Title
Dave Barker Oral History Recording (VIDEO)
Subject
Dave Barker
Description
A video recording of an oral history interview with Dave Barker. LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ9SYOSkGq8
Creator
Graham Jeffery
Publisher
Kent's Sporting Memories
Date
Interview recorded on 17 September, 2019
Contributor
Dave Barker; Graham Jeffery
Rights
Kent's Sporting Memories
Format
.MOV (30:12)
Language
English
Type
Video Recording
Identifier
Dave Barker
Transcription
Kent’s Sporting Memories Oral History Summary
Interviewee: Dave Barker
Interviewer: Graham Jeffrey
Date: 17 September, 2019
Location: Seapoint Canoe Centre, Folkestone, Kent
0:00 Name, place and date of birth (Dave Barker, Folkestone, 24 October, 1959); Dave states that he is not from a sporting family – ‘my Dad didn’t like water’ – and describes how he was introduced to paddle sports in his mid-twenties, when he was training to be a teacher; the early days of Dave’s paddle sports career in K1 and K2 racing kayaks.
1:00 Dave recalls how he fell in love with coaching paddle sports – ‘I really enjoyed just coaching, encouraging and helping others to achieve’ – and how, as of 2019, he’s been coaching for 26 years.
1:25 Dave talks about his schooling, from primary school age to eventually doing an apprenticeship in the building trade at South Kent College; football was his first sporting love (he supported Manchester United), but this was eventually supplanted by paddle sports.
3:00 Dave also trained as a swimming coach and lifeguard; he describes the variety of disciplines that paddle sports encompasses; the variety of people Dave has coached, including a 95-year-old in a simulated kayak;
5:15 The beginnings of Seapoint Canoe Centre: Dave, as a Christian and a minister, saw paddle sport as another activity for his youth group to take part in – ‘it was a great opportunity, and I just really felt prompted I guess by God just to share the joy of paddle sport, and I was a bit reluctant because it was my time out, it was just for me’. How Kent County Council (KCC) helped Dave get the centre of the ground by providing a garage (‘that leaked like a sieve’) and six glass fibre kayaks – ‘they said if you can do something with that, off you go.’; thirty years later, the centre engages more than 3,000 participants a year, and boasts seventeen fully qualified coaches.
6:48 Dave talks about the future of the club, and the £750,000 new build that is currently underway – ‘we’re hoping paddle sport will be here to stay for a lot, lot longer.’; Dave’s teaching career and transitioning into the ministry; KCC’s reaching out to Dave to ask if he would take over the club that was previously in place, and its financial assistance and help in the early days; how KCC eventually sold the site, and how the centre moved to its current situation.
10:30 The growth of the club, its function as a training and coaching centre for British Canoeing, and how many of the coaches trained at the centre have stayed at Seapoint; Dave describes the process of becoming a coach, the centre’s charitable status, its relationship with British Canoeing, and the safety and quality checks it goes through.
14:08 Dave talks about the work Seapoint does with people with physical and learning disabilities, and the benefits of this work – ‘it’s gaining confidence, they’re encouraging one another. The beauty of paddle sport – it can be an individual sport or it can be a team sport and everyone’s involved.’
16:00 Dave recalls his first lesson, in a K1 – ‘there was something about trying to make this boat go in a straight line.’; the various courses and badges Dave has undertaken, including a training session with the army in shorts and a t-shirt; Dave then describes his first lesson as a coach, on the Medway with a group of six – ‘I was quite excited, I was daunted but…I felt confident enough that I could do this’.
18:00 How the coaches are all volunteers at present, and how demand for coaching is always rising; the various trips the centre undertakes, including trips abroad; Dave describes the centre’s range of initiatives, such as wildlife ‘safaris’ and litter-picking trips.
21:30 The ways in which the Seapoint has changed over the years - coaching structures, paddle sport disciplines, and, most notably, the equipment have all developed since the centre was established; the accessibility and inclusivity of the centre; club memberships etc.
24:35 Responsibility for the water and its maintenance, and the role English Heritage has in the preservation of the local area; training competitive racers at Seapoint Canoe Centre, including a Paralympian woman who competed in the Rio Olympics; Dave’s own racing career and attitude to paddle sport – ‘I still maintain that paddle sport is the best outdoor gym’.
26:40 The future of Seapoint Canoe Centre, and Dave’s ambitions to spread Seapoint’s values and expertise Seapoint across the wider area; the ethos behind the centre’s mantra: ‘paddling with purpose’; Dave’s interest in drumming and how he is part of a band.
29:00 Dave talks about the value of teamwork in building up a facility like Seapoint, and his hopes for the future – ‘I want to still see something amazing happening here in a hundred years’ time, and I’ve had a small part to play in it.’
Interviewee: Dave Barker
Interviewer: Graham Jeffrey
Date: 17 September, 2019
Location: Seapoint Canoe Centre, Folkestone, Kent
0:00 Name, place and date of birth (Dave Barker, Folkestone, 24 October, 1959); Dave states that he is not from a sporting family – ‘my Dad didn’t like water’ – and describes how he was introduced to paddle sports in his mid-twenties, when he was training to be a teacher; the early days of Dave’s paddle sports career in K1 and K2 racing kayaks.
1:00 Dave recalls how he fell in love with coaching paddle sports – ‘I really enjoyed just coaching, encouraging and helping others to achieve’ – and how, as of 2019, he’s been coaching for 26 years.
1:25 Dave talks about his schooling, from primary school age to eventually doing an apprenticeship in the building trade at South Kent College; football was his first sporting love (he supported Manchester United), but this was eventually supplanted by paddle sports.
3:00 Dave also trained as a swimming coach and lifeguard; he describes the variety of disciplines that paddle sports encompasses; the variety of people Dave has coached, including a 95-year-old in a simulated kayak;
5:15 The beginnings of Seapoint Canoe Centre: Dave, as a Christian and a minister, saw paddle sport as another activity for his youth group to take part in – ‘it was a great opportunity, and I just really felt prompted I guess by God just to share the joy of paddle sport, and I was a bit reluctant because it was my time out, it was just for me’. How Kent County Council (KCC) helped Dave get the centre of the ground by providing a garage (‘that leaked like a sieve’) and six glass fibre kayaks – ‘they said if you can do something with that, off you go.’; thirty years later, the centre engages more than 3,000 participants a year, and boasts seventeen fully qualified coaches.
6:48 Dave talks about the future of the club, and the £750,000 new build that is currently underway – ‘we’re hoping paddle sport will be here to stay for a lot, lot longer.’; Dave’s teaching career and transitioning into the ministry; KCC’s reaching out to Dave to ask if he would take over the club that was previously in place, and its financial assistance and help in the early days; how KCC eventually sold the site, and how the centre moved to its current situation.
10:30 The growth of the club, its function as a training and coaching centre for British Canoeing, and how many of the coaches trained at the centre have stayed at Seapoint; Dave describes the process of becoming a coach, the centre’s charitable status, its relationship with British Canoeing, and the safety and quality checks it goes through.
14:08 Dave talks about the work Seapoint does with people with physical and learning disabilities, and the benefits of this work – ‘it’s gaining confidence, they’re encouraging one another. The beauty of paddle sport – it can be an individual sport or it can be a team sport and everyone’s involved.’
16:00 Dave recalls his first lesson, in a K1 – ‘there was something about trying to make this boat go in a straight line.’; the various courses and badges Dave has undertaken, including a training session with the army in shorts and a t-shirt; Dave then describes his first lesson as a coach, on the Medway with a group of six – ‘I was quite excited, I was daunted but…I felt confident enough that I could do this’.
18:00 How the coaches are all volunteers at present, and how demand for coaching is always rising; the various trips the centre undertakes, including trips abroad; Dave describes the centre’s range of initiatives, such as wildlife ‘safaris’ and litter-picking trips.
21:30 The ways in which the Seapoint has changed over the years - coaching structures, paddle sport disciplines, and, most notably, the equipment have all developed since the centre was established; the accessibility and inclusivity of the centre; club memberships etc.
24:35 Responsibility for the water and its maintenance, and the role English Heritage has in the preservation of the local area; training competitive racers at Seapoint Canoe Centre, including a Paralympian woman who competed in the Rio Olympics; Dave’s own racing career and attitude to paddle sport – ‘I still maintain that paddle sport is the best outdoor gym’.
26:40 The future of Seapoint Canoe Centre, and Dave’s ambitions to spread Seapoint’s values and expertise Seapoint across the wider area; the ethos behind the centre’s mantra: ‘paddling with purpose’; Dave’s interest in drumming and how he is part of a band.
29:00 Dave talks about the value of teamwork in building up a facility like Seapoint, and his hopes for the future – ‘I want to still see something amazing happening here in a hundred years’ time, and I’ve had a small part to play in it.’