Perspective is a curious commodity, attained in a variety of ways.
It helps, of course, to understand the concept at its root, to appreciate exactly what you are attempting to extract from this enigmatic notion before embarking on such a quest. Otherwise, it may very well be served to you, along with some other unseemly items, on a proverbial platter.
In the sport of whitewater kayaking, perspective plays a major role, whether in a paddler’s palpable vantage point above or below the river’s surface, a less tangible perception of the challenges before you or the life lessons learned through the benefit of hindsight.
“Oftentimes, things look a lot worse than they really are. It’s really a matter of perspective. We want kids to learn to recognize their fears and learn they have the power to overcome them,” said Nick Wigston, a 20-year kayaker and American Canoe Association (ACA) certified instructor from Boulder.
Wigston and a group of Colorado’s most talented kayakers want to share their skills and have established a statewide network of youth paddlers in the recently formed Rocky Mountain Junior Kayak League (www.downstreamedge.com). Intended for kids ages 10-18, the summer-long league is designed as an alternative outlet for those who seek something from life beyond soccer and softball.
“All kayakers seem to understand the idea that it’s a character-building sport,” said Wigston, who at age 6 learned from his father how to paddle a kayak on the rivers of north Georgia and the Carolinas. “Whether you decide to run a rapid or not to, you develop that judgment ability at an early age that you carry with you the rest of your life. You develop confidence in yourself to make your own decisions.”
The youth league will span eight towns from Jackson, Wyo., to Durango. Wigston and his kayaking friends find it is the best way to share the perspective they have gleaned from others. Founded on fun, the league offers instruction in all aspects of the sport for every ability level.
“People like us, these are the sports we prefer to do,” Wigston said. “As kids we wind up playing soccer and basketball because that’s what everybody does. But it’s not long before we realize how much we prefer things like kayaking and biking and other outdoor sports that are so gratifying.
“If I’d had a program like this for kayaking when I was a kid, I would have been all about it. I’d have been begging my parents to get into it.”
His father recognized the lessons and benefits found in a kayak and nurtured his desire to pursue the discipline at a young age, handing down an outdoor tradition as a bow hunter or fly-fisherman might.
Of course, he also handed down the equipment — long, ill-fitting boats that were difficult to maneuver and almost impossible for a small child to roll upright. These days, equipment comes in all sizes, and children as young as 6 show potential to excel almost immediately. With that in mind, Wigston’s mentoring program stresses safety as one of many river-running fundamentals young kayakers can carry with them through life.
“River safety is a foundation of the program. It’s not just one day’s lesson. It’s every day,” Wigston said. “This is instruction that goes beyond camps or classes. This is designed to get kids into the sport and stay in it.”
It’s not uncommon for many start-up paddlers to go about it just the opposite. They’ll come to the sport later in life and on their own, cobbling together the basic equipment before taking their licks in the local river. Even when it works, the last lesson learned typically is that everyone benefits from a bit of structure.
“I was a raft guide for about half a season before I decided I needed to start kayaking,” said Evan Stafford, 28, the Fort Collins kayak coach who co-authored the 2007 tome “Whitewater of the Southern Rockies” with Denver pro Kyle McCutchen. “I learned to roll on my own, and I don’t think my technique was all that good. I just went out to the middle of a lake and went for it. Our goal is to try to avoid that situation with these kids.”
“I sort of went through the school of raft-guide hard knocks myself,” added Tommy Hilleke, 30, who heads up the Rocky Mountain Junior Kayak League’s Glenwood Springs branch. “You can learn a lot faster with some proper instruction. But even more important to me is that I hope to get these kids into the spirit of kayaking.”
If prospective Vail teammates Chris and Sean Woods are any indication, Hilleke’s goals are well on their way toward fulfillment. Under the brief tutelage of six-year instructor Forrest Knapp of Edwards, the high-school-aged brothers recently took their newfound skills to the Colorado River in Glenwood Springs, where their enthusiasm grew infectious.
“I think it’s awesome,” Chris Woods, 18, said of the new league. “I’m so stoked to go all over the state and get into different rivers and learn from a lot of different people. We have trust in our instructors, and that gives us confidence in our own boating. I think it will definitely be a great opportunity for all kids, especially around our age, to start really getting into it.”
“I think it will be awesome just to progress in the sport because I love it, but also just the kayaking community is great,” said Sean Woods, 15. “It’s just cool being around people that you can relate to and learn from them.”
McCutchen, who learned to kayak at 11 with his father, certainly can relate. Now an ACA-certified instructor — like all of the Rocky Mountain Junior Kayak League coaches — McCutchen recounts long days as a young teen waiting next to the Colorado River with his gear bag and a sack lunch, hoping for an adult kayaker to show up so he could safely surf the legendary Big Sur wave near his hometown of Grand Junction after dad dropped him off on his way to work.
“I definitely wished I had something like this,” said McCutchen, the league’s co-founder along with Wigston. “Both Nick and I grew up paddling with our parents and their friends. We gained a lot of maturity, but paddling with kids our own age was a real treat. That didn’t really happen until I was 18.”
Summertime cruise
A group of Colorado kayakers is starting a youth series for the state. A look at the new Rocky Mountain Junior Kayak League:
Ages: 10-18; Season: June-August
Idea: With teams per clubs planned in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Vail, Glenwood, Steamboat Springs, Durango and Jackson, Wyo., the league is hoping to spawn a network of youth paddlers similar to a small version of Colorado’s prolific ski clubs.
Fee: $1,150 for the season, not including equipment and travel. Discounted gear rentals are available. Scholarships up to $500.
What you get: The fee includes two days of insured, accredited, on-water instruction per week from June-August, entrance into three league-wide competitions and an end-of-season trip to the Snake River near Jackson.
Info: ; downstreamedge@gmail.com or phone 303-809-8942.
