Loosing a member of the paddling community means losing a friend, a teacher, an athlete and a like-minded member of the whitewater family. On November 13th 2014, Juan Antonio de Ugarte Burbank passed away after running Salto de Nilahue a waterfall in Los Rios area of southern Chile.
Juan Antonio, known as Juanito, was born into kayaking, and started paddling with his father on the rivers of the Sacred Valley of the Incas near Cusco, Peru. A passion for whitewater led him to seek out new rivers, new communities, and new adventures. Kayaking offered him the opportunity to travel the world competing, instructing, guiding and paddling with many of the world’s best paddlers. Juanito was an accomplished kayaker but he was known for more than just raw skills; his positive attitude, smile and generous spirit meant he was respected and admired by athletes and students alike.
In honor of Juanito’s paddling accomplishments and his enthusiasm for teaching, The Juanito de Ugarte Memorial Scholarship has been established. This donation-based scholarship has been developed by an international group of friends and family to honor Juanito’s life by giving back to his local paddling community.
“Sadly, most of the paddling community in Peru are adults,” says Sandra De Ugarte Puga, Juanito’s sister and one of the scholarship founders. “This sport has not been developed for young children. This is something Juanito wanted to change.”
The memorial scholarship will annually give one Peruvian youth the chance to progress their paddling through a paddling development program or camp. Sponsorship and donations will cover flights, gear, passport and travel expenses as well as the cost of the program or camp.
The the support of the Ottawa Kayak School (OKS) and Wilderness Tours, the Juanito de Ugarte Memorial Scholarship will, for its inaugural year, send one Peruvian kid to the Ottawa River for a three-week long course at the OKS Keeners Program. As a coach for OKS Keeners, Juanito emphasized that the program develops great paddlers but also “creates admirable people with notion of the important things in life: respect for others and the environment.”
This scholarship is designed to foster more than just kayak skills.
“It will help young Peruvian kayakers to realized that there is a community of support and opportunities through kayaking and sport,” says Niceto Yalan Quintana, Juanito’s childhood friend and training partner. Through this scholarship, the paddling community can help Juanito’s spirit live on by supporting and inspiring and future generations of whitewater kayakers.
“The best part is giving back all the love he gave us,” explains Juan’s sister Sandra. “Amazing things can be accomplished with the right motivation!”
To be eligible, applicants must live in Peru, between 12-18 years old, and have experience or an interest in learning to whitewater kayak. An application package is available online in Spanish and English.
Carmen Kuntz is a regular Rapid contributor and part of the group of kayakers who have started the memorial scholarship. If you would like to be part of fundraising efforts go to www.juanitoscholarship.com.
