WATER WIZARD  Brenna Kelly is a former competitive freestyle kayaker and whitewater racer who is offering standup paddleboard and whitewater kayaking lessons through her business Adventure Paddle School, located at the public boat launch in Athalmer. Photo submitted

WATER WIZARD Brenna Kelly is a former competitive freestyle kayaker and whitewater racer who is offering standup paddleboard and whitewater kayaking lessons through her business Adventure Paddle School, located at the public boat launch in Athalmer. Photo submitted

Brenna Kelly has been soaking up the sights of the Columbia Valley and preparing to open the doors to the Adventure Paddle School.

She is offering free standup paddleboarding and kayak rolling clinics at the Athalmer boat launch to mark the Adventure Paddle Schools opening day on June 27th between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

For the whole summer, were going to be teaching standup paddleboarding and whitewater kayaking, said Ms. Kelly. For the future, we hope to grow the community of paddlers and people who become stewards of all the waterways around. We want to make a strong community of people who are active in the outdoors and experience this amazing area.

The equipment available during the opening day will be limited, Ms. Kelly added, but encourages everybody to bring their own and join the lessons and tours. Children under the age of 16 need to be accompanied by an adult.

We dont have an office per se but were going to be running (beside) Columbia River Kayak and Canoe at the Athalmer boat launch there, she said.

Ms. Kelly will be concluding the grand opening celebration by showcasing a collection of short films about being on the water at the Reel Paddling Film Festival between 7 and 9 p.m. taking place at the Invermere Community Hall on Saturday, June 27th.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $10. There will be door prizes, swag giveaways and raffle prize packs.

After competing in freestyle kayaking and extreme whitewater racing, the inspiration to create a new business was an easy choice for Ms. Kelly. She placed among the top three on several occasions, but now wants to focus on sharing her expertise.

Ive been a whitewater kayak instructor for about 10 years, Ive taught college programs and professional, competitive freestyle kayakers, she said. Ive now got into offering instructor (training courses). I just really enjoy it and standup paddleboarding is a ton of fun. Its something new that Ive gotten into and I just want to pass it along and have everyone be stoked on it.

To buy tickets to the Reel Paddling Film Festival, drop by the Syndicate Board Shop or visit www.AdventurePaddleSchool.com to buy them online.