Editor:
Here you will find a short, fun poem to promote National Paddling Week, June 15-23.
National Paddling Week is a celebration of Canada’s paddling heritage. It is an opportunity to provide awareness and education for safety and skill improvement on the water, and a chance for novices and experts alike to make beginning and connections in their local paddling community.
Many associations, clubs and operators are putting on special events and offering free safety courses.
B.C. is a coastal province with lots of lakes and rivers throughout. Paddling makes up a large part of our outdoor activities. Learning how to do these sports skillfully and safely make them so much more fun and enjoyable, and avoids preventable tragedy.
For more information visit our website at www.nationalpaddlingweek.ca.
Mike Gilbert
Director for B.C. Paddle Canada
National Paddling Week
By Sophie Kaufmanis
I am writing to share
A clarion call to your readers out there:
Calling all mothers and fathers and sons,
Daughters and lawyers and especially nuns,
Get your paddles at the ready and your wetsuits looking chic,
For it’s soon to be National Paddle Week!
The next time the blue sky lights up a day
Or the clouds, with their rain, weep the morning away
You can be there to watch it all from your canoe,
Your kayak, or even your stand-up paddleboard too!
It’s your bonding time with nature, an activity with your kids,
A time for profound life reflection, overwhelming bliss,
And in a lake or ocean you can watch your bad days
Dissolving like raindrops in your paddleboard’s wake
But don’t forget your whistle too when you head out to sea
And always make sure to securely fasten up your PFD.
Those are only two examples of safety at its best —
But join a paddle club in town and you can learn the rest!
Happy National Paddling Week!