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Join the Paddle Canada community on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn ADRIAN CAMARA IS THE EDITOR OF KANAWA
The Director’s Strokes
WI LL OUR KI DS BE L I E V E IN WIL D E R N E S S ? My 10-year-old son is dreaming of spring paddling already. To pass the time he’s devised an idea to create an interactive whitewater kayaking video game. Using both graphics and real video footage, a player would get points for freestyle moves, controlling the paddler in waves, and boofing over rocks. It got me thinking. How will the next generation shape paddling? What will paddling look like in 30 years? The world is quickly becoming filled with distractions, from memes and social media to video games. As everyday life gets more ephemeral, I fear the next ranks of paddlers won’t value wandering around the wilderness for days or weeks at a time. In one of his latest articles, keeper of the flame, Kevin Callan writes “long wilderness
trips are a thing of the past.” The outdoor community must encourage more of our youth to get back into wilderness expedition paddling trips. Organizations like Outward Bound are doing an excellent job. I encourage Paddle Canada Instructors to help schools and outdoor groups get even more kids into the wild. Paddle Canada has worked hard over the last couple of years to stay relevant to younger paddlers. The new Paddle Canada Standup Paddleboard program is booming. It’s no wonder—kids love board sports. From snowboarding to wakeboarding; they dig it. As much as some traditional paddlers disregard SUP, it has invigorated paddling. From fashion brands to yoga studios, everyone is embracing the paddleboard. Most paddleboarding is kept to short, hourly trips. However, some paddlers, like Paddle Canada Instructor Norm Hann, use photography to show that exploring deep into the wilderness by board is a great way to go. Just look at the photo below.
Graham Ketcheson is the Executive Director of Paddle Canada
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