By Connie Tabbert
Editor
BEACHBURG — Two Beachburg brothers are preparing to travel to Africa to train for the upcoming world kayaking championships which are being hosted by Wilderness tours near Foresters Falls this August.
Quinton Kennedy, 17, and brother Kalem, 16, leave March 8 to spend time on Hairy Lemon, an island in Uganda which has the White Nile River flowing through it. On this river is the Nile Special Wave, which is similar to the wave that will be used during the world championships.
The two brothers will train for two weeks with others who will also be competing at the world’s. Kalem placed13th at the world’s in 2013, while Quinton did not compete.
“This has some of the best waves to train on,” Quinton said. “It’s a really good spot.”
While the Ottawa River is closer, it’s frozen over.
Freestyle kayaking has been around for quite some time, Quinton said. It was demonstrated at the 2012 Olympics with hopes of making it an event, he said.
Tanya Kennedy, the teens’ mom, said the area was created by a man, named Paul, for kayakers.
This is the first time her sons will be travelling alone.
“Once they arrive where they’re going, I’ll be fine,” she said. “Once landed, I know they’ll be in good hands for two weeks. It’s the 24 hours it will take to get there that makes me nervous.”
The two kayakers are members of Canada’s Junior Men’s team competing at the world’s. The other member is Alex Oxley from Quebec. They made the team during team trials held last summer on the Garburator on the Ottawa River near Wilderness Tours.
Kalem explained this event is a wave, not a hole, which means each competitor must execute as many tricks as possible in 45 seconds.
This could possibly be the last opportunity to kayak at the Nile Special Wave because there is talk of damning the river, Ms. Kennedy said.
“If that happens, it will be devastating to the area because it will affect rafting, kayaking and tourism,” she said.
The Kennedy boys have been kayaking for about four years. They started with the Teen Club at Wilderness Tours then Keeners at the Ottawa Kayak School, also at the same place.
“Keeners is known around the world for having the best coaches,” Quinton said. “Many from around the world have come through the program.”
The two began kayaking after trying it with Kaleb Grady, a La Passe area kayaker who will also be at Hairy Lemon. He is a member of Canada’s men’s team.
“He’s awesome to the kids,” said Ms. Kennedy.
The two teens recalled when Kaleb took them to the Ottawa XL (rapids) in the early spring. The waters were at flood level and he showed them how to run the wave. Kalem is the youngest to ever surf that wave.
“The experience just made us more comfortable,” Quinton said.
“The freedom you get while out on the water is great,” he added. “On the wave, you are totally independent. It’s great to be free.”
Kalem has made some pretty awesome friends over the years and it’s also a great way to meet people.
“It’s something you can do with your friends,” he said. “You get to travel to different places. There’s never a shortage of places to go.”
He also likes that kayaking is a family affair. His parents, Tanya and Dave, met at Wilderness Tours 28 years ago as rafting guides. His father. is still a raft guide during the summer months.
Ms. Kennedy is excited for her sons because this is an opportunity that came just at the right time, because they are at an age where they are becoming more independent.
To have this adventure, the family agreed the boys would pay the airfare and the parents everything else. Laughing, Ms. Kennedy thinks it should have been the other way around. She noted just for the vaccinations for the two boys it cost about $800.
To pay for their share, Quinton works at McDonald’s and Wilderness Tours while Kalem is a labourer. Both attended Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School and now go to Bishop Smith Catholic High School.
The two also have sponsors to help with expenses. Kalem’s sponsors are Wavesport, Level 6 (which is gear) and Sunski Sunglasses. Quinton’s sponsors include Kokatat, Water Sports (gear), Titan Kayaks, Sunski Sunglasses and Predator Helmets. They are always looking for more sponsors.
Airborn Athletics from Beachburg also post videos of the two kayakers.
Photographer Philip Robert takes many photos of kayakers. He has a Master`s Degree in Film and Television Production from Chapman University in Orange, California, and has been photographing
kayakers for the past five years. Originally from Hammond, Louisiana, Philip moved to Bend, Oregon in 2009 to take up kayaking.
There are tricks to getting the kayaks onto the plane, Quinton said. When most people think of kayaks, they think of a very long, narrow boat. However, the freestyle kayaks are short. He noted his kayak is less than six feet long and weighs only 32 pounds.
There have been some creative descriptions designed for these kayaks so they can get onto planes, such as it being a handicapped surfboat or a sit inside surf board, he said with a laugh.
While there are siblings who shy away from doing things together, these two don’t.
“One pushes the other,” said Ms. Kennedy. “They enjoy the same thing. They have progressed a lot together.”
Ms. Kennedy said this is a good sport for her sons, believing it to be safer than riding their bicycles on the highway.
One of the advantages to the brothers enjoying this sport is the opportunity to go kayaking almost whenever they want. Since it’s dangerous to go alone, they’re able to know when the other is available to go.
Kalem noted one thing about training together is they get to help each other improve.
“It’s always easier to see someone else make a mistake than yourself,” he said.
The two encourage everyone to come and cheer on the Canadians at the world championships, since it’s in Whitewater’s backyard on the Ottawa River this August.
