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In England the sport is called Wild Water Racing.
Competitors are classed by type of boat and gender. They are numbered within their class by their ranking in previous races and compete in reverse order (best paddler last) usually at one minute intervals.
White water racing courses are typically 10 to 20 minutes long and ideally have as many rapids as possible.
White water racing canoes are long and thin making them fast but unstable and hard to turn. They are turned when racing by leaning to one side rather than with wide sweep strokes. Two wings at the back behind the paddler add stability and make the boats conform to the minimum width required for races, the wings are out of the water so do not cause drag.
Popular white water racing courses in Scotland include Grandtully and Stanley on the River Tay.