Kayaking gains popularity
Courses fill up before summer
|
|
|
By Irina Vähäsarja
The popularity of kayaking as a fitness sport is growing in Finland. Most of the summer's kayak courses in the south of Finland have been booked full in advance. Increasing numbers of people are taking up the sport as a healthy means of exercise.
"It is an even exercise of long duration, in which nearly all muscle groups are involved. Quite a few people link kayaking with jogging or cycling", explains Kari Hellström, head of recreational and tour paddling at the Finnish Canoe Association.
The popularity of the hobby is apparent at Merimelojat, a paddling club located next to the Rowing Stadium, where beginning courses for adults are booked solid already in the spring each year.
On Thursday a beginning course for young kayakers was underway. On the final day of the three-day course, the kayaks glide effortlessly over the waves.
Akseli Gabel, 14, tipped over when he was just 20 metres from the pier. However, he keeps smiling, and a paddling around the island of Rajasaari in the heat of the day was enough to dry the wet clothing.
"Now that I have mastered the technique, I have time to look at the scenery. But I can feel it in my shoulders", Gabel said.
He was encouraged to take the course by his stepfather, who has been a hobbyist for some time now, and who got his own five-metre long-distance kayak last year. Gabel will be able to use it this summer after completing the course.
"Probably at Midsummer, as soon as we get to the summer cabin", he said.
The youth coordinator of Merimelojat, Heikki Ritvos, believes that more people are taking up kayaking for the exercise. The advantage of the sport is its versatility. The speed can be show, or quite fast, depending on who is in the kayak. Learning the right technique prevents stress injuries.
The most die-hard enthusiasts use the entire time of open water to indulge in the sport, while others start in May and put their kayaks into winter storage in late September.
Riku Ruokonen, custodian at the Merimelojat shed feels that freedom is one of the best sides of the sport.
"You can get to places that you can't reach in an ordinary boat. And when you go out to sea to train with the guys, you come back a completely new man."
IRINA VÄHÄSARJA / Helsingin Sanomat
irina.vahasarja@hs.fi
|
| 12.6.2007 - THIS WEEK |
 Kayaking gains popularity |
|
