Western London, Ontario
UWO, on the sleepy Thames River in London, Ont., is blessed with aca- demic excellence and cursed with poor whitewater. In the words of student and national freestyle team member Kate Townsend: “Let's just say the Thames doesn't cut the mustard! Nonetheless, Western has a happening pad- dling scene built around thrice-weekly pool sessions and a dedicated club. “Sessions consist of listening to good music, learning basic strokes to new advanced vertical moves, ripping flips off the diving board, playing kayak water polo etc,” said club president Andy Baines. Park‘n play: Parkhill in Cambridge (solid hole and wave, <1 hr). Elora Gorge/Irvine Creek (I-–IV+, 1 hr 15 mins), Big Bloop (small play hole, 45 mins), Kings College Parking Lot (a tiny wave for spinning when the Thames is flooding in April, on campus), Burlington Beach surf (1 hr, 15 mins). Peak season: The pool knows no
seasons Recommended courses: Altered States of Consciousness, Psychology of Sex Male to female ratio: 44:56 Student pubs: The Spoke, The Wave Price of a pitcher: $12.50 domestic; $13.75 premium Club: Western Kayak Club On-campus pool sessions: 3 times/week, 6 hrs/week. Selling points: Paddling club video nights, pub nights, “actual river trips.” Random complaint: “Western ladies—and I thought wallpaper was stuck up?”—Anonymous The word: “We have many of the current low-volume boats and an executive group full of talented paddlers. A few of our first-year kayakers are already doing superclean cart- wheels.”—Patrick Camblin, VP Corporate Affairs, UWO Kayak Club Maclean’s national reputation rank: 11 out of 47 Verdict: Best of a bad situation.
Park Hill
Trent Peterborough, Ontario “An
untapped resource waiting to explode”” is how one student
describes the paddling scene at Trent. There’s no paddling club (yet) but Peterborough, home of the Canadian Canoe Museum and more than a few
Gull River
Queen’s Kingston, Ontario The windy lakeshore town of Kingston, Ont., is also
home to Queen’s rival Royal Military College and the (non-rival) Kingston Penitentiary. With the second high- est average entrance grades in the country behind UBC, Queen’s students are a bright bunch who may be too busy studying during the school year to worry about a lack of near-campus whitewater. Besides, Queen’s has a great kayak club with its own boats and casual pool time every Saturday night, and the Ottawa River is only two hours away. Park‘n play: Hole Brothers on the Black River, Watertown, NY (perfect learning spot, class II, 45 mins). River trips: Salmon (30 mins), Moira (35
mins), Ottawa (2 hrs). Related program: Outdoor and Experiential Education Courses: Civil 455 River Engineering Male to female ratio: 43:57 Student pubs: Alfie’s, Queen’s Pub, Clark Hall Club and Grad Club. Price of a pitcher: $9.00 Club: Queen’s Wildwater Club ($5/session, $25/semester, $45/yr). On-campus pool sessions: 3 hrs Saturday nights Selling points: Queen’s Outdoor Club, Concrete Canoe Team, foosball, nice waves on Lake Ontario. Claim to fame: Drinking the most Keith’s in the country west of Halifax. Notable grads: Ruth Gordon, The Tragically Hip, CBC star and canoeist Shelagh Rogers The word: “Kingston has
some great rivers close by for the average paddler, and some great playspots
across the bor- der in New York.” Mary Ellen Conway, Queen’s paddler Maclean’s national reputation rank: 4 out of 47 Verdict: Best place to hang out in the pub and wait for summer.
Salmon River
boating-related doctoral theses, has a river flowing through its heart and paddling in its blood. Excellent whitewater and slalom facilities are only an hour away at the Gull River in Minden. A small school with small classes in a small town. Only two hours away from Ontario’s whitewater soul, the Madawaska Valley. Park‘n play: Otonabee River: Lock 19 in winter and early spring (experts-only wave, 10 km and accessible by bus), Quaker Wave in fall and spring (beginner- friendly, 8 km), Gull (100 km). River trips: Eel’s Creek (50 km), Crowe (75 km), Beaver (100 km), Black River (150 km). Male to female ratio: 33:67 Student pub: The Pig’s Ear Tavern Price of a pitcher: $11.00 Club: None On-campus pool
sessions: None Selling points: Wild Rock Outfitters’ Monday-night paddling sessions at the Gull. School uniform: Carhartts and Birkenstocks Notable paddlers: Professor emeritus Bruce Hodgins, co author of Canoeing North into the Unknown. The word: “The Indian River is probably one of the greatest untapped resources in Southern Ontario. If my plans to develop follow through, this site could rival the Gull River in Minden.” —Shelley Hubble, Trent paddler and visionary. Maclean’s national reputation rank: Didn’t make the top 25. Second behind Lakehead in “Value Added.” Verdict: Best phenomenally low ratio of sensitive new-age guys to hippie chics.
Carleton U Ottawa, Ontario Dubbed “Last Chance U” in pre–double cohort days,
Pumphouse
Ottawa’s Carleton is “First Choice U” for any prospective student who craves whitewater. Carleton boasts two solid paddling spots only 10 minutes from campus and accessible by bus— Champlain Rapids and the Pumphouse. “Carleton is great because it allows me to train and go to school full time”— national slalom paddler John Hastings. Park‘n play: The Wall on Champlain Rapids (springtime freestyle spot, 10 mins), the Pumphouse (national slalom training centre, 200 metres of artificially enhanced class II–III, 10 mins). River trips: Hwy 7 rivers near Marmora, rivers of the Gatineau Hills, the Rouge, the Petite Nation, the Ottawa, the Madawaska (all within 2 hrs). Male to female ratio: 52:48 Student pub: Oliver’s
40
www.rapidmag.com
Price of a pitcher: $9.75 ($8.50 Thursdays) Club: None. On-campus pool sessions: Paddling school Down to Earth (D2E) runs campus pool sessions. Selling points: Free Trailhead demo nights at Champlain Rapids. Ottawa River Runners club. Snow sports and biking in the Gatineau Hills. Ice skating on the Rideau Canal. 3000-member ultimate Frisbee league. The word: “Carleton is the best. Let me think—was it because I could paddle on an Olympic-sized pool with perma- nent wires for gates, because I could paddle from where I lived to school, the fact that a national training site was on the same street as my university or that I could surf at the wave on cam- pus in the spring?”—Sheryl Boyle, 1996 Olympian Maclean’s national reputation rank: Didn’t make the top 25 Verdict: Best slalom school.
paddling photos from top: Rick Matthews, Rapid Stock Images, Fred Lum, Rapid Stock Images. Queen’s: Queen's University/Articulation Group.
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