Local paddlers earn spots on Canada Games team

The Kamloops Canoe & Kayak Club (KCKC) had four local athletes selected to represent Team BC in the Canada Summer Games taking place in the Niagara region this August.

Abigail Donaldson, Tate Salomonson, Liam and Mischa Grover were the selectees.

The four compete in Canoe Kayak, which is also known as flatwater sprint paddling. Kayakers use a double-bladed paddle and are seated in the boat, while canoers balance on one knee and paddle only on one side of the boat.

Donaldson will be competing as one of five female kayakers, while Mischa Grover will be racing for the canoe team. On the men's side, Solomonson and Liam Grover represent half of the four-man canoe squad. All four compete out of Shumway Lake in Kamloops.

Head coach Stanislav Marek was ecstatic to see the four selected.

"As our club continues to grow, we have seen our results get stronger and stronger both at the provincial level but also at the national level," said Marek.

"This is just one achievement that has resulted in a lot of hard work from a lot of people."

The Canada Summer Games occur every four years and paddlers under the age of 22 will be racing on the Welland Canal in distances of 200, 500, 1,000, and 5,000 metre events.

Canoe Kayak has typically been one of Canada's top performing sports and it has been featured in every Summer Games since the first one in 1969. The 2022 games begin on August 6.

For more information on the KCKC, please click here.