Sydenham Lake Canoe Club offers programs for everyone

May 14, 2015

by Helen Parfitt

Sydenham Lake Canoe Club will be offering an exciting variety of paddling programs this summer. SLCC, now in its 18th year at its Sydenham location, has its roots in the Cataraqui Canoe Club, a sprint racing canoe club established in 1886 in Kingston. The season will begin in mid-May with the After School Learn-to-Train Program. This program will allow youth who intend to register in the sprint paddling program to get a head start on the season. The Master’s program starts the same day. This program is for those 18 and over who want to paddle either recreationally or competitively. Paddling is a fun way to work out as it works the upper body, abdominal core, and back muscles. In July, the club will also be offering the Canoe Kids Day Camp and morning Kayaking Lessons.

The Canoe Kids Day Camp and kayaking lessons program are similar to the Red Cross swimming program in that there are attainable skill levels that paddlers can achieve. The week-long program involves paddling, and playing on-the-water games that indirectly lead to skill development. At the end of the week, paddlers will receive a bronze, silver or gold ribbon and certificate to recognize their level of achievement. “They can complete all three levels of the program in less than a month if they choose, or they can take one or two skill levels per summer,” says Parfitt.

The club will continue its tradition of offering its Competitive Sprint Paddling program, an intensive competitive paddling program for paddlers who enjoy the fun of serious competition. Sprint paddlers train daily to compete on weekends in divisional and provincial canoe and kayak CKC-sanctioned regatta events held throughout Ontario. These regattas are also open to any youth or adult paddler registered in our week long programs.

It will be a particularly exciting summer in Sydenham this year, as SLCC will be hosting the Eastern Ontario Divisional Regatta on August 8 and 9 at Sydenham Point. Sprint paddling athletes, age 15 and under, from all over Ontario will descend on Sydenham for two days of racing to determine who goes on to the Provincial Championships in Ottawa. “You never know where this sport will take you,” says Parfitt. “Genevieve L’Abbe, age 17, from SLCC, whose first competition took place right here at the Point at the age of 9, is now a member of the Ontario and National Junior Team in kayaking. She will be competing this June in Montreal in the hopes of going to the World Junior Cup in Portugal in July.” For more information on our programs go to www.sydenhamlakecanoeclub.com.