Madness or Family Fun?

April-May 2002

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

Whitewater kayaking... for families?

Are you crazy?

There is a common misconception about whitewater paddlers, that they have a degree of madness in their psychological make-up. Hurtling down narrow, boulderstrewn creeks in a chaos of churning, frothing, exploding water surely indicates a predisposition for masochism and mayhem.

But it isn't so.

In fact, many of us hardly even like masochism. In reality, whitewater is only as difficult as the river you choose to run. Although it's true that if you find yourself in a liquid tempest beyond your skill level, terror can seize your spine and throw off your balance (which can lead to a nasty swim), it's also true that a run within your comfort level can give rise to a giddy, joyous pleasure that seizes your whole body and puts you in tune with the flow (which can lead to a mellifluous paddle). It's those times you would be crazy to miss.

"Okay," you might say, "but I have a family I want to pursue a sport my whole family can share. Surely whitewater kayaking doesn't fit that requirement?"

To that I would respond: meet the Jamiesons.

Don, Paula, Kyla, and Brodie Jamieson live in Squamish, BC on Howe Sound. Many paddlers know the Jamiesons from their twelve years teaching paddlers at their Sea to Sky Kayaking School. Don also made a name for himself with the development of his 'Sea to Sky roll'.

I visited them at their shop early in February while they were loading boats in preparation for one of their popular Saturday evening pool sessions, and I asked if they felt like an anomaly, being a family of whitewater kayakers.

"In North America, we're now beginning to see the emergence of a second generation " generation of paddlers," says Don, who has been paddling for about twenty-five years and teaching for almost as long. "The people who got into it in the 1970s now have children who are getting into it. In Europe, where kayaking became popular earlier, families are putting their third generation into boats.

"More parents these days want to do something healthy with their kids. Parents want to share an outdoor activity that is both fun for themselves and cool for their kids. Whitewater paddling fits the bill, so while there aren't many families doing it yet in North America, it's growing."

At just eleven years old, Kyla is already a veteran, having begun paddling six years ago. She was doing Eskimo rolls and hand rolls in a pool at age six. At age seven she was on her first river. "I want to be the youngest kid to ever do cartwheels," she states confidently, referring to a difficult maneuver that involves spinning her kayak on the vertical axis, much like an airplane

As a demonstrator, she now helps her parents teach new paddlers.

"People are often nervous when they're on the water for the first time," says Don. "But then they see this little girl doing what I have just asked them to do and they think: 'If a kid can do it, why am I so scared?' Then they do it."

Brodie, at nine years old, has been playing in boats since he was a baby, but has been paddling for about four years. He also enjoys it, but with less of his sister's enthusiasm. "I like hockey the most. But also kayaking, soccer, baseball, hockey, figure skating and golf." It's such a long list I wonder when he finds time for school. Kyla interjects that she also likes figure skating, dance-jazz, hip-hop and ballet-and golf.

"Brodie's not that 'into' paddling," says Don, "but he sure likes to help out when we're giving lessons on the lake. He gets into his boat and patrols the area, letting us know when someone is in trouble, and helping with rescues."

"Kayaking has to be fun for kids," Paula says, "or they just won't do it. Whenever we go on holidays, we bring the boats. The kids associate kayaks with fun and get accustomed to having them around. In fact, when Brodie was very small we used a kayak for a playpen at the beach because he couldn't get out of it.

"Right," agrees Don, "We don't put any pressure on the kids. We just want them to be competent paddlers. That's enough." I ask Kyla if she enjoys kayaking, or if she feels pressured to do it.

"Sometimes I have to be talked into going," she says, "but I always have fun once I'm out there."

Paula says, "I think it's important for families that want to make kayaking a family affair to organize holidays around the activity. For example, we took the kids to Long Beach recently and Brodie was out surfing on the waves. Letting kids play in the water from a young age eliminates one of the largest stumbling blocks that adults have: the fear of water."

So I ask: are ocean waves a good place to teach kids whitewater? "They can be," says Don, "but the most important thing is the quality of the instruction. Just because someone is a good paddler doesn't mean they're a good teacher.

"We encourage families to get lessons together," he says, "so that they all develop the same foundation of skills. That way, when they're on a river later, they're speaking a common language and can help each other improve."

Don points out that manufacturers are now making products specifically for women and children, including boats. I look around at the adult boats on display inside the store and find it difficult to imagine kids' kayaks being even smaller.

I ask what a good age is for kids to begin paddling.

"With the new kids' boats coming out, I would say around seven or eight," says Don. "If they're exposed to kayaking from a young age they will pick it up quickly. Kyla learned to roll almost entirely on her own from watching us do it since she was three. One day she just said 'let me try' and with a couple of practices, she did it."

"But you can't put a kid on a river until he has a competent roll," Paula notes. "It only takes one scary episode to turn a kid off forever."

I remember the four swims I took on my first-ever river in my late twenties and am still amazed that I ever got back in a boat. Paula's advice is sound.

I ask them which rivers near Vancouver would best suit a family that has practiced sufficiently on flat water and is ready for some of the moving kind.

"Mamquam, Lower Cheakamus, and Chilliwack below Vedder Crossing," they all agree. "And the Lower Seymour in North Vancouver," adds Don, "although it's a bit shallow and doesn't have a lot of eddies to rest in."

Then they have to go. There is a bunch of eager new paddlers awaiting instruction down at the pool, few of whom, I'm sure, would consider themselves mad. Just adventurous.

© Steve Crowe co-authored Whitewater In BC's Southwest: A Guide to Accessible Runs for Beginner to Advanced Kayakers , available at book and paddle stores and through scrowe69@hotmail.com.

The Jamiesons can be reached for lessons and tours at www.squamishkayak.com, E:mail : S, 604 898 5498.