The Alberta AWA 2023 Provincial Championships were held at the Kananaskis River on the Weekend of September 9th and 10th. Mother Nature did her part, giving us two beautiful days to run the events which brought water enthusiasts of all ages and disciplines together to compete for medals. The championships were very well attended with over 60 individual athletes descending to Canoe Meadows to show their skills in Kayak, Canoe, SUP, Extreme and Freestyle. It was incredible to see some of the kids return from Alberta Summer Games to compete again this summer after their introduction to the sports in July.
Many of these paddlers started out (and still participate) in our Grom and Teen kayaking programs. Some of them aspire to be future paddling instructors, and AQ staff.
If you’re looking for affordable ways to get your kids outside, and maybe even compete, then check out our selection of industry-leading youth paddling programs.
Saturday
Saturday was filled with back-to-back races on both the half and full course as athletes vied for the top spots in C1,C2, and K1. We were introduced to the next generation of Slalom paddlers, as a few kids graduated from trying slalom on the water off-course from previous years, to competing on the half course which was from Miami Beach down to the Notch.
Congratulations goes to the two youngest competitors, Travis Coward and Emeric Germaine, who, with less than half a second between them, took home Gold and Silver. We expect to see these two having a friendly rivalry for years to come.
The first round of the full course kept our safety boaters busy with a few swims and a lot of wobbly moments. AWS coach Jordi Cadena set a very staunch course to test our athletes. Proving they were up to the challenge, the competitors came back and delivered on their second runs.
The fastest Albertan Male goes to Benji Goluska in the U18M at a speedy 83.41 seconds and the fastest Female competitor was fourteen year old Sarah Whalen. Both of these young contestants will be ones to watch for on future podiums at all levels of Competition. The overall fastest time goes to Nathan Christensen from British Columbia; he greased the course in 73.8 seconds.
Sunday
Sunday was a stellar day which started with Boater Cross, which is when 4 racers get to enter the water from a ramp and maneuver down the course as quickly as they can without garnering any faults or RALs (rank changes). This race does not require any special slalom training and is great for all whitewater paddlers, plus it is one of the best spectator sports when it comes to kayaking.
Isaac Crawford (U14/U12) Carver Isaac (U18), and Mikkel St-Jean Duncan took top spots for the men, while Cadence Coward (U12), Josephine Cameron (U14,) Ruby Spranza (U18) took home gold for the ladies.
The day continued with our SUP paddlers adventuring into the same course which ran from Green Tongue to under Cartwheel corner. This was the first time a course had been set that high up on the river. Navigating the gates in whitewater while having to stay on your feet is no easy task, but these experts made it look easy – taking gold were David Manning, Reta Boychuk and Alix Isley.
The final event for the day was Freestyle, put on by the Alberta Freestyle Association’s Darrell Wiebe and Brandon Willms - they ran a minor level event which gave newer paddlers a chance to compete and get a feel for all things freestyle.
The field was narrowed down to the five finalists; first was Daniel Inskip, silver was a tie for Athena Hauck and Elissa McColl, Bronze was Bennett Whalen, and Talia Coward in 5th place. The major level competition followed ICF rules and at the top of the heap was Nathan Novack, followed by brother Caleb Novack and our under 18 National Champ Jordi Monro coming in third.
A big thank you to our sponsors for the event Annex Sodas and Twigz Pretzels who helped out with some prizes and to the AWA for putting on the event. The most important thanks goes to all of the volunteers especially Brenda Boyd from ASW; without you these events would not be possible.
If you envision trips like this for your family, and for your kids to have these amazing experiences, then check out our selection of youth paddling programs. It’ll give them confidence, meaningful fun outside, and plenty of new friends! And being out in the mountains sure beats being inside during summer, right?
Words by Nikki Coward
AQ Outdoors Contact
Edmonton: (p) 780 463-4892 (e) info@aquabaticsedmonton.com
Calgary: (p) 403 288-9283 (e) info@aqoutdoors.com
