Shumway Lake was established as a venue for watersport competition for the 1993 Canada Games.    Starting in 1990 ,we went through a process of looking at the lake as a site for rowing, canoeing, and water skiing.    There were some challenges – permission to use Crown land on the shoreline, highway egress, algae bloom in summer, the costs if installing courses and facilities, and a busy highway so close to the venue.    As Vice President of Sport, then Manager of Sports, Facilities, and Services for the Canada Games Society, I was involved in all aspects of the development of the site, then the staging of the Games.    Volunteers ran the Games competition, then after the Games there was a concerted effort to further establish club programs, and over time to replace temporary facilities with permanent ones.    We gave most of the competition boats to the Clubs and provided a boat house, and over the following years, the Clubs built additional facilities, replacing the underwater course, and establishing regional training centers, especially for canoeing and kayaking.    The only reasonable access point into the lake is through the Shumway Lake Watersports Facility now and it is only open to members, but there are competitions and programs for visitors and competitors through the spring to fall seasons.    Now, once a year I paddle the lake, using a rough launch outside of the facility.

This kind of launch will not be for most people so the lake gets very few paddlers, except for those using the lake through the Clubs.

I paddled north to the end of the lake and back, a total of 6 km.   Next year I will paddle the south end.

On this October morning there was no wind and I enjoyed reflections on the calm water.

There was a couple of rowers on the south end of the lake when I started, but no one else for most of the time paddling the lake.   This is a once-a-year outing for me, but paddlers may wish to check out the Kamloops Canoe and Kayak Club website for more information on paddling from the facility.