INUVIK
The Inuvik Qayaq Club is proving too popular to give organizers Kevin Floyd and Jen Lam much time in their own qayaqs but that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Kevin Floyd demonstrates how to get back in a qayaq during a rescue and recovery clinic Saturday, July 8. The Inuvik Qayaq Club is holding regular clinics this summer and interest has been high so far. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

"It's been a really great start to our summer," said Jen Lam, organizer of the club along with Kevin Floyd.

The pair recently hosted a rescue and recovery workshop on Boot Lake. They are teaching participants how to get back in their qayaqs should they fall out as well as how to tow each other to safety.

"We want to share traditional qayaqing to as many people as possible," said Lam. "Especially with people coming up from down south, it's an opportunity for people to have a chance to play in an Inuvialuit qayaq, which a lot of people have never seen before."

The club meets for rolling practices in the pool every Sunday and regular training sessions are hosted on Saturdays.

Floyd said the goal of the rescue and recovery session is to introduce people to the sport while also helping them be safe on the water. The group learned a number of techniques to accommodate different situations of distress.

"We focused a lot on solo recoveries because our focus as a club is for people to be self-reliant," said Lam.

"Especially up here, you don't expect anybody to be passing by any time soon. So if you're out there paddling by yourself, which some of us do and we enjoy that, (you know) that you can recover yourself so you don't have to be waiting for somebody to come save you."

It makes for a larger community of safety-minded paddlers, she said.

The club plans to hold regular weekend programs, including one on proper paddle strokes with a traditional paddle.

Though skill levels range from beginner to advanced, qayaqing is a sport anyone can get into, said Floyd.

"What I've seen teaching over the years, a lot of it is your background as a paddler and other sports, but it also comes down to your physical literacy," he said. "It's much easier to get someone who's athletic to pick up the skills but at the same time we have people there that this might be their first step into becoming physically active, so everyone can do it."

The club hopes to host paddle-making workshops in the near future.

Anyone interested in taking part in the activities or learning more is encouraged to check out the Inuvik Qayaq Club Facebook page.

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