Sydenham Lake canoe club

Helen Parfitt | May 05, 2011

Photo: Jack Fenlong (Boat No.1) of SLCC competes in the 2010 Eastern Ontario Divisional (EOD) Championships at the Rideau Canoe Club (Mooney’s Bay) in Ottawa

Summer fun and fitness starts here! The Sydenham Lake Canoe Club will be hosting two Open Houses on May 14 and May 21 between 10AM and 1PM at the club located behind Foodland in Sydenham. Adults, parents and their children will have a chance to try out a recreational or competitive canoe or kayak, register and enquire about the programs. Afterwards, they can relax and enjoy a BBQ lunch at the club.

The Sydenham Lake Canoe Club, now in its 14th year, is a non-profit club founded by local Olympic paddler George Jones. George, the club’s commodore, wanted youth, including his own children, to also have the opportunity to “Go for the Gold”. George continues to be involved in the club because he believes that not all youth thrive in the team sport environment. He believes that paddling provides youth with an alternative. Paddling is a non-contact, low-carbon footprint, individual sport that allows youth to achieve their personal best.

With the support of the local community, the club strives to offer programs that suit all members of the family. The Youth Sprint Paddling Program is a half-day program for paddlers from ages 7-18. Here the youth will receive on-water instruction in competitive sprint paddling from an experienced sprint coach. This year the youth may have the opportunity to compete in regattas in Ottawa and Welland Ontario.

Roger L’Abbe, father of Genevieve L’Abbe, a youth sprint paddler who competed in the provincial Trillium Regatta in Sudbury last year, says, “I’ll never forget the surprise in the announcer’s voice when they realized that a paddler from the small town of Sydenham, Ontario, was in the running for a medal. I felt really proud and appreciative that this opportunity was available to us.”

The club also has a Master’s program in the evenings for adults who may wish to paddle recreationally or compete at the Master’s events. Regardless of personal goals, adult paddlers will enjoy the opportunity to improve their fitness level and make new friends.

The club offers a Canoe Kids Day Camp for youth ages 7-14. The day camps run for seven weeks from July 4 –August 19. This year, the camps will be divided into two types of programs. Those in July, along with emphasizing just plain fun and friendship, will give youth the opportunity to develop skills in the area of sprint paddling if they wish to try competing in regattas. The camps in August will be theme-based, allowing youth to paddle recreationally and explore their interests. With an emphasis on social, natural history and art, youth will be given the opportunity to get creative and discover their local community.

For more information please contact Helen Parfitt at 613-376-6613, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.sydenhamlakecanoeclub.webs.com.