Victoria’s only dedicated Sprint Canoe Kayak program
Where expert coaching staff safely teach children our outdoor specialty, the healthy fun of Sprint Kayaking. Chinook is singularly focused on Sprint Kayak, being the home of Victoria’s only NCCP trained and certified Comp Dev paddling coaches. Our calibre of coaches ensure your youth paddlers have choices from causal recreational paddling to competitive provincial, national, international, and Olympic dreams.
We acknowledge that Chinook is located on the traditional territories of the Songhees, Esquimalt and WSÁNEĆ First Nations whose historical relationships with the land continue to this day.
About Chinook
Welcome to Chinook on the Gorge waterway where expert coaching staff safely teach children our outdoor specialty, the healthy fun of Sprint Kayaking. Chinook is singularly focused on Sprint Kayak, being the home of Victoria’s only NCCP trained and certified Comp Dev paddling coaches. Our calibre of coaches ensure your youth paddlers have choices from causal recreational paddling to competitive provincial, national, international, and Olympic dreams.
Name, Logo and Motto
Name:
A Chinook is a warm wind blowing eastwards from the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. As we are located as far west as one can locate in Canada, on beautiful Vancouver Island, British Columbia, it is apropos that this name represents our geographical location. And, as Canoe Kayak Canada’s Sprint National Championships are rarely west of Regina, we will always be blowing in from the west to compete.
A Chinook is also a highly prized Pacific Ocean salmon; spiritually, culturally and monetarily valuable. The Chinook “King” salmon sometimes have blueish-green/reddish-purple sides and backs. Chinook chose our unique team colours on our singlets to reflect this.
Our Vision/Mission
Chinook Vision
A robust and healthy Sprint Canoe Kayak racing club that provides opportunities for mentorship, leadership, success and performance excellence for members of our community.
Chinook Mission
Chinook provides opportunities for youth to discover and to realize the spirit, sportsmanship and pursuit of excellence in the Olympic discipline of Sprint Canoe Kayak.
Motto: “perficientur excellentiam”
Our Latin motto means “performance excellence” or “high performance”. FGPC Chinook Youth Sprint Kayak program was established to introduced children and youth in our community to Sprint Canoe Kayak and to provide a local resource for those pursuing the sport competitively without being required to transfer to the mainland.
Chinook Goals
- affordably introduce our paddle sport to children and youth in the community
- provide fun opportunities for increased physical literacy and activities out in nature and on water
- progressive programming and knowledgeable coaching towards skill enhancement
- level-appropriate coaching from recreational to high performance
Chinook Values
- effective informed leadership and knowledgeable coaching
- the principles of long term athlete development (LTAD) and Canadian Sport for Life (CS4L)
- the principles of mentorship, esprit de corps and volunteerism
- safety and respect for individuals, equipment, and in our communication
- a club culture of integrity and best practices
- camaraderie and a sense of belonging
Chinook Coaches
Our coaches are certified through Canada’s National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) in CanoeKids Community, Entry Level Competitive (ELCC), and advanced Competitive Development (Comp Dev) coaching; with criminal record checks, first aid training and safety boat operator licenses. Our Development Coach has been Head Paddling Coach for Zone 6 (the island) the last three BC Summer Games.
Patrick Dann – Head Coach, Competitive & Development Programs
Patrick is a certified NCCP Entry Level Competitive Coach and Competition Development trained coach. He was a member of the Canadian National Jr. World’s 2013 team and on the U23 National Development team in 2014. He is a performance multi-discipline paddler, a Canadian Nationals Canoe Kayak Sprint multiple silver and bronze medalist, Team BC Canada Summer Games medalist and Jr/U23 World’s finalist. Patrick has volunteered as the Canoe Kayak Head Coach for Zone 6 at the past three BC Summer Games over the last six years. (Photo credit Matt Abbott)
Chinook Programs
Introduction to Paddling
Novice: $730 (tax exempt) for 14 April through 5 October
- 12 seats
- 1 coach
- 2 X weekly 90min weekday water
- Mondays 5:30pm to 7pm
- Thursdays 4pm – 5:30pm
Program outline:
Purpose: The purpose of this program is to introduce novice paddlers to the fundamentals of paddling. This course is designed for beginners who want to learn the basics of paddling in a fun, safe and supportive environment.
Program overview: The “Introduction to Paddling” course offers 12 seats over the course of the program (April 14 to October 5). The course meets twice weekly, with two 90-minute sessions after school. Participants will have the opportunity to develop skills in sprint kayaks and outrigger canoes. The focus will be learning the basics of different types of paddling stroke techniques to effectively maneuver the boats. All equipment (PFDs, paddles, and boats are included).
Objectives: By the end of the course participants will have a strong foundation in paddling ability and will be able to comfortably paddle the entry-level sprint kayaks and outrigger canoes. Participants will build a water sense and safety awareness on the water.
Intermediate/Performance
$850 (tax exempt) for 14 April to 5 October
- 10 seats
- 1 coach
- Sessions:
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday: 4pm to 5:30pm
- Saturday: 9am to 10.30am
- Performance only: Asynchronous self-directed sessions as per training plan
Program outline:
- Purpose: The purpose of this program is to provide opportunities for those interested in pursuing high performance in the sport of sprint canoe/kayak.
- Program overview: The spring and summer performance program is designed for athletes preparing for the competitive racing season or seeking to improve their proficiency in sprint canoe/kayak. Training includes five coached on-water sessions per week (Monday to Wednesday, Friday 4:00–5:30pm, and Saturday 9:00–10:30am), with additional self-directed sessions for performance athletes as outlined in the training plan. The focus is on refining technique, building race-specific fitness, and preparing for summer competitions.
- Objectives: Athletes will be able to race under a variety of conditions and expect to improve their performance in sprint kayak race distances (200m, 500m, 1000m). Athletes can expect to Improve fitness testing results in appropriate sport-specific strength, endurance and speed tests to ensure that they are in physical conditioning for the next competition season.
Chinook Punch Cards
Purpose: The punch card system is designed to enable those who can’t make the time commitment for the full schedule to participate in the Intermediate/Performance program.
Punch cards require at least one prior season of full membership and coach discretion to ensure adequate skill level necessary.
14 April to 5 October
- 32-sessions: $600
- 16-sessions: $350
- 8-sessions: $200