Avoca Kayak Club is one of the newer NSW kayaking clubs having only been established since 2014. In that time it has produced a number of Olympians, such as Lachlan Tame, Riley Fitzsimmons and Dylan Littlehales and many Australian Flatwater sprint Australian representatives at both Junior and senior levels.
It also has had successful Australian Wildwater representatives with the McIntyre brothers Alex and Robert. But now there is a new breed of up and coming Wildwater representatives with Huxley Luntungan and Ella Lawson recently being announced in the 2022 Junior Wildwater team. This year saw Peter McIntyre, one of the founding members of the club and long time whitewater paddler assume the role of whitewater coach, ably assisted by son Alex run a number of whitewater paddling trips for some of our keen Juniors and parents developing skills in both creek boats and DR wildwater racing kayaks.
1: The AKC paddle group paddling the Steps Rapid on the Barrington. 2: The AKC Whitewater group getting ready for a Barrington Gorge Trip.
Trips have seen the paddling group go to Eildon in VIC and southern NSW at Christmas time and a number of trips on the Barrington River near Gloucester. The latest trips including a training day on the Barrington on Easter Friday which saw our Australian Junior representatives Huxley and Ella put through their paces in the Dr race kayaks. Last Sunday and Monday saw the larger group camping at the Steps campground and creek boat paddling on some of the larger sections of the river to increase their skills in this bigger whitewater.
Paul advises that the club has some solid programs in place to teach younger children how to paddle with proper paddling technique in Flatwater kayaks on Avoca lagoon and then builds on developing younger paddlers as they progress with age with appropriate and well balanced training programs under the watchful eye of head coach Scott Cunningham. Paul considers that the development of the whitewater side of the club provides a great alternative option that not only builds team camaraderie amongst members on these whitewater adventures but gives our member paddlers options to develop in both competitive sprint and wildwater racing.