Photo by Photo submitted
OUT FOR A PADDLE 鈥� Jason Zrum, left, and Andrew Crist continue to train for their shot at the Canada Games. REPRESENT 鈥� Team Yukon's canoe/kayak team headed to the Canada Summer Games includes, from left, coach Dan Girouard, Jason Zrum and Andrew Crist. Photos courtesy of DAN GIROUARD
The second wave of Team Yukon athletes continues to prepare for their shot at the Canada Summer Games, which will come next week.
The second wave of Team Yukon athletes continues to prepare for their shot at the Canada Summer Games, which will come next week.
Athletes heading to Sherbrooke in the second group will include athletics, canoe/kayak, golf, road cycling and male soccer team members.
The territory's smallest team was still working hard to prepare this past weekend in British Columbia.
The two-athlete canoe/kayak squad will be the first to ever compete in the sport for Yukon.
Jason Zrum, 20, and Andrew Crist, 17, competed in two regattas in B.C. on the weekend. The flatwater sprint paddlers took part in the Maple Ridge Invitational on Saturday, before attending the B.C. Championships Sunday and Monday at Burnaby Lake.
Yesterday morning, Zrum completed the K-1 6,000-m race, finishing in 32 minutes, just two back from the leader.
"For somebody who's only been paddling for two months, it's pretty good,鈥� said coach Dan Girouard.
Both paddlers also raced in K-1 200-m events yesterday, with Zrum placing fifth of eight in the B final, and Crist finishing third in the C final.
The two Yukon paddlers have been training on their own for the past two months, and found their confidence growing at the two regattas.
The Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club only put out the call to interested athletes in early June, in an attempt to send a flatwater sprint team to Sherbrooke.
"For the boys, they're looking for exposure at the Games,鈥� Girouard said. "It's the first ever, so for them it's just to be around some top athletes and get the feel of the sport so they can come back home and try to promote it.
"This past weekend was great for them. They really enjoyed the paddling scene, and they're really excited for more and more kids to get involved.鈥�
Girouard grew up as a sprint paddler in Quebec, and said the sport is starting to take hold in the Yukon.
"By experience, I've found that if you get kids involved in flatwater, they build experience, and then they move on to whitewater easier,鈥� he said.
Both Zrum and Crist have competed at the Canada Games before in different sports.
The duo is excited to return to national competition with aims on improving on personal best times.
In order to encourage thoughtful and responsible discussion, website comments will not be visible until a moderator approves them. Please add comments judiciously and refrain from maligning any individual or institution. Read about our user comment and privacy policies.
Your name and email address are required before your comment is posted. Otherwise, your comment will not be posted.
Be the first to comment