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A Club is Born

It all started with a question...

I moved to the valley almost two years ago. I had come from back east in Ohio and loved the idea of living in Colorado among the mountains and rivers. I initially moved to Rangely Colorado and taught at the community college but eventually moved down to the Grand Valley. Facing a few injuries over the last few years and going through physical therapy for both my knee and elbow I have finally gotten back into boating again. With more than a decade of whitewater experience, guiding, and instructing all across the country I wanted to again find a paddling community I could enjoy the river with. As I looked on social media there were a couple of groups but they were too specific or didn't provide the community I was looking for. So I asked anyone I saw that had a boat or kayak if there was a paddling club in the valley.

"Do you know of any paddling clubs in the valley?"

Everyone one I talked to said that they had never heard of one. And so the idea began to float around in my head to create what I had been looking for. And so the Grand Valley Paddling Club was born! I was surprised that with such an offering of rivers around the Grand Valley and with the number of people that are floating down the Colorado that there wasn't an organized club already. There may be groups, or organizations that do get together and float the river but I could not find them. If you are part of a group, club, or organization that does paddling trips please let me know. The goal of the GVPC is not to compete but to work with those groups and create a strong and robust paddling community that accepts and educates all that are interested. We want to build a community of paddlers that are educated about river safety and the hazards that make the river dangerous. We want to introduce people to river sports and encourage others to continue to develop their skills. We aim to work together to improve and enjoy the great Colorado and Gunnison Rivers we have running through our Grand Valley.

As this is the beginning of the GVPC I hope that you would be patient as we get off the ground. Great things are in store for the organization and we will have more events as the club grows. if you have feedback or suggestions please contact us at Grandvalleypaddlingclub@gmail.com

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