There's a new club in town about to make waves on Ness Lake and West Lake.
The Prince George Canoe and Kayak Club launched earlier this year, the first of its kind in northern B.C.
The club is hosting an open house on Sunday, May 25 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Four Seasons Pool.
It's free for youth ages seven to 17. All participants need to bring are their parents and a swim suit if they want to try out four smaller, stable kayaks for children under 12 as well as seven adult-size kayaks for 12- to 17-year-olds.
"We didn't have a club up north and it's something I really wanted to get going," said PGCKC president Mark Hansen. "[Flatwater sprint canoe and kayaking is] an Olympic sport that kids don't have access to [until now]. The closest club is in Kamloops and there are more in the Lower Mainland. And it's way more popular in eastern Canada."
The club is non-profit, incorporated, and has a board of directors, all accredited with Canoe Kayak B.C. Hansen spent 2013 fundraising to collect the flotilla of training-grade kayaks as well as paddles to propel the club into the water this summer.
Two-hour mini camps for groups of 10 in June and July at Ness Lake and West Lake will also be held with dates yet to be determined. The cost is $10 per child for two hours.
"The sport is for those who like to be out in the elements and the water," said Hansen. "There is a full range of people involved. These boats are sleek and fast and can move quickly. Once you learn [the sport] you can make [the kayak] move very quickly. Boys like it because the kayaks have a rudder that they can control and steer. They just love it that they can steer it."
Kids who take a liking to it can stay at the recreational level or move up to the high performance level and compete at various regattas.
That includes representing Zone 8 at the B.C. Summer Games as well as Team B.C. at the Canada Summer Games.
Hansen's 16-year-old daughter Gemma is an example of a Prince George athlete who's done just that.
She helped Team B.C. to fifth-place finishes in IC4 200-metre and the K-4 (kayak) 500m events at the 2013 Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke, Que.
She also competed for Zone 8 in canoe/kayak at the 2010 and 2012 B.C. Summer Games. In 2012, she won silver and a pair of bronze medals.
"I started in the sport four years ago with my cousins and we got to go to the B.C. Summer Games," said the Grade 10 D.P. Todd student. "I got into it and just kept at it. I love the fact you can go out and get away from everything. It doesn't really matter what size you are, whether tall or short. It's how much power you have."
Gemma currently trains in Kamloops on Shumway Lake with the Kamloops Canoe and Kayak Club.
She's aiming for a spot on the Zone 8 B.C. Summer Games team again in Nanaimo in July as well as qualifying for the national championships in Regina in August.
She recently spent part of the spring in Georgia and Florida at the Canadian national team's training camp as an observer.
That's where she witnessed the likes of four-time Olympic medallist Adam van Koeverden (kayak) and Olympic bronze medallist Mark Oldershaw (canoe) practice.
Gemma recently became a certified Level 1 coach. The National Coaching Certification Program and will be at the May 25 open house along with officials from Canoe Kayak B.C.
"The coaching and support is there for the club," said Mark Hansen.
For more information, go online to www.pgckc.com or like the club on Facebook at PG Canoe and Kayak Club.
