Kristine Nolan – Houghton STAR

“Sometimes I see a rough wave or hole and know exactly what will happen if I hit it, which is usually something like being tossed upside down, scraped along the bottom, and spit out the other side. At these times, I remember something my great-great-grandmother told me right before she went base jumping off the grand canyon on New Year’s Eve: ‘Sonny, if you’re not living life on the edge, you’re taking up too much space,’” said junior Zach Kitchen.

As an authentic, fun-loving group, the paddle sports club is among one of the most unique and adventurous clubs on campus.

Kitchen, president of the paddle sports club, has an undeniable passion for the exciting – and perhaps dangerous – world of paddle sports. “Even though I never actually had a great-great-grandmother that went base jumping, I still think it’s kind of fun to throw caution to the waves and get gobbled up by a giant, crashing wash of water,” Kitchen joked enthusiastically. “I think it’s a great alternative to energy drinks, anyways.”

The club seeks to provide an exhilarating outlet from all the stresses that students face in everyday life by participating in an important life skill: boating. Twice a week, members meet at the college swimming pool to practice skills such as rolling kayaks, handling water rescues, and practicing paddling techniques.

“We really want to get people on live, moving water, which is where they need experience. It’s too fun to watch folks on their first white water kayaking trip – such wide eyes and pale faces!” Kitchen laughed, “That’s exactly how my first river trip was. Other events we may do usually have to do with our fearless advisor, Charlie, such as sailing when he can take us out, making apple cider at his house, or kayak sledding. We wouldn’t be able to do very much without his help.”

Working alongside Charlie Smith, their long-time and faithful advisor, the paddle sports club has also been able to coordinate trips to places such as the lower falls of the Genesee River at Letchworth State Park, Rushford Lake, and Zoar Valley. There, they not only learn to paddle class 2, 3, and 4 river rapids, but also serve as Christian witnesses to those they meet along the way.

“It really gets some students out of their comfort zone. It’s good fellowship and bonding with each other, and students are learning a skill they can use for life,” Smith said, “It’s a joy to watch these students grow and learn from the first time in a boat until they are able to roll a boat and surf on a big wave on the river.”

Not only does the club take part in meaningful fellowship and learn valuable life skills, they also share in many humorous instances during their time together.

“There are many exciting and funny moments in paddle sports,” Colleen Winton, a junior and the treasurer for the club, said, “Anytime that someone gets their roll for the first time, everyone is ecstatic. There are also plenty of hilarious moments – just the faces that we make when we roll out of the water, or how silly we look with nose plugs on, or how ridiculous – but awesome – we look with all our paddling gear.”

The sense of community and genuine fun that the paddle sports club possesses is that which no one should want to miss out on. The club meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.

Winton said, “I can always look forward to paddle sports not just as a time to kayak, but as a time I can laugh, be silly, and enjoy hanging out with people I love. It is a blast!”

The Genessee River Wilds, a group of community members seeking to “restore, protect and enjoy” the Genessee River, has plans to open up several parks in Allegany County. While still under renovation, one of these parks opened near Houghton, in the town of Caneadea.

Courtney Waters, a project coordinator at the Southern Tier West Regional Planning Board and partner of the Genessee River Wilds, has been extensively involved with the project. “In the last three years, our group has gained so much,” Waters said. “We contacted several landowners around the river, legislators, senators, and anyone who we thought should know about our group and what we were doing. I have helped out with several successful river floats down the Genessee, painting of the kiosks that you see at our river access parks, and much more.”

The group, while small, has big plans for the local area. While working to improve the health of the Genessee River and its watershed and protect them from environmental threats, the Genessee River Wilds hopes to enhance the recreational potential of the river for the community to learn more about and enjoy.

“As an earth scientist, I have studied the Genessee River in great detail,” Waters said. “It really has so many unique features and a rich history, and I’d like to see people recognize and accept it as an asset to our region, rather than a detriment. Our kiosks at the river access parks explain some of that history as well as invite people to experience the river for themselves.”

The river access parks will implement environmentally friendly changes so that the community can safely enjoy all of the benefits that the river has to offer. Features include an increase of hemlock and white pine trees to offer reforestation and to continue conservation in addition to reduced mowing costs associated with heavily shaded forest floors. As an added plus for community members, some of the parks will have amenities such as hiking trails, an amphitheater, playgrounds, swimming and wading areas, a watercraft staging area, and log cabins functioning as restrooms for visitor use.

With the town of Caneadea approximately three miles away from the Houghton College campus, many opportunities will be opened up for students to experience the new access point for themselves.

“I think Houghton students would welcome any new opportunities to learn from, enjoy, and care for nature and the outside world,” Eliza Kelly, a sophomore and member of the Paddle Sports Club, said in regards to the new river access point. “I know that many people enjoy the river in many different ways, from simply crossing it on a bridge to hiking along it or kayaking on it.”

Zachary Kitchen, a junior and the president of the Paddle Sports Club, agreed with Kelly. “The river is very key to the Houghton community. It is the centralized object of our town: the place where people meet to swim and fish, the system our roads run along. I think it also adds life to the town,” Kitchen said. “A better park system would give people incentive to go and explore the river, opening an entire world of potentially new discoveries to them.”