you love rafting?
Coming from a kayaking background, I love the team aspect of being in the raft from route discussions (or arguments?!) to mass celebrations! I feel it helps with motivation, on a grey winters morning there's no worst feeling than your team mate dragging you out to beast you for a session, but there is no better feeling than when it is done!
Places you've travelled?
All over Europe, Kayaked in Canada, New Zealand, Zambia and Uganda. Rafted in Korea and Ecuador so far. Bosnia is on the cards for next year, all going well with selection in November mind!!
One thing you hate about travelling?
Although I love to see new places and paddle new rivers the down side to travelling is the living out of a suit case and being cramped in to the same hotel room to save money. We had three hotel rooms between 14 of us for the first five days in Korea...squeeeeze!
One place you'd love to go back to?
I would love to go back and paddle the Zambezi in Zambia, it was my first big water experience and one I would never forget. It would be legendary to race a raft on there!
One place you would love to go?
Hmmm, that's a tricky one. I would love to explore some big rivers in northern Canada multi day stylee! I'd also love to get to Chile before they dam all the rivers!
What are your top three experiences whilst paddling/travelling
and three of your worst?
Coming from a kayaking background, I love the team aspect of being in the raft from route discussions (or arguments?!) to mass celebrations! I feel it helps with motivation, on a grey winters morning there's no worst feeling than your team mate dragging you out to beast you for a session, but there is no better feeling than when it is done!
Places you've travelled?
All over Europe, Kayaked in Canada, New Zealand, Zambia and Uganda. Rafted in Korea and Ecuador so far. Bosnia is on the cards for next year, all going well with selection in November mind!!
One thing you hate about travelling?
Although I love to see new places and paddle new rivers the down side to travelling is the living out of a suit case and being cramped in to the same hotel room to save money. We had three hotel rooms between 14 of us for the first five days in Korea...squeeeeze!
One place you'd love to go back to?
I would love to go back and paddle the Zambezi in Zambia, it was my first big water experience and one I would never forget. It would be legendary to race a raft on there!
One place you would love to go?
Hmmm, that's a tricky one. I would love to explore some big rivers in northern Canada multi day stylee! I'd also love to get to Chile before they dam all the rivers!
What are your top three experiences whilst paddling/travelling
and three of your worst?
I lived in Leeds when I first started paddling, we were out every weekend playing in our kayaks. One weekend we found one of the best waves in the country, we paddled it after masses of rain on two consecutive sundays in glorious sunshine.
I will never forget the view you get after about 20 minutes on the walk-in to the Zambezi river, you get to see the first three rapids in all there glory and the sounds are unforgetable.
The joy and elation of crossing the finish line in Austria having just beaten Russia to the head to head crown, thats why the team aspect of rafting is good!!
On one paddling trip in the lakes I managed to get myself stuck in a weir, probably my own fault, I followed the wash of my friends boat and ended up five feet off course. I managed to get myself out after a couple of scary uncontrollable minutes.
It was 8am, snowing and very cold as we rocked up at Hurley weir during our Devizes to Westminster raftathon. This is the worst I have felt in a boat, ever. After some words of encouragement and a bit of food I started to come round a couple of hours later!
After an awesome two week trip exploring the source of the River Nile, we boarded our plane back to blighty. Unfortunately, though, after a 17 hour unscheduled stop in Kenya we returned home nearly 60 hours later and a little tired.
I will never forget the view you get after about 20 minutes on the walk-in to the Zambezi river, you get to see the first three rapids in all there glory and the sounds are unforgetable.
The joy and elation of crossing the finish line in Austria having just beaten Russia to the head to head crown, thats why the team aspect of rafting is good!!
On one paddling trip in the lakes I managed to get myself stuck in a weir, probably my own fault, I followed the wash of my friends boat and ended up five feet off course. I managed to get myself out after a couple of scary uncontrollable minutes.
It was 8am, snowing and very cold as we rocked up at Hurley weir during our Devizes to Westminster raftathon. This is the worst I have felt in a boat, ever. After some words of encouragement and a bit of food I started to come round a couple of hours later!
After an awesome two week trip exploring the source of the River Nile, we boarded our plane back to blighty. Unfortunately, though, after a 17 hour unscheduled stop in Kenya we returned home nearly 60 hours later and a little tired.
See ya!
