'Like a passion project': Sask. coach receives national award for canoe kayak excellence

A Saskatchewan coach has received the 2022 Club Developer Award from Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) for her efforts in providing inclusive, competitive and recreational opportunities in her community.

When Jessica Riley became head coach of the Yorkton Canoe and Kayak Club (YCKC) 15 years ago, there were only four members, now there are 500 participants each year.

“I was 18 and didn’t know what I was doing, and putting myself through university, and that’s where it started and it hasn’t really stopped,” Riley said in an interview with CTV News.

She said, with the help of her family and a solid volunteer group, they were able to rebuild the YCKC.

“I always considered my club to have been like a passion project.”

“When the going gets tough, you come back to those core reasons of why got involved in the first place,” she said.

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Riley was honoured for her dedication at the CKC annual summit, and it’s well deserved according to some of her athletes.

“Without her, there would be no YCKC,” Raya Cuthill, former athlete with YCKC, said in an interview with CTV News.

“She’s helped me with more than just paddling, she helped me with lots of different aspects of my life.”

“She was basically like a mom to me,” Cuthill added.

“I think it’s been a long time coming, and I’m glad Jessica got an award to show what she’s been doing over these past years,” Ewen Hutzul, a member of the YCKC, told CTV News.

Riley is also a paddling development director with Canoe Kayak Saskatchewan, where she likes to focus on helping other grassroots clubs develop programs.

“The cool part is, I get to take all the things that I’ve learned for the past 15 years, and help other clubs get off the ground,” Riley said.