Thanks to everyone who came down to Cardiff and had a go on the stilts, some of you were walking and jumping in record times. We look forward to seeing some of you at our gym sessions.

Co-incidently today Sport Wales also announce a new Community Sport Strategy, spending £9million over 3 years. They talk about working TOGETHER and making sport available for every child with no exception.
Well there are exceptions if those children wanted to do a new, exciting and 21st century sport like, well Powerbocking.
For years the sports council have done their best to ignore us. If you like football, rugby or badminton then great. But what if you fancy something new? What if you like the sound of the alternative, urban sports.
That’s exactly what we are. Time and time again we have been told by Sport Wales that they cannot support us with our club development because they do not recognise us. NOT RECOGNISE US? We’re the guys on the jumping stilts down the bay. You cant bloody miss us
Seriously, we would need an association, a UK Governing Body, Coaching and Qualification development. All good things, right? As a single Community sports club we need help and support to do that. Just like any other evolving sport would.

Last year, for the first time the UK entered the International Powerbocking Championships and we won. This event is traditionally held in France but after overwhelming support we were asked if in 2012 it could be held in the Cardiff. Fantastic, we thought. The year of the Olympics when sport is at the forefront of everyones lives and they want the International Powerbocking Championships held here. Of course, we couldn’t do this on our own either. So we asked the Sports Council and Cardiff Council. We took it straight to Nigel Howells, the executive for Sport, Leisure and Culture at the Council.
They said no.

Last November we won £6000 from the Nat West Community Force scheme. This was an online voting competition and the fact that we won against some big organisations shows that we have some great public supporters. We’re using that money to spend on equipment that should last us a very long time and secure the future of our grass roots community sports club.
But we still get no support on club development, coaching and qualifications. We’re a group of volunteers who are learning by our own mistakes because Sport Wales refuse to support us. That’s not right.

This new strategy by Sport Wales is about providing sport for every child. What they don’t tell you is that such a sport must be one officially recognised by Sport Wales. In fact, according to them Powerbocking isn’t a sport at all. It’s an activity.

The bottom line is that bocking attracts a wide variety of people. A lot of those people are those who have suffered social exclusion in one form or another. They don’t fit in with the football and rugby teams. So if they choose bocking as their “hooked on sport” choice then Sports Wales will do nothing for them.
“without exception?”

It’s even more insulting to us that a lot of people’s single vision of the Olympics in Beijing was a huge group of bockers at the closing ceremony. Clearly outlining that China can recognise something good and inspiring while the UK authorities choose to ignore it.

Steff has been a committed member of the club since joining in 2009 infact he has only ever missed one event!

We’d like to thank everyone for making the journey to Cardiff and we look forward to seeing you all again soon.

Slackline across a stream!

Cliffhanger and had a great weekend with them.
We’re now looking at setting up a permanent Cardiff Slackline Club (currently on facebook here) to get more interest and to provide people the chance to try out another extreme sport.
So if you see us out and about on the stilts but fancy a go on a slackline then just ask us as we usually take a line with us wherever we go.

What is Slacklining?

It’s basically taking a specially made 2″ wide piece of webbing and tieing it up between two fixed points, usually trees, and it turns into a very narrow trampoline. At first the fun and addiction just comes from trying to walk the line but this soon turns into trying simple trampoline tricks.
As with bocking, it’s surprising how much of a work out it is and how much fun it is so get slacking now!

The cliffhanger crowd at our bocking stand

On July 2nd and 3rd we featured at the largest outdoors festival for outdoors people – Cliffhanger at Millhouses Park in Sheffield.
The weather was glorious sunshine both days and we were setup in an area we named adrenaline corner, right next to the guys from Maverick Slacklines and Sheffield Parkour Movement.

We were hugely popular with lots of people trying out the stilts of all ages and a few hundred people watching the 2 demonstrations we put on each day.

Cliffhanger is a fantastic festival that we love to be part of and cant wait to go back next year.
See our video of our weekend here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TglTWt32acg

Thrills beyond fear – Backflip at Megaphobia

This past weekend we paid a visit to Oakwood Theme Park in Pembrokeshire. It was great to head down west and say hi to everyone in Wales’s best theme park and we’re really pleased to say the weather was good on us aswell!

Welshbockers photo as featured in the Cardiff Story Museum

Last year we reported that one of our photos might be chosen to feature in a museum and we’re very exicted that it has. The Cardiff Story opened to the public a few days ago and they have put a picture of Jake Tucker on one of their display walls.

The museum located in the Old Library building on the Hayes is set to remain open for at least 10 years and displays photos, objects and models showing how life in Cardiff has changed over the years.
You can find out more about it on their website: www.cardiffstory.com.

The museum is open daily and is free entry.