We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.
Racing
Sprint Racing
This is kayak racing done in very fast, tippy kayaks and canoes. It is an Olympic sport. Distances are 200 metre, 500 metre, 1000 metre and 6000 metres. There are 1, 2, and 4 person boats. It is challenging and lots of fun. It is great for athletes who want to be in an individual sport and challenge themselves. It also provides the team aspect in the 2 and 4 person boats.
Who can Sprint Race? Any person aged 10+. In this sport, you compete against others in your age category.
Junior Sprint Program
The Junior Sprint Program is open to anyone who wants to come out and join the sport – practices are run five times a week (Monday-Wednesday-Thursday afternoons, with evening practices on Monday and Thursday), and paddlers can come out to three practices a week, providing flexibility around other commitments.
Paddlers will learn the basics of kayak racing, in singles, doubles, and fours. Attendance at local regattas is an option. This program focuses on fun and fitness, with a few fun, friendly competitions. Paddlers who show sufficient dedication and improvement will be invited to the Senior Sprint Program.
See details listed under youth lessons or email Marlene
Senior Sprint Program
This is open to dedicated athletes who have experience in Canoe Kayak. Practices are at least once a day. Competitions generally include a variety of in-Province, multi-province, and National level competitions, racing for club and provincial teams. Our athletes have a history of high performance at both the National Championships, and the Canada Summer Games.
Regattas
Regattas are paddling tournaments. They take place April through October throughout the Lower Mainland, Nanaimo, Kamloops, Seattle and points East.
Practices
The times stated for practices are when the athlete is being coached. The coach expects athletes to be ready for practice on time. If your paddler cannot make a practice, we request you phone the coach and let them know ahead of time.
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Team BC
The Fraser River served as a training ground for the B.C. women's kayaking team.
Troy Landreville, Langley Advance Published: Friday, August 07, 2009
The oft-unpredictable flow of the muddy Fraser made for an interesting Tuesday afternoon for the CanoeKayak BC women's sprint kayaking team.
Just ask team members Kristin Bauder and Sarah Poole, who wobbled in their seats after the river seemed to burp, causing their K2 boat to tip to one side during a photo shoot. The team used the fast-moving Bedford Channel as a training ground as it prepares for the Canada Summer Games (CSG) Aug. 15-29 in Prince Edward Island.
The B.C. women's sprint kayaking team was in Fort Langley this week.
Under the guidance of Fort Langley Canoe Club head coach Sara Hopkins, Team BC paddled the Fraser Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Today, Aug. 7, the team members head north to Maple Ridge's Whonnock Lake to practise on the lake's race course.
Team BC includes Fort Langley resident Bauder, Maple Ridge's Poole, Jessie Mitchell, and Clara van Meel, and Burnaby's Kiran Basra and Rebecca Alley. They made the CSG cut after competing in a series of B.C. team trials June 6-7 at Whonnock Lake. While in Fort Langley, the provincial paddlers trained mainly on K2 and K4 boats.
"It's been really good figuring out who paddles best with who, and team dynamics," said Bauder. A veteran of elite national regattas, Bauder paddled in the 2005 Canada Summer Games, winning gold, silver and bronze, and 2006 Pan Am Championships in Mexico where she won a gold and a pair of silver medals. She has enjoyed podium finishes at the nationals from 2004-08.
"I'm hoping in the K4s we can medal," Bauder said, prior to launching her K2 boat into the water. "I'm hoping to medal in every event that I'm in." Bauder said any of the eastern provinces including Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia will pose the toughest challenges at the CSG. "I think the sport is a lot bigger back there," the Simon Fraser University student noted, adding, "There are a lot more people involved and a lot more people know about it." Gelling as a team shouldn't be an issue for the provincial female kayakers once the Games begin. "We're like family," Alley said. "I've spent more time with these guys than with my actual family this summer." The canoe/kayaking competition at the CSG runs Aug. 23-27.
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One male member of the FLCC, Elliot Hoyt, will compete at the CSG in the sprint kayaking competition.
CSG spares include Fort Langley paddlers Joshua Plankeel and Jordan Traas.