Youth from across the province will once again be headed to Edmonton for the Winter Whitewater Challenge at West Edmonton Mall and the Kinsmen Centre. There will be surfing, head to head cross racing, slalom and polo. We're keen to keep the momentum going from the Alberta Summer Games and develop our competitive discipline opportunities!

Saturday 6:30pm - 11:30pm (earlier finish for younger kids) @ WEM

Sunday Noon - 6pm @ Kinsmen

Save the date for the kickoff of the 2024 outdoor season. Get energized and ramp up your leadership skills. Tentative topics include:

• NCCP/CKC Moving Water Course
• Personal Paddling Skills / Personal Teaching Skills
• Youth Progression 

Event Page

48 Participants from 5 clubs participated in the Fall Polo tournament in Edmonton this past weekend. Hosted by EWP, 9 teams were split into three divisions: Youth, Open A and Open B. 

26 youth and 22 adults participated, with many of the youth competing in both Youth and an Open division, playing twice as many games as the adults. Over the course of the weekend, 27 games were played, 198 goals scored and two of the three finals came down to sudden death overtime to decide the winner, making for an exciting tournament.

There was no tackling permitted in the Youth division, but everyone was fair game for tackles in the Open division. Each team was responsible for officiating a set number of games and several participants received training as referees or linespersons. 

EWP’s fantastic selection of top quality gear meant many participants chose to use EWP club gear instead of the gear they brought. 

The majority of the athletes came from Edmonton, Grand Prairie, Innisfail, and Rocky Mountain House, and only two participants traveled from Southern Alberta. We hope to see more participants from across the province come out for the next event. 

Mark your calendars for North America’s biggest Polo Tournament, Cup of the North: Feb 9-11, 2024 in Edmonton.

In 2020, I developed a spinal cord disorder and became a full-time wheelchair user. Two years later, desiring to get active again, I signed up for the Paralympic Sports Association’s Adaptive Kayaking Program, run by Chris Goss of Edmonton Whitewater Paddlers. I discovered that being in a kayak is incredibly freeing; my disability no longer poses the same limitations when I’m sitting in my boat. It provides an opportunity to develop core, upper body strength and stability in a fun environment, free from judgement and limiting beliefs. Participants are encouraged to push themselves to discover their abilities, supported by adaptive aids and a dedicated group of instructors and volunteers. Now a Certified Lake Instructor myself, I look forward to introducing the sport to many others who are living
with a disability.

How they are different from other programs that you've been instructing on:
We do a lot of youth programming and adult programming but separately. With our CFN and Hull programs, we got to work with whole families which was really fun, I found both the parents and the kids were always really stoked to participate in games. The adults were more willing to get involved and be silly and have fun, I think because they were with their families.

Ways it was rewarding for you to be involved:
I found these programs very rewarding because I think the families were able to get a lot from the program. We did multiple weekends of 2-day programs and had several families come back for a second time because they enjoyed it so much. I think a lot of folks who joined us will paddle again in the future, whether it's on more courses or even just with their families on summer days.

How you taught the safety components:
We taught safety components in bits and pieces, On the first day we talk about transport Canada's requirements and then throughout the next 2 days we added in things like; what to wear, essential items to bring like water, snacks, communication, first aid, etc. I think educating people on water safety is super important and the more people that have that knowledge the better. My hope is that they'll be able to pass the learning on to their friends and families as well.

How you can foresee some of these participants seeking opportunities to paddle in the future:
Many parents asked about our youth programs after the course and about where they would be able to rent and paddle on their own. I was able to pass on the information and I hope that those families are able to get out on their own and sign their kids up for some type of youth programming. It's super rewarding to see the paddling community grow so much in just one summer.