The Coast Salish Games have come to a close, with the final event, the youth war canoe competition, leading into a weekend of races for all ages at the third annual Snuneymuxw Days.
Compared to the adult races, which involves competitors paddling to Duke Point and back, the younger skippers are given much shorter distances and are positioned closer to the shore.
Kate Good, an event organizer, said the main difference is the competitiveness.
"The war canoe races have gone on a number of years and this is something the Coast Salish people do yearly," Good said. "They go and travel to each territory and each territory has a chance to host all of the canoe paddlers every year. We travel all over the Coast Salish territory doing the canoe racing every year."
According to Good, the turnout is consistent each year, drawing the same families back, creating a tradition as the young paddlers become the adult racers, and stand by as their own children take to the waters.
"The babies that are on those canoes are going to be the adults on those canoes soon and that's just how this goes. It's a history, a family belongs to the canoe world. Ten to one their kids are going to follow."
The Snuneymuxw Days celebration takes place from July 26-28. A full schedule of events can be found online at http://snuneymuxw.exposure.co.
"I would like to just thank everybody who took the time to come to Snuneymuxw Days, the Coast Salish Games and a big thank you to all of our sponsors that made this possible, and our planning team," Good said.
