Finn Wakeling was just four-years-old when his dad, James, installed a special seat in the middle of the family canoe so he could enjoy paddling trips with his parents on Pitt Lake and up Widgeon Creek.
Now 13, Finn is firmly in control of the paddle himself.
The Grade 8 student at Hillcrest middle school in Port Moody is just back from the Canadian Whitewater national championships in Ottawa where he won five medals in his age group.
Finn won gold in the C1 downriver classic and downriver sprint events and silvers in the C1 and C2 whitewater slalom events.
His journey from placid passenger to champion speedster paddling one and two-man racing canoes through a raging whitewater course began when James bought himself a C1 racing canoe that he kinda sorta knew would be too small. But it just so happened to be just about the right size to fit his then-nine-year-old son.
Finn took up the paddle himself, and family expeditions on serene lakes turned to excursions to roiling rapids on the Seymour and Chilliwack rivers.
“My plan worked,” James said.
Every time Finn launched himself into the fast water, he learned a little more about reading the rapids, plotting his way around holes and whirlpools, navigating waves and troughs to gain speed. He learned how to calculate the risk of a particular route through the rapids versus the reward of improving his times down the river.
Eventually Finn found his way to the Chilliwack Centre for Excellence Paddling Club where he trains three times a week on the Tamihi Rapids.
Paddling alongside some of the best competitive canoeists and kayakers in the province, Finn said he’s been able to work on his technique instead of powering his way through the rough water.
“I’m young and not as strong,” Finn said. “So I had to learn technique rather than just using strength to paddle.”
Finn’s trip to Ottawa was his first chance to test the technique he’s honed, the navigational strategies he’s learned, against national competition.
“It was very nerve-wracking,” he said.
His trepidation wasn’t eased when he spied the signs warning of Sewage Outflow! above the Pumphouse course that is situated on a channel leading from a dam to the Ottawa River.
And while the medals Finn earned are an affirmation of the progress he’s made in just four years, he knows there’s still a long way to go in his development as a top paddler.
“I’ve got to get stronger and learn how to read harder lines along the river,” Finn said.
And now it’s his dad’s turn to enjoy the ride.
“It’s great when your kids develop a passion,” James said.
