One of the first instructors with the Rocky Mountain Adaptive Sports Centre was Pete Thompson.
As head coach with the Bow Valley Kayak Club, Thompson was all smiles when he helped children and teenagers learn a new stroke or maneuver in the boat and find freedom on the water. His expertise allowed the kayak section to grow.
“He loved the experience,” said RMASC Executive Director Jamie McCulloch. “He worked with a regular group and some teens from Edmonton who would come for an activity camp. They had a successful week with Pete, and have been coming back ever since.”
Teaching children and teenagers with various cognitive and physical impairments came naturally to Thompson, who thrived with the program.
“With all of our volunteers and instructors, we stress we’re looking for the ability in the disability,” McCulloch said. “Look where the individual strengths are, where the strength is and use it as a basis.”
When Thompson tragically died on the Cheakamus River in British Columbia, the 19-year-old’s absence was felt deeply by RMASC. They set up a memorial fund, and after speaking with Thompson’s parents, donations flowed from his funeral to the RMASC to continue his legacy.
Now, thanks to those donations, and Thompson’s teachings, the RMASC kayak program is bigger than ever, teaching participants with physical and cognitive disabilities the joys of paddling. To date, 27 participants of wide ranging abilities have taken to the water in Thompson’s wake, and the club celebrated its year-end session on Saturday (Sept. 27) with a trip to Spray Lakes.
“It was an absolutely fantastic day and a great way to finish a summer of kayaking,” McCulloch said.
In partnership with the BVKC and Aquabatics, the group spent the day exploring the lake amidst golden larches, playing games and using skills they learned over five weeks of instruction which started at Elevation Place, graduated to Quarry Lake and culminated on Spray Lakes.
“We had eight regular participants from the Bow Valley with a mix of physical and cognitive impairments. We also had past participants that came as well. We started with basic skills like wet exits, strokes, etc., and we took that onto sessions on Quarry Lake, where we developed group dynamics and safety on the water. That led to confidence on a bigger setting,” McCulloch said.
One of those paddlers was 19-year-old Kaitlyn Abel. Abel has 5P- syndrome, which is a rare global development delay. Abel’s mother Paula Macdonald said the program has been incredible for her daughter.
“This is her second year in the kayak and she loves it. She went from a double kayak last year to a single. She’s more confident and wants to try new stuff,” Macdonald said.
The non-competitive nature is attractive to many of the participants who are able to make friends quickly in the easy-going RMASC setting. The group has convinced Kaitlyn she wants to keep paddling, and is now ready for the ocean.
“Kaitlyn is always eager. She’s a social being and remembers who she was kayaking with. She’s proud of herself for paddling on her own,” Macdonald said. “The social aspect was the missing link for Kaitlyn.”
Because of the Thompson fund, costs were subsidized for the kayak program – a welcome relief for the families involved. The foundation is still running and those wishing to make a donation can contact McCulloch at [email protected].
