The Victoria Youth Paddling Club: Creating paddlers for life
VICTORIA, British Columbia — Sunny days spent on Victoria’s Gorge Waterway are a wholesome way for youth aged 9 and up to pass the care-free months of summer. The Victoria Youth Paddling Club (VYPC) has been offering summer programs – as well as Fall, Winter and Spring programs – since 2004, allowing juniors in the community the opportunity to try different types of watercrafts, from sprint kayaks to high kneel canoes, white water kayaks, SUPs and outrigger canoes. As a registered non-profit society, the club is dedicated to developing and running water sports programs that promote fitness, skill development and competition in kayaking and canoeing.
VYPC Commodore and Coach Marianne Pilon explained that the club is the only dedicated junior paddling club in Victoria. “We strongly believe in mentorship, and both encourage and support our older paddlers to mentor and assist our younger paddlers. All our coaches are certified for coaching with many taking their next level coaching courses.”
VYPC has always and continues to support athletes in reaching personal and team goals, competing at local, provincial, national and international events. The Club is particularly proud to of its junior members who have represented Canada at two of the World Outrigger Sprints.
Chris Graham has been VYPC’s Head Coach for the past three years but with experience in coaching that spans nine years. Chris started paddling as a 12-year-old purely for recreation. An opportunity to race emerged in Hawaii at the Queen Lili’uikalani canoe race – the largest outrigger canoe race in the world – where the VYPC junior boy’s crew that Chris was on took third place in the youth race. And the rest, they say, is history. Today, Chris continues teaching youths in the program together with two junior coaches, Logan Peters (aged 17) and Evan Davies (aged 16) who were themselves learning to paddle in the program not too long ago.
Youth in the program learn water safety and paddling techniques, developing strength, balance, and endurance. For Chris, the main aim of his time with VYPC is providing the opportunity for kids to have a lifelong enjoyment of physical activity.
“My proudest coaching moment is when a young paddler who had no faith in their own ability to paddle a challenging boat, realizes that they can and that it is fun,” Chris said. To that end, he emphasizes that for success, “what’s most important is meeting everyone where they are both physically and emotionally on any given day.”
While many of the youth are paddling recreationally, the Club also supports representatives to the BC Summer Games and other competitions in Canada and internationally. Training for these races is focused on balance drills to work on being stable in sprint kayaks and practising race starts. With too many exciting races to regale about, Chris doesn’t specify any stand-out moments, but has this to say about his race team: “The most memorable moments from competing are when the athletes not only beat the other youth teams, but the adult teams as well. Even when there are disappointments, losses are how we get better and improve as athletes.”
VYPC’s motto is “Creating Paddlers for Life”, and the Club’s longevity speaks to its significance as an opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in and around Greater Victoria. This includes white-water rafting, a portion of the Fall program that is coached by veteran paddler Edmond Duggan of the Vancouver Island Whitewater Paddling Society. While there are many opportunities to race, Chris explains that “the main focus of the club is building kids’ confidence through sport whether that’s surfing an outrigger, kayaking down a river or racing at the BC Summer Games.” Marianne adds, “At the end of an on-water session, if everyone is smiling and sweaty, it’s a good day!”
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