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The Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club takes to the waves this weekend with its signature event, the Whitewater Rodeo.

Tonight, a freestyle competition, raft race, and packrafting challenge takes place at the Rotary Centennial Bridge. Registration is at 6 p.m. at the bridge.

Tomorrow, on the Tutshi River on the South Klondike, about 7 km before Log Cabin, intermediate and advanced whitewater races will take place. Registration is at 10 a.m.

The Yukon Canoe and Kayak Club (YCKC) has been running for at least two decades now, according to Executive Director Lawrence Brennan 鈥� longer than he can remember, and he鈥檚 been paddling with the club for about 20 years now.

The club started in 1961 as the Yukon Voyageurs Club, then switched names in 1988.

Because of COVID, the club didn鈥檛 run an event last year.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 probably the first time it鈥檚 been cancelled in 鈥� 20 years, if not longer,鈥� says Brennan.

鈥淚f it cooperates in the next week, we should be back on.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been paying attention to what the Chief Medical Officer of Health is saying, and the Yukon CDC (Communicable Disease Control). But with lifting restrictions, right now we鈥檙e feeling comfortable.

鈥淚f we have an outbreak in the next five days of course, we will shut down. But this being outdoor events, we鈥檙e feeling confident that we can do this safely.鈥�

Of course, there will be COVID protocols in place.

鈥淪ocial distancing for sure, especially since we鈥檙e outside,鈥� says Brennan. 鈥淥f course we鈥檒l have hand washing stations as well. It is a little difficult to do contact tracing, because there is a lot of public walking on the Millennium Trail that can stop and watch.鈥�

Speaking of the pandemic, it鈥檚 resulted in an upward surge in paddling, with the sport riding a wave of popularity.

鈥淚 think one of the best things that we鈥檝e realized with paddling through COVID is it鈥檚 a safe activity can-do during this time, and as such it鈥檚 exploded in popularity in the Yukon the last year and a half.

鈥淭his year all our programming has been full. We鈥檝e been able to continue to safely run our program, even though we鈥檝e had an outbreak earlier this summer. You look at the other private businesses in town that are teaching courses to Yukoners there that have never been as busy as in the last two years.鈥�

Brennan explains how the events this weekend will work.

鈥淚t鈥檚 for a wide range of paddling disciplines. It鈥檚 going to be kind of a two-day event, which is the second time we鈥檝e done this in the history. We did it once in 2019.

鈥淔riday night we鈥檙e going to be down on the Yukon River, and we鈥檙e going to have freestyle 鈥� hard-shell freestyle events in the wave underneath the Rotary Centennial bridge. That鈥檚 for hard-shell closed boats, so it鈥檒l be kayaks and C-1鈥檚 (closed canoes).

鈥淲e鈥檙e gonna have kind of a packraft champion of the wave of a kind of challenge, where it鈥檚 kind of like a kid playing King of the Hill, but kind of in the wave with our pack rafts 鈥� kind of knocking each other out 鈥� last person standing kind of event.

鈥淎nd then we鈥檒l finish up Friday night with a raft race from the Fish Ladder down to the intake, where we鈥檒l have our awards at our new storage facility that we upgraded this summer, which is supported by CDF (Community Development Fund of Yukon) and built by the Youth Achievement Centre.

鈥淎nd then Saturday morning we鈥檒l be on the Tutshi River, which is down the South Klondike, about an hour and a half out of Whitehorse 鈥� seven kilometres this side of Log Cabin. About an hour and a half intermediate race through the canyon, which is starting about one p.m.

鈥淭hen we鈥檒l have an advanced race 鈥� kind of the bigger drops lower down 鈥� around 2:30 p.m. These again are open to kayaks, pack rafts, canoes or OC1s (single-person outrigger canoes).

鈥淒epending on how people are feeling for the day, with all this rain, the Tutshi鈥檚 come up the last couple days 鈥� so it鈥檚 going to be a game-time decision for some people if they鈥檙e going to do the advanced race or the intermediate race. But if you鈥檙e 鈥� especially with the Tutshi 鈥� if you鈥檙e comfortable paddling the craft that you have, by all means come out. If you鈥檙e comfortable paddling the Tutshi or comfortable paddling that type of white water, we鈥檙e welcoming all paddler crafts.鈥�

As usual, when it comes to the white water of the Tutshi, it鈥檚 safety first.

鈥淲ith our intermediate races, we鈥檒l be in teams of two, and it鈥檒l be a staggered start 鈥� so that way you know you have a second person 鈥� for safety.

鈥淎nd then we鈥檒l also have advanced racers following down behind each team of two. That鈥檚 kind of a second point of safety,鈥� explains Brennan.

鈥淲e鈥檒l have the same kind of staggered start for the advanced race. The Tutshi is just a little small volume to have a mass start race to do it safely and for people to have fun on it.鈥�

The races on the Yukon River will be a little bit different.

鈥淭he raft race is gonna be a mass start, says Brennan. 鈥淔irst one across the finish line wins. And then the freestyle event will be on points. So we鈥檒l have a couple of judges scoring each trick, depending on its difficulty and if you鈥檙e kind of able to link the tricks together, you get more points for that.

鈥淎nd then the packraft competition is going to be 鈥� we鈥檙e not quite sure if it鈥檚 going to be last-man-standing or the person with the most time 鈥� most time they spend on the wave within the competition. As it鈥檚 only the second time we鈥檙e running this competition, we鈥檙e still kind of figuring a couple things out with it 鈥�the packraft Battle Royale.鈥�

With Friday and Saturday鈥檚 events being so different, naturally, the qualifications for each event are different as well.

鈥淲ith the Tutshi races, it is a little more difficult, so we want to make sure that people are capable. A big thing about paddling on the water is there is inherent risk, and we are always trying to mediate that risk, and part of that is making sure you paddle within your skill level.

鈥淥n Saturday morning we鈥檒l do a warmup lap with everybody 鈥� before we race to make sure that everybody鈥檚 feeling good, and that everybody鈥檚 up to the challenge,鈥� says Brennan.

鈥淥n Friday night, everybody鈥檚 welcome, even if you just want to enter the raft race. Each event costs five bucks and a YCKC membership as well, just to help us with insurance, and help us cover the costs of these events, since we are a non-profit society.鈥�

Brennan is hoping for a good turnout for all the events.

鈥淲e鈥檙e gonna have four rafts, so hopefully we鈥檒l have 20 to 30 people in the raft race. That鈥檚 probably the one that people have the most opportunity to participate (in) if they鈥檙e not feeling up for the rest of it.

鈥淭he freestyle, between the beginner, intermediate and advanced categories will probably have about 15 paddlers, and about the same with the packraft competition.

鈥淎nd hopefully Saturday 鈥� in our inaugural race, we had 15 racers between kayaks, packrafts, and open canoes. So I鈥檇 like to see 15 to 20 again, I think, coming off this global pandemic, kind of our first social gathering. So 鈥� we鈥檒l see.鈥�

Of course, competitors will end up with some awesome prizes.

鈥淭his year we鈥檙e going to have Yukon Kayak club hoodies for the winner of each event 鈥� and we鈥檙e going to have door prizes from Yukon Brewing, Yukon Wet Adventures, Up North Adventures, Kanoe People,鈥� says Brennan.

He also offers his take on the event.

鈥淭he whole point of this event is kind of like a celebration and showcase of paddling in the Yukon. As a non-profit, we have the flexibility to support a safe inclusive Yukon paddling community, and I think this is one of the staple events that鈥檚 going to help do that, going to help get people together, get us out for a paddle, share some laughs.

鈥淎nd with the proximity of it to the intake and the Blue Bridge, it鈥檚 a great way for the general public to kind of see the fun we can have on the river, the physical, mental and emotional benefits of paddling, while obviously doing it safely.

鈥淚t is high water this year, and with more water comes more risks, but again, we are able to mitigate those risks through proper use of equipment, through understanding what the river鈥檚 doing, by taking鈥� rescue courses.

鈥淵es, it鈥檚 a high-water year, but we can do this safely and enjoyably. Hopefully we inspire more people to try paddling next summer.鈥�

鈥淚 am quite excited 鈥� we missed it last year, for sure. I remember as a kid learning to paddle the Yukon, this was like the big event of the summer.

鈥淵ou see people you haven鈥檛 seen all summer, and, yeah, I think it鈥檚 going to be a lot of fun,鈥� adds Brennan.

鈥淚鈥檓 quite excited, too, for the addition of the race on the Tutshi, as well, which 鈥� there is easy access too for people who want to see steeper, bigger white water as well on Saturday.鈥�