As a follow up to our first ‘Meet Our Paddlers’ feature with John Joyce which you can read here, we decided that John’s wife Diane would be a great second choice! Diane came in to talk to me to talk about what it is that inspires her about kayaking.
Deep Cove Kayak: Hi Diane, tell me how did you first come to kayak with us?
Diane Poirier: My husband John had started paddling at the race night which didn’t really appeal to me, but he did tell me about the Women on Water (WOW) kayak night which sounded much more fun! That was probably about 8 years ago now, and I’ve been paddling with the WOW group ever since!
DCK: So what is it that you like about paddling with the WOW group?
DP: I love that there is so much variety with WOW – there are some paddlers who like to go fast and far, and they paddle at the front with Karen (Coulombe, WOW leader), and there are those who like to take it easy and hang at the back. I can choose depending on how I’m feeling that day and I love that flexibility. With a big group like that you can blend in and just enjoy the moment, it’s very relaxing.
DCK: You are often bringing friends with you to paddle, what is it you tell them to encourage them to try something new?
DP: Well the WOW paddle often comes up when I am asked to go to the movies or something on a Thursday, and when I tell them that I already have plans to paddle they are interested as sometimes they have tried kayaking on holiday in Hawaii or Mexico, and when I tell them that I am paddling with more than 50 women they just say WOW! It is great to be able to tell my friends that the paddle is a large group, with a safety boat and leaders so they feel like they can come and try kayaking safely. And they love it!
DCK: Where is your favourite place to paddle?
DP: I really like paddling to Bedwell Bay, something about it is very special and I just love the beauty of Indian Arm. If you have had a hard day then paddling here is a great stress reliever; you can forget all your worries and just enjoy the peace. I love paddling up to the Power Stations and back too, especially when you come back into the Cove in the dusk and the lights are all twinkling, there is nowhere else like it.
DCK: And what else do you do to keep fit when you’re not in a kayak?
DP: Well John and I stand up paddleboard on some Fridays, I like that because it’s a very different feeling from kayaking. I also have a pass for the Grouse Grind and do that every couple of weeks, and I play badminton and practise Tai Chi – I think it gives me extra strength in my legs! In the winter I like snowshoeing, and there are often people from WOW who like to do that together so we socialise all throughout the year it’s great.
Thanks to Diane for sharing her experiences with us! If you’d like to go out with Women on Water you can find out more info here.
