Few people have heard of Edmonton’s Kirk Lake. Marielle Hawkes and Jessi Temple row and paddle across this tiny body of water twice a day, six days a week.
The medal winning Pan American athletes are training for the national championships in August 27-30, in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.
Kirk Lake is just outside a hidden community just north of the Yellowhead Freeway in the extreme northwest of Edmonton.
The lake used by the Alberta Sprint Racing Canoe Association, a non-profit group that provides coaching, support and competition for competitive rowers, kayakers and canoeists.
For a modest $75 Edmontonians can learn the skills of kayaking and canoeing over a month. There are clubs for greater Edmonton, St. Albert, Strathcona and Leduc.
“Almost anywhere in the city is convenient,” says Michelle Manovich, club development manager, “and it’s a lot of fun.”
You can learn more at http://www.albertasprintcanoe.com.
