Editor, The News:
I am a coach with the Ridge Canoe and Kayak Club and I would like thank city council for its support in helping us run and grow our programs.
Without council approving the new clubhouse and storage facility, we could not develop the sport of sprint canoe/kayak in B.C.
We have been extremely overcrowded for the past year and we desperately need more space to grow and develop the sport.
We are also hosting B.C. Summer Games and, without the renovations, we could not do so.
We have thousands of participants through our club every year, including high-performance athletes, who are aiming for the 2020 Olympics, including Brian Malfesi, as well as PaddleAll/special needs athletes, schools and classes from all around the community, children, adults and everyone in between.
We offer so many programs to the community, including competitive ones for all ages, as well as dragon boat, PaddleAll, war canoe, summer camp, school programs, and Kiddie canoe and kayak.
We volunteer with other community events and host our own fundraisers.
Overall, we wish to thank the council for allowing all of our athletes and community to be able to participate in such an amazing outdoor sport.
We have been waiting for these renovations for over 10 years and we can’t wait to tell all the kids, athletes, volunteers and parents that they will finally be given the same opportunity to thrive in the sport they love because we will have the space to provide them with the equipment they need.
Tessa Nagai
Ridge Canoe and Kayak Club head coach