How to get kids
into whitewater
kayaking
BY JENNIFER GRATTO
¦ It’s 1985 and my 10-year-old eyes are fastened onto the TV
Fast forward to 2008, and not only am
I in my 22nd year of paddling, but I’ve
screen watching a kayaker plunge off a cliff into the river. As I
introduced hundreds of kids (ages six and
continue to peek around the corner of the stairs (I am supposed to
up) to the joys and challenges of whitewater
kayaking.
be in bed), the same kayaker flips over and then rolls himself back
Due to today’s kid-specific equipment,
upright. Wow! That’s it. I’m going to be a kayaker.
it’s easier to get them into the spray now
compared to decades ago, despite the age-
old perception that whitewater kayaking is
an extreme sport. Yes, there’s a level of risk
– as with any physical activity – but there is
a safe progression possible from beginner to
expert paddler. Many recreational paddlers
are happy, safe and challenged at a level of
the sport well below the extreme.
What is the best way to introduce kids to
whitewater kayaking? First, the youngster
must want to learn. No one, especially a
child, should be forced into it. Being able to
swim is helpful but less important than a
certain comfort with, or desire to be in, the
water. Nervousness is normal.
Here are some ways to help kids not
only get interested in kayaking, but stay
interested.
Find a good teacher or kayaking course.
30 OTTAWA >> SUMMER/FALL 2008 www.OttawaOutdoors.ca
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