Splash Into Spring
by Debbie Crawford, MA, NCC
April 06

While the thought of April showers might seem a bit gloomy, what follows the rain is that fresh burst of springtime - an invitation to get outside and enjoy our long awaited escape from the confines of winter.
So for all you water lovers and those who are just looking for something a little different this Spring, we poked around and found some cool water sports and facilities just waiting for you to give them a try.

Cool Combo
Kayak Polo is a team sport can be likened to “basketball in a kayak” basically involving teams of five players where the objective is to score in the opponent's net. Oh yeah, while navigating your kayak through the pool or open water.

Kayak Polo can be played indoors or outdoors and is a great spectator sport because all the action takes place in a confined area. In Charlotte, the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center on McDowell Street serves as the local meeting place for seasoned and new players alike.

Intrigued? Think about attending one of their Visitors Days and you’ll get the added benefit of instruction, equipment and a great workout. Email info@carolinakayakpolo.orgto find out about upcoming dates and times.
And while you’re on-line, check out their website, www.CarolinaKayakPolo.org for more information on Kayak Polo and how you can get your feet wet in this cool sport.

On the Water
Just a short drive from downtown Charlotte, you’ll find The Catawba Yacht Club. CYC was founded in 1939 for the purpose of providing family-oriented sailing and docking facilities for members. It also happens to be the home of a long running rowing program.

The Catawba Yacht Club, located off Highway 49 on the way to Lake Wylie, offers a masters rowing team for those age 27 and older that trains and competes across the southeast. If you haven’t rowed before, check out www.catawbayc.org and ask about adult lessons.

In addition to the CYC opportunities, the West Boulevard YMCA is home to Charlotte’s West Boulevard Crew Team, Charlotte’s only youth rowing team for high school girls and boys interested in rowing. And in 2006, the program will move to the US National Whitewater Center, giving participants a waterfront home base and the ability to expand even further.

Major Splash
Of course, we can’t mention water sports in Charlotte without a little plug for the US National Whitewater Center, set to open on June 15th. The USNWC will offer a three channel, man-made river churning with whitewater rapids and designed for countless hours of whitewater rafting and kayaking. Plans are also underway for a flatwater boathouse for rowing and canoeing on the Catawba River.

The USNWC will also be home to the US Olympic Canoe and Kayak team and is sure to become a destination site for visitors all across the country. Stay up to date on their construction progress by checking out their website at www.usnwc.org. And get excited. If you love water, you’ll love the opportunities USNWC is bringing our way.

Family Fun
If you’re looking for a great way to spend a sunny afternoon with the entire family, then Park and Rec has some terrific options to get you onto and into the water. And like all things Park and Rec offers, the fee is minimal (if any) and there are plenty of convenient locations across our county.

Seasonal paddle boating is available at Colonel William Francis Beatty Park, 4330 Weddington Road, in the southeastern portion of Mecklenburg County. You can explore the 16-acre lake on weekends in the spring and weekdays in the summer. The boats seat up to four people and are available to rent starting at $2 for 30 minutes.

Other amenities available at Colonel William Francis Beatty Park include outdoor basketball courts, six tennis courts, soccer fields, horseshoe pits, picnic shelter, walking trails and a playground. Lake Pointe Hall an indoor conference center is available for rentals.

Visit www.parkandrec.com for park directions, maps and a virtual tour of Colonel William Francis Beatty Park.

Paddle Sports
The folks at Great Outdoor Provision Company, www.greatoutdoorprovision.com, report a significant growth in interest in paddle sports over the past several months in our area. Specifically, they have seen more and more people purchasing canoe and kayak equipment. Charlotte, with its great Park and Rec facilities, major easy-to-access lakes, including Mountain Island Lake, Lake Norman, and Lake Wylie, as well as the Catawba River, is rich with areas to explore.

If you aren’t sure how to get started, there’s no better source of information than Mecklenburg Regional Paddlers (log onto www.mrponline.org). MRP is a Charlotte-based Internet community for kayakers and canoeists. The MRP describe themselves as a "do-it-yourself club for friendly people looking to meet other paddlers to organize private trips, swap gear, learn to roll, or just share war stories over a brew”. They are a great source of information and camaraderie.

Just getting started? Be sure to get yourself a little pool training first. Roll sessions are held at the Mecklenburg Aquatic Center, Thursday nights from 8:00pm to 9:00pm, except for the following dates: April 6th and June 8th. Admission to the pool is $5, rolling advice is free. And you can also log onto UNCC’s website ( www.uncc.edu) and click on the Venture program for roll clinics held on campus for students and also for the general public.

Park and Rec now offer a variety of canoe and kayak instructional programs designed for novices and experts alike. For their current offerings, browse the online program registration system, or call 704-588-0697 for more information.

Once you get yourself geared up and ready to go, the county offers two great launching sites: Latta Plantation Nature Preserve on Mountain Island Lake and McDowell Nature Preserve on Lake Wylie.
And whether your boating fix is the motorized and muscle-powered kind, Park and Rec has boat launches at park on Lake Norman and Lake Wylie. Boat launch fees are collected at the following facilities on weekends and holidays from March 1 to October 31. And fees are only $5/boat for Mecklenburg County residents and $8/boat for non-County residents.

Where can you find these?

Blythe Landing (Lake Norman)
704-896-9808
15901 NC Highway 73
Huntersville, NC 28078

Ramsey Creek Park (Lake Norman)
704-896-9808
18441 Nantz Road
Cornelius, NC

Copperhead Island (Lake Wylie)
704-588-5224
15200 Soldier Road
Charlotte, NC 28278

And remember… National River Cleanup Week is May 13-21st. If you love our outdoors, think about spending the day with a team organized by Great Outdoor Provision Company cleaning up some of our local waters. Check out their website for details.

Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics
Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics, just a few years old and a few minutes off I-77 North, is an awesome, state-of-the-art aquatic facility packed full of all the amenities. Built in 2001, the 88,000-square-foot Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics facility includes a 50-meter pool, a 25-yard warm water pool, an outdoor family fun pool, full-court gymnasium, complete fitness center and group exercise studio. Along with its other great qualities, the HFFA is the only public facility in the Southeast with an Olympic-sized, 50-meter competition pool and 10-meter dive tower. They have and will continue to host aquatics events with up to 1,000 spectators for regional, national and world-class swim and dive competitions.

The Huntersville facility also a fitness schedule packed full of innovative water fitness classes for beginners to seasoned athletes. These include aqua running, HydroFit and HydroPower (lots of cardio and fun choreography), N2 Deep (a total body workout in deep water), and of course, a little Aqua Tai Chi and Aqua Yoga. Great options for those who love the water and are looking for a fresh, new kick-butt workout.

And for those lazy days of summer…
The Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Department also offers cool places for you and your family to escape from the summer heat. Several county parks now have exciting spraygrounds, constructed with fun water features that you can run through, jump in or just sit down and enjoy. There is no charge, just come and enjoy.

Spraygrounds will open for summer on May 28. Hours of operation are from 7 a.m. until dark and are found at these popular parks:

Cordelia Park,
2100 North Davidson Street (Construction is complete and the spraygrounds will be ready for operation summer 2006).

Latta Park,  
601 East Park Avenue

Veterans Park,
2136 Central Avenue

West Charlotte Recreation Center,
2400 Kendall Drive

And finally… Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Division of Natural Resources participates in the Fishing Tackle Loaner Program through the NC Wildlife Resources Commission. You can borrow a fishing rod from three of our Nature Centers to use in local parks in ponds ranging in size from 1 to 20 acres.

Please stop by the Nature Center at one of the three Nature Preserves to check out your fishing rod: Latta Plantation (704.875-1391), McDowell (704.588-5224) or Reedy Creek (704.598-8857).

There are literally dozens of other ways to enjoy the combination of the fresh outdoors and watersports in our area. We encourage you to get out there and take full advantage of these awesome resources and to explore a few of your own.

Spring is finally here…. Get out there and enjoy it!