Women in Paddling: Janice Kyle: Anything is Possible

June-July 2000

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.

by Zelda’Connor

Janice paddling the Puntledge estuary

People admire the beauty of the waters of Baynes Sound and the Comox Valley from the perspective of the Island Highway as their cars speed past scenic rivers and seascapes. A sudden glimpse of a tranquil blue heron fishing from a wave washed rock may provoke an inner yearning for communion with the ocean and its mysterious wild inhabitants. To Janice Kyle, the simplest path a person may follow in their quest for intimacy with nature and the sea is to be tucked comfortably into a kayak floating quietly like a leaf on the water.

Janice operates Tree Island Kayaking Company from an old blue school bus headquartered beside the Courtenay River on Dyke Road in Comox. Inside the bus, rows of hard seats have been replaced by vertical racks of kayaks, and every other bit of space is occupied by associated gear-paddles, spray skirts, PFDs. Hauling the boats from the racks and out of the bus is not an easy job, but watching Janice manhandle them down to the dock or hoist them onto a minivan roof one would think they were composed of styrofoam. She also appears capable of fixing anything, even if duct tape is the last ditch solution.

Janice's optimism and vitality seem to draw women of all ages, sizes, attitudes, and lifestyles to pluck up their courage and get into a kayak. No matter how terrifying the idea, once they are actually in the boat and listening to her calm and confident instructions, it is as if a rebirth is taking place. A smile emerges from clenched teeth, hunched shoulders and stiff arms waving the paddle around like a war club are gradually transformed into a rhythmic relaxed push. Fears and limitations begin to subside as the techniques gain control, and often after an hour or so of being wholly focused on their body and boat, suddenly a person will begin to notice the environment. This magical moment, when the kayak becomes a vessel of transformation and liberation, is the Grail which Janice proffers to her students, the majority of whom seem to be women.

"Kayaking is not a macho sport anymore," Janice explains. "Women want to paddle safely and properly." They respond positively to a person who is aware of their initial anxieties and is committed to help them understand what they are doing.

"Learning to kayak is a self-imposed challenge, and a way to overcome some phobias," she says. "It amazes me to see fear of the water become respect. Paddling changes their lives. They are getting out of the city, becoming involved with nature, and feeling a sense of adventure and freedom." On the water people find the rare gift of peace and quiet, the joy of uninterrupted thoughts, and involvement with the great and powerful forces of nature.

Janice is no stranger to water-salty, fresh, calm or seething. She has been deeply involved with canoes and kayaks for 24 years, and lived on sailboats for ten years. She began paddling with the Calgary Mountain Club, kayaking the wild tumbling rivers of the Rocky Mountains. The guts, skill, and common sense required for the pursuit of such an extreme sport paved the way to a career as a professional athlete, and opened the doors to a lifetime of teaching, guiding, and inspiring ordinary people in an extraordinary activity.

During a post-university tour of Europe, Janice visited the Olympic Whitewater Kayaking course in Germany to "have a look", and unexpectedly made acquaintance with the German National Kayak team coach. "When he offered me a chance to join some training sessions, how could I refuse? It was a dream come true," she recalls. "I started training and honing my techniques with one of the best coaches in the world."

Later, back in Canada, Janice raced marathon canoe and flatwater kayak to the National level, and raced gruelling whitewater kayaks for the Canadian National Team at three World Championships. "I lived in Victoria and worked full time as a recreation co-ordinator in Oak Bay, in addition to training and competing. After six years I decided the time had come to move on. It seemed right to use my knowledge and love of paddling to start a business. I could see the trend towards recreational kayaking. Improvements in designs made kayaking accessible to more people. I fell in love with Vancouver Island and could see the great recreational potential of the Comox Valley."

To the woman from the prairies, the ocean was an inspiration and enormous challenge. Janice says she was awe-struck by the idea that all you had to do was sit in your kayak and you could go anywhere in the world by water.

Unlike nice blue quiet mountain lakes, the ocean is monumentally alive, a great heaving body composed of myriad beings all sloshing around together under the spell of the moon. The vast web and interconnectedness of our little planet and the rhythms of celestial objects is made clear every time the tide rises or falls. The protection, health, and well being of the waters and all the creatures in it, on it, and over it, is of ultimate importance to Janice. Educating and inspiring people to open up to the marvels of the natural world, and the personal power one may achieve through physical involvement as a kayaker in this watery wonderland, is her mission.

Novice paddlers can feel at ease on the water as Janice teaches basic techniques to those renting kayaks for the first time, ensuring a good beginning to a life of happy paddling. She also offers subsequent lessons and specialty clinics on strokes, wet exits, rolls, rescues, kayak surfing and even kids' classes and trips. This summer, as program co-ordinator for the Comox Valley Elder Hostel organisation, Janice is introducing a new group of senior paddlers to the local waters.

"I want people to be the best paddlers they can be. It never fails to leave me with a contented feeling when people become involved with the sport and the environment," says Janice. She is like an intermediary emissary whose task is to connect people to the natural world, and to their own inner resources of strength and fortitude. Her credo is "If you do what you love to do anything is possible. Just get involved and do it!"

Zelda'Connor is a freelance writer living in the Comox Valley. ©

Janice can be reached at Tree Island Kayaking: 250-339-0580, tree@island.net