One of the university’s oldest clubs faces an uncertain future come September
Photo courtesy of Whitewater Club.
The highly contested closure of the McKinnon Pool — announced in July, set to take effect mid-September — may have a detrimental impact on UVic’s Whitewater Club. Many students and Victoria community members have expressed concern about the loss of this critical infrastructure. The UVic Whitewater Club, which relies on the space to practise and store gear, is among those facing an uncertain future post pool closure.
The UVic Whitewater Club, one of the oldest clubs at UVic according to Whitewater Club co-president, is a group of UVic students passionate about whitewater kayaking and canoeing. The club trains beginners on skills like rolling their boat in the McKinnon Pool, free of charge, on Friday evenings.
“One of the biggest skills you can have if you’re whitewater canoeing or kayaking is to be able to … right your boat if you flip over,” explained club co-president Oliver Sacks-Kilback, to the Martlet.
“Often the rivers, especially on the island, are super cold. And it’s a little bit scary too if that’s the first time you’re trying to get that skill, and so the pool is a great place to do it,” he added.
Sacks-Kilback said the club is beginner-oriented, as whitewater sports are difficult to get into due to instruction and equipment — both are expensive and sparse. The Whitewater Club currently has a membership fee of $40 per semester.
“The whole point of the club is to try to make it accessible for new students at UVic to get into it,” Sacks-Kilback said.
On top of the pool providing a free space to practice, it also serves as a convenient weekly meeting place for the club. Members called “pool clubbies” only go to pool sessions, opting to skip the club’s outdoor weekend sessions.
Photo courtesy of Whitewater Club.
The club also stores its equipment at the pool, including over 50 kayaks, 60 personal floatation devices, wetsuits, drysuits, paddles, a raft, and other gear. According to Saks-Kilback, the club hasn’t been offered an alternative space for their materials.
It is too soon to know how the pool’s closure will immediately impact groups like the Whitewater Club this academic year, said a UVic spokesperson in an emailed statement to the Martlet.
“The university will be working with student clubs who use McKinnon pool to assess their specific needs and determine the necessary support, including potential financial aid for relocation costs,” said the spokesperson.
However, Sacks-Kilback explained that relocation has proved difficult. The club looked into other options for storage and training, like Crystal Pool and Oak Bay Recreational Centre, but they either didn’t have space for storage, or only had availability during inconvenient hours, like before 6:00 a.m. or after 9:30 p.m. Plus, he added, the pools’ hourly fees were more than the club could afford.
“It’s defeating the purpose of the club if we’re charging however much money if we just want to hang out and have a pool session.”
Sacks-Kilback said the club is working on a “no pool plan” if an alternative space isn’t found.
“We’ll have one pool session before the pool closes at the beginning of the year so we can at least do swim tests for all the new people and do a very basic introduction,” Sacks-Kilback explained. After that, he said, they’ll prioritize taking trips to open waters, like lakes, where the club can practise.
The loss of cost-free practice space isn’t the only detriment that the pool’s closure poses to the club. It also means a smaller number of people interested in joining the Whitewater Club.
“The pool’s a really nice space because it’s not intimidating, it’s on campus, it doesn’t require much from students, especially first year students living on campus. It’s very easy. Just go to the pool, enjoy the pool, and if they … don’t want to commit the time on the weekend, that’s no problem,” said Saks-Kilback
“I think that one of our biggest challenges for this year is [going to be] trying to keep members engaged, especially if we don’t have that weekly meeting.”
