Kayaking was once about survival. Hunting. Transportation. Now we mostly kayak for recreation. Yet how vital that recreation can feel to our structured modern lives. Games, competitive and cooperative, can enhance that sense of satisfaction.
Traditional paddlers have long competed in various events that kept them fit and honed their skills. Play does that—makes you practice often overlooked skills without realizing you’re doing your homework. In addition to developing physical skill and mental sharpness, it also provides social interaction and exercises the laugh muscles.
The games listed below are infinitely adaptable to fit the venue and the paddlers.
SUBMARINE
IDEA: See how many people can sit on one kayak
PLAYERS: Best with five to 10 per kayak
PROPS: One sturdy kayak
REQUIRED SKILLS: Swimming
HOW TO: Add swampers (players) to the kayak until it submerges. Alternate option—flip the kayak over and try it on the hull.
VALUE: It’s all about balance and teamwork. This is a favorite game at kids’ summer camps.
BONUS: Bracing practice for the player seated in the kayak
PREPOSTEROUS PROPULSION
IDEA: Move the kayak with a variety of unconventional tools
PLAYERS: Minimum four, six to 18 is ideal, in two or three teams
PROPS: One or two buoys, one kayak per team (or each player in his/her own kayak), one to four preposterous items per person, such as: a stick, football, beach ball, inflatable shark, broom, trowel, lawn chair, pool noodle, Frisbee, cup, kayak pump, helmet, bootie, PFD…
REQUIRED SKILLS: Moving forward, turning
HOW TO: First person from each team grabs a preposterous item from the pile. Team members help him into the kayak and push. Paddler rounds buoy and returns, tags hand of next team member who grabs another item and takes her turn in the kayak. Discard each item after use. Competitive version counts the winning team as the first one that cycles through all its members once, twice or three times. Cooperative version sees how fast the teams can go through all the items.
CAUTIONARY NOTE: If Leon Sommé shows up to your Preposterous Propulsion game wearing helmet and body armor, brace yourself for a full-contact version, including flying kayak tackles off the dock!
VALUE: It’s cool to see which items work well and which are surprisingly lame. It’s not always what you expect.
NOODLE JOUSTING
IDEA: Stand in or on your kayak while knocking your opponent off hers
PLAYERS: Two and up; make tournaments with more players
PROPS: Two foam pool noodles
REQUIRED SKILLS: Willingness to try standing in or on a kayak
HOW TO: Position two kayaks near each other but away from docks or other kayaks. Have both opponents stand and wallop each other with foam noodles until one or both fall in. Pick up the pieces.
VALUE: Just standing on the deck (or seat) of a kayak opens new horizons. It’s the epitome of balance. If you have the inner focus to stand up and wave a pool noodle about, then sitting in waves will be a piece of cake.
BONUS: Reentry practice.
This article first appeared in the Summer/Fall 2011 issue of Adventure Kayak Magazine. For more great content, subscribe to Adventure Kayak’s print and digital editions here.
