Young paddlers can spend part of their summer on Little Lake in the heart of Peterborough as they learn all about sprint canoeing and kayaking courtesy of the Peterborough Canoe and Kayak Club.
The club is hosting junior youth camps for those aged eight to 11 from July 2 to 5, July 15 to 19, and July 29 to August 2, and senior youth camps for those aged 11 to 14 from July 8 to 12, July 22 to 26, and August 6 to 9. All camps run half-days from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the club’s location in Beavermead Park.
“Sprint kayaks are longer and not as sturdy as recreational kayaks, so it’s a different set of skills and different set of muscles,” says Sherra Fam, board chair of the Peterborough Canoe and Kayak Club. “As a sprint club the goal is to aim for speed, but at the youth age we just want them to have fun and to introduce the technique that will develop speed as they get older.”
Established in 2017, the Peterborough Canoe and Kayak Club is a not-for-profit organization committed to engaging paddlers and education in the sport of sprint canoeing and kayaking. Beyond the youth programming, the club has programs for adults and for Special Olympics athletes.
Throughout the week-long youth camps, kids will get hands-on guidance from experienced leaders, gain confidence on the water, learn water safety, work in teams, and engage in land games and activities like volleyball and capture the flag.
“We plan our youth programs as though our paddlers have not paddled before and very quickly, we find, they all get to common point where they’re comfortable getting to where they need to go,” says Fam. “They can steer, balance, and are just out there having fun.”
Youth who perhaps aren’t as skilled or experienced in all aspects of the sport can benefit from being in a crew boat with more experienced paddlers.
“If we have a paddler that, for example, doesn’t have very good balance, we can put them in a crew boat with more balanced paddlers,” says Fam. “They can work on developing the paddle technique without having white knuckles trying to maintain their balance by themselves.”
Fam explains that starting in sprint watersports from a young age is beneficial to mastering techniques which can be harder to do with age.
“We find that because their bodies are still small and they have a lower centre of gravity, when the young kids start, they have a much easier time with the balance aspect of paddling and they don’t have the same hurdles that a teenager or an adult have when jumping into the boat for the first time,” she says. “Within the first day, they’re scooting around the lake like water bugs. They’re so versatile and adaptable in that way.”
The instructors for the camps include David Huff, who has experience racing in Ottawa from a young age, and Zander David, the camp coordinator who brings extensive experience having been a leader and coach with the Peterborough Canoe and Kayak Club since the beginning.
“Our coaches are really good about watching the kids and providing those little tips that will help them find their footing,” says Fam. “A little bit of coaching can completely change a kid’s comfort level in the boat.”
While it will vary depending on the weather and the enthusiasm of the participants, the senior youth camp will be a bit more intensive with even more time spent in the water.
“Their bodies are stronger, and they have more endurance at that age, so we can keep them on the water for longer and do a bit more with them,” says Fam of older youth. “But we’re anticipating that some of those older paddlers are complete beginners as well so we do, obviously, give them that time to acquire the skills and practise. We really tailor the program to the athletes we have for the week.”
Through participation in the camps, the Peterborough Canoe and Kayak Club offers youth athletes the opportunity to try their hand at competing in races throughout the summer, both at the club level and within the eastern Ontario division.
“The paddlers can actually get up to provincial and national races depending on how they do,” Fam says. “If they’re interested and keen on racing, then we try to make those opportunities available.”
But, Fam notes, racing is not a requirement or even the goal of the youth camps.
“If a kid comes and has zero interest in racing, that’s totally fine,” she says. “The camp is set up that they can just have fun with it and go home at the end of the day not even thinking about racing. It’s always fun first, fast second.”
Visit www.pckc.ca for more information on the Peterborough Canoe and Kayak Club and to register for the summer youth camps. The deadline to register for the junior camps is Monday (June 24).
