On Friday afternoon, a group of heavily armed students
boarded a school bus driven by instructor Mr. Dan Norman and began a journey of
enjoyment and many surprises. The Brentwood Outdoor Pursuits group were on
their way to compete at the Hope Slough Race in Chilliwack on the Saturday
against a group of local kayakers, some of whom were hoping to try out for the
national team.
That night, after setting up the tents, Thomas Tsang discovered his love for chopping wood.
He simply would not allow other people to use the axe after Mr. Norman showed
him the proper techniques and safety protocols such as standing feet apart and
where to hold the axe to ensure a good grip.
With a good supply of kindling, everyone sat near the fire where Mr.
Norman related his beaver song. In order that a sense of mystery and suspense
is still preserved for future campfires, no details about the beaver song will
be given in this article! Except that it can be safely assumed that the beaver
song is very funny.
The next morning everyone woke with excitement and fear:
today was the day of the race! Arriving
at the race site, everyone began to prepare. First, the main weapons – kayaks –
were unloaded, then the support artilleries: paddles, life jackets and spray
skirts. The race site was the quiet
Chilliwack River. Its lack of current and passage through the farms promised a
heaven for any bio fanatic, but an unpleasant experience if a kayaker flipped,
given that the local farms dump their extra fertilizers into the river.
At the race site the group met up with other paddlers: Anna
Williams, Craig Nadalin, Kyle Kemp, Manfred Parker, Derek Beer and Jon Allen.
Anna, Craig and Kyle were in the same junior division as the Brentwood
students, but Kyle and Craig were trying out for the national team. Manfred
Parker was a man in his eighties but he paddled as if he was still forty. Jacob
Norman, Mr. Norman's seven-year-old son was also in
the race.
Before the race the kayakers gathered to familiarise
themselves with the course, down the green gate, up the red, down the white,
s-bend at the third red in the middle… most racers went through the course
multiple times to make sure that in the actual race, the course was clear.
The race itself was exciting and full of energy, with the people
on the banks cheering and Kyle’s very motivating chant an experience beyond
imagination.
In summary, Thomas Tsang won 1st place in the JR
Male K1 plastic boat, Davy Zou coming in second, and Ben Fortson coming in
third. In the JR female K1 plastic boat, Emma Hsu took second place and Elise
Findlay third. The first place for JR female K1 plastic boat went to Anna
Williams, a local kayaker already on the JR national team.
After the race and prizes were given out, the Brentwood
group headed for a local swimming pool for more training cessions. At the pool,
they practiced the roll – a move necessary to save oneself when the kayak
flips. Mr. Norman also offered special services such as launching each kayak –
complete with paddler – off the three-meter diving board.
The next day, after a very fulfilling breakfast, everyone
headed out to a new paddling spot: a river that runs directly from the glaciers
of Mt. Baker. On the river, the journey began under a
bridge, easing out into the current in groups of twos and threes, and
then heading downstream on top of the waves. The
next task was to try out a move called ferry, which involved attempting to
reach the other side of a raging river without going downstream. This skill was
easy to learn but very tiring.
After running the lower section of the bridge, Mr. Norman deemed everyone ready to try the upper section, where the waves were bigger, currents stronger, and a weird stone statue watched the group perform. The statue was in the form of a pile of rocks, and its significance was unclear. Everyone made it through the river, with the height of some waves making it very exciting -- good fun for all!
It was a very tired group of kayakers that were packed into
the bus leaving Chilliwack. The entire weekend, however, had been a great
experience and most enjoyable.
The entire Brentwood group would like to extend their thanks to Mrs. Richardson for driving the trailer and equipment and also to Mr. Norman for the work he put in to ensure the success of the trip. They would also like to thank the Chilliwack paddling community for their hospitality.