Orono Paddlers group raising money for riverside boat storage
ORONO, Maine — To Orono local Jeff Owen, paddling on still water brings a feeling unlike anything else.
Paddling on open water gives a different perspective of the world — a slower, more calming reality that is difficult to compete with. Gliding on the water’s smooth surface blanketed by nature on all sides seems like a special sort of escape for Owen — a lifelong paddler.
This passion eventually inspired him to establish the Orono High School canoe racing team and collaborate with a small team of avid paddlers to form the Orono Paddlers group about five years ago.
Jeff Owen gets ready for a practice run in June 2017 on the Penobscot river from Binette Park in Old Town to the Orono boat landing in preparation for the Penobscot River Whitewater Nationals Regatta.(Gabor Degere | BDN)
Each year, the group works to host community paddling outings and summer training camps for kids to learn how to paddle safely. Usually, these events are well-attended and fun for all.
But each season, the group is conflicted by one big problem while hosting its events. Paddlers — including the summer camp kids — have to cross a street, carrying the boats back and forth from Owen’s garage out to the water’s edge.
The kids have to move quickly, paying careful attention to cars speeding along Bennoch Road.
This year, the group is working on a solution. It’s trying to raise $20,000 to build a riverside storage shelter for its boats at Brownie’s Park — along the Stillwater River — which they’ll be able to use for community events and their training camps.
They’re hoping to finish the project by the end of summer, member Kell Fremouw said, although they’re not holding themselves to strict deadlines. The team is more focused on bringing Orono together through a shared love of paddling.
To Fremouw, the Orono Paddlers Group was indispensable when he graduated from high school and wanted to stay connected in the paddling world. As a highschooler, Fremouw said Owen encouraged him to take up the sport, eventually moving onto a more elite form of paddling known as WildWater.
Paddlers begin racing their war canoes on the Stillwater River during the final Orono Paddlers event of the summer on Thursday, Aug. 17, 2018. (John Holyoke | BDN)
Through the years, Owen has coached other Orono students to pick up the sport, too, helping them qualify for national and worldwide competitions.
This year, Fremouw qualified for the WildWater World Championships, which will be held in North Carolina.
“This organization is part of the reason I was able to continue my interest in paddling and make it to the World Championships this April,” he said.The university has its own intramural sailing and crew teams but no paddling club.
Despite logistical challenges, the Orono Paddlers’ passion for being out on the water is a unique experience they want to keep passing onto others. “We’ve got something pretty special here,” Owen said. “Orono is sort of a hotbed of competitive paddlers.”
He encourages people to visit oronopaddlers.org if they want to join the Orono Paddlers or donate.