Last Friday night, Feb. 8, DU’s Kayaking Club team brought out some of the best of the school’s whitewater sport talent, as well as some new faces, to their relay race fundraiser in El Pomar Natatorium. Co-president Paul MacNaughton, a junior mechanical engineering major from Lake Bluff, Ill., began the event with a safety talk and the rules of the race, which included paddle boarding, kayaking and swimming 50 meters each in the pool.

The relay race fundraiser attracted around 25 different people. The event cost $5 per entry and proceeds went to help pay for the club’s upcoming trips during this season, pool time, gear and professional instruction. MacNaughton emphasized the club’s goal to make every trip affordable for members so that each of them is accessible for any student who is interested in going. According to MacNaughton, the fundraiser raised a little over $100.

“The club doesn’t work with a huge budget, so every bit counts towards making our trips more affordable to our members,” said MacNaughton.

While it was clear that the great majority of the members are experienced and highly skilled kayakers, the evening brought together a close-knit group of athletes and outdoor enthusiasts for some laid-back entertainment designed to engage the DU community.

The event lasted from 6:30-9 p.m. and began with about five heats of serious racing which later progressed to the Kayaking Club members practicing their skills in the pool and having a good time with each other, which appears to be the general attitude of this club sport. Some of the other participants stayed to play in the pool with the kayakers as well.

“Being able to bring the atmosphere of a paddling competition to the club at DU was my favorite part of the event.There was a lot of energy during the different heats and I think everyone enjoyed themslves,” said MacNaughton.

According to MacNaughton, the club has a core group of about 10 more serious and skilled kayakers who come to their practices, which are held every Wednesday from 8:30-10 p.m. at El Pomar in the Ritchie Center. However, practices are open to all DU students.

All the members are enthusiastic about the trip season, which is quickly approaching in the spring. The season will include at least three different trips: one to California that will last all of spring break, a beginner-oriented weekend in Glenwood Canyon and an intermediate trip to Brown’s Canyon in Buena Vista. In addition, the group hopes to kayak in Costa Rica next year over spring break.

These trips are available to any student who has paid the Kayaking Club membership fee and most of the trips are accessible to beginning level kayakers.

Through tabling at the Pioneer Fair, creating some new apparel this year and spreading information through word of mouth, Kayaking Club has created more hype around the team and looks forward to more people returning for the upcoming trip season, according to MacNaughton and fellow member Nick Anderson, a sophomore Creative Writing major from Wheaton, Ill.

“I hope that the DU student body recognizes what a cool opportunity it is; when you think about clubs and activities, being able to go out with professional instructors and bomb rapids in a kayak is not something that everybody gets to do and it’s literally right at your fingertips,” said Anderson.
MacNaughton emphasized the small and tight-knit community that kayaking brings together not only at DU, but also along the Front Range and throughout the state of Colorado. The members of the club are passionate about taking advantage of the close proximity of many outdoor camping and kayaking opportunities that locals are exposed to with DU’s location. They are also very enthusiastic about their opportunity to work with professional instructors. The club works closely with Renaissance Adventures and receives its instructors from this company; a few of the members were in attendance, supporting DU’s kayakers and participating in a few races themselves.

Any students interested in attending a Kayaking Club practice or the upcoming trip season can visit their Facebook page.