Kayaking is More Than a Good Time?!

My complicated relationship with whitewater kayaking began when I was a toddler. I remember my father tying a string to the stern (the back) of my boat and letting me paddle around the pond behind the house. When I would get scared or stuck he would reel me back in!

Later, we would paddle a rocky class II section of the Potomac River and then he would tow me back up the green flatwater in the canal; me delighted with the ride, he getting in his resistance workout. My favorite memory is of paddling the turquoise Actopan River in Mexico as a kid. The water rushes right out of the rock and is so clear you can see bubbles coming up through the waves!

Paddling Through the Fear

I also remember often feeling cold and afraid. When I was about 9 years old, I entered a whitewater slalom race, (this is an amazing and little-known Olympic sport, check it out!) called Riversport Slalom on the middle Youghiogheny River. At one point I had to ferry my boat from one side of the river to the other, above a massive hydraulic*.

* I have later revisited this place and the rapid is a tiny thing!

My dad paddled behind me, shouting encouragement the whole time. I made the move and was rewarded with the special feeling of exhaustion and accomplishment. This feeling is linked in my mind with extreme sports, one I have come to love and seek out in my adult life.

The Family that Paddles Together

I have always considered kayaking to be a family activity. Anytime I put my boat in on the river I am bound to see a cousin or a second cousin or someone that I call a cousin despite dubious actual relations, out there too.

My grandmother was the first in my family to get interested in whitewater kayaking. She would paddle a long fiberglass boat on the Potomac River in the 1960s, before there were many kayakers, and certainly not many women! She passed that love for river exploration and kayaking as a sport to her children.

My uncle competed in whitewater slalom at the Olympic level, medaling in the first ever competition at the 1972 games. My dad pioneered many runs around the world, most notably in this area the 1975 first decent on Great Falls of the Potomac.

These family members’ greatest accomplishments however, in my opinion, is the hundreds of people they have introduced to the sport of kayaking. I imagine the blue wave of love for kayaking rippling out like a wave to people that they have met and taught, and those they have in turn met and taught, all across the world. 

Paddle Professional

Now I work in the paddle sports industry. I work for a small non-profit in the DC area called Calleva, started by some of those river-folk cousins. As a level 4 whitewater instructor I get to work with people experiencing all of those feelings: joy, fear, exhaustion and pride, just their first 2 hour class!

I try to remember the way my brain acts when learning something new under pressure. I try to make each class challenging and difficult but still, in sum, fun. 

When people reach out to me in the office and inquire about kayaking classes, I try to figure out what it is they want from the sport. Do they want a challenge? Or do they dream of going over a waterfall? Do they want to experience their world from a different view, in this case, the river looking up? Or do they want a sport that they can share with their whole family, one that goes beyond cheering on their kids from the stands?

Paddling Lessons

Kayaking has so much to teach us.  My favorite part about it is how much it makes me think about myself; my motivations, my fears. The other day I was alone in an eddy, a calm area in the middle of a rapid, with roaring whitewater all around. My friend had just taken a difficult line, getting stuck for a moment on a wave, before successfully disappearing around an island and down the other side.

I saw the move and I thought I could make it. I also thought, if he struggled and he is stronger than me, maybe I wouldn’t make it… plus it looked so hard! I peeled out and took another passage, through waves but not exposing myself to so much risk. Since then I have thought back, why didn’t I try it? What is the worst that could have happened? How likely was I to make a mistake?

That type of factual risk assessment, acknowledging and identifying fear, is a tool I have used many times off the river. Kayaking has also given me a solace, a place that I can visit when I need escape, something that I was incredibly grateful for during difficult times, especially the isolation of COVID.

DC Paddling Community

The best part of kayaking, however, is the incredible community of river people. Washington DC can be a massive and transient city. But the river community is stable and kind. Everyone I know paddles. If not, why not?

I know whitewater kayaking isn’t for everyone. But if you can swim, there is a place on the river for you. We have flat water tours ⎯ when was the last time you saw a bald eagle and a beaver in the same day?! Or try our sea kayaking classes ⎯ yes, learn to sea kayak on the Potomac and then explore coasts by boat! We have kids camps and after school lessons. You will find out just how quickly your kids get better than you. And if you can’t swim, well, sign up for swim lessons and we will get you in a boat shortly after!

Calleva’s River School is a great place to start a new passion. See you on the river!