INNISFAIL – Jordi Cadena came to Canada from Spain for the first time last June to help out young Albertans with kayak slalom training.
The 27-year-old veteran kayaker and coach is based in Calgary with the Alberta Whitewater Association.
A former national-calibre athlete in Spain, he spent several years racing internationally and has been a coach since 2020.
He was invited to come to Innisfail on March 2 to pass on his expertise to several eager young kayakers who attended the annual Cottonwood Kayak Polo Tournament at the Innisfail Aquatic Centre.
“I’m responsible for all the kids in Alberta doing slalom and to see how well its working in Alberta, and to try to help them as much as possible and show them how to improve,” said Cadena, who hails from the Spanish town of La Seu d'Urgell, a two-hour drive north of Barcelona.
“I've been really surprised about how many kids do slalom in Canada. The national team in Canada is now really strong, and I didn't know that,” he said, adding he was getting used to Canada’s cold and at times stormy winter weather. “It's challenging for me because in Spain it doesn't get below zero very often, so this is challenging weather.”
The Cottonwood Kayak Polo Tournament was originally scheduled to be held Jan. 13 but was postponed due to a nasty week-long cold snap.
It was again threatened with weather-related postponement on March 2 as many participants had to navigate through an increasingly nasty snow storm that lasted until late in the afternoon.
But the tourney bravely went on with unwavering enthusiasm.
The day-long event, which was hosted by the 30-member Cottonwood Kayak Club, went from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
It was open to anyone 16 and older at all skill levels. There was a $40 registration fee.
This year’s tourney, which has been an annual sport fixture in town for at least the past 25 years, attracted a total of 35 slalom racers and kayak water polo competitors from across Alberta, including up to six Innisfailians.
The slalom races began first and were followed by a series of kayak water polo games, which had up to six teams playing a round-robin mini-tourney with each squad having four players in the water at a time.
Players ages ranged between 13, to 50 years young.
“Basically we play in kayaks and play polo the same way you would with water poles that are sitting in boats, and getting the paddle around,” said Brad Hudson, the Cottonwood club’s secretary.
He described kayak water polo as a sport that in many ways is like basketball but played in the water.
“We are shooting up in the air but it combines a lot of sports where you're basically just trying to get the ball into the opposition's net,” said Hudson. “You're allowed some contact with the boats but you're not allowed to completely ram into somebody. You're supposed to hit the front and back of the boats to bump them out of the way.
“It can be pretty wild and entertaining. People roll over and go underwater and they stay under there for a while and fight for the ball and then they come back up,” he said.
Hudson emphasized that while the winners of the round-robin tourney will be acknowledged, the event was designed for just good old-fashioned fun.
“The objective is to have fun doing it, as opposed to it being a full-on trophy competitive tournament. It’s advertised as a family fun tournament,” said Hudson. “There are no trophies issued. It's just for bragging rights, if anything.”
