Six members of the Sundre Paddling Club have qualified to participate in the Alberta Summer Games, which will be held in Airdrie later this month.
The qualified members are in between ages 11 and 17, and coach Jim McAllister said they are all beginners who joined the club this year.
“We've got a brand new team and we will run into some very stiff competition there,” said McAllister. “Some people are coming back to the summer games for the third time and all of the people on this team have started in the last month.”
The team qualified for the Zone 2 canoe and kayak team, along with a few people from Canmore. There are eight zones in the province. Zone 2 covers north to Olds and extends as south as High River, border to border, he said. Qualification trials took place in June.
The Sundre Paddling Club was established in 1974. McAllister has been coaching since 1981.
“We've had many successful teams come out of Sundre,” he said. “For me as a coach when I get to work with nice young people I feel pretty darn good. They're excited and it makes me excited.”
The club is most active during the summer months and involves people of all ages.
“We're always looking for new people that are interested in paddling, whether you're a child or adult, family or an individual,” he said. “We're always looking to spread the joy of boating.”
The club offers instructions for canoeing and kayaking, and has an assortment of canoes and kayaks available to the members.
“I would encourage anyone to try this because you can take on any degree of competition, of commitment that you want. You can leave yourself on a lake or you can leave yourself in a swimming pool or you can look for fantastic white water experiences too,” he said.
“You essentially pick your vision with where you want to go with kayaking and if you're an adventurous person there's wonderful places around Sundre to paddle.”
Members of the Sundre club have paddled all over the world, including South America, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America, he said.
Not all members are local – some have come from as far as France and Germany.
The club averages 60 members each year. They go canoeing once a week and lessons are available on the weekends for beginners.
For more information, McAllister can be reached at 638-3898.
