Make Your Way to The Water: Mon River Games Highlights Fun to
Be Had On Our Region’s Rivers
From website homeyesterday.com
9 July 2016
The Mon River Games, an event sponsored by the Marion County Parks
and Recreation, introduced people to the river by offering
paddleboarding lessons for free.
More than 30 people tried paddleboarding, many for the first time,
including many non-swimmers who weren’t familiar with the river.
Paddleboarding is a little different from kayaking or canoeing.
Users stand or sit on a wide surfboard-shaped board and paddle
with a single bent oar. This may seem daunting for first-time
users, so Marion County Parks and Recreation had some great
volunteers on hand, including certified paddleboard instructor
Nick Hermosilla. It was a good thing there were multiple
volunteers, because the pier was packed!
Jessica Frame and her family had originally stopped by the park to
go fishing, but saw the paddleboard demonstrations.
Her two daughters, Grace and Natalie, had never been kayaking or
paddleboarding before, but were curious. Natalie said she was a
little scared to try the paddleboard, but she was “determined to
do it because it looked fun”. After kneeling on the board, and
getting some paddling skills down, she was able to stand up on her
own, and was still smiling even after she jumped/fell off. After
that, you couldn’t keep her out of the water!
Over 30 people, ages 6-55, tried out the paddleboards. Others were
out enjoying the water on pontoons, kayaks and speedboats.
More than 30 people tried paddleboarding, many for the first time,
including many non-swimmers who weren’t familiar with the river.
Once everyone was comfortable on the boards, it was time for some
friendly competition! Some participants raced around the buoys, or
tried to last longer on the boards than their competitors.
Megan Connelly, a Fairmont local, was out kayaking with friends,
and stopped by to listen to the music. She kindly offered up her
kayak for demonstrations as well!
Megan had always wanted to explore the water, so she started
borrowing a friend’s kayak and eventually got her own.
“It’s something to do and it’s easy,” she said. “I might as well
take advantage of these beautiful resources, especially on a hot
day like today.”
It was indeed a hot day, and many people seemed glad to cool off
in the river. A lot of questions were asked about the safety of
the water around the area, and in West Virginia as a whole.
Some assume many rivers are “too dirty” to swim in or have fun on.
They see trash near shore, or water that isn’t clear, and assume
it’s unsafe. As a result, many perfectly safe waters, like here in
Fairmont, go underutilized by locals and tourists.
This has been one of the many topics of conversation among many
groups discussing how to connect people with these beautiful
resources.
Friends of Marion County Trails is partnering with Marion County
Parks and Recreation, Main Street Fairmont, Northern Brownfields
Assistance Center and us here at The Hub to create and promote
opportunities to connect people to local waterways.
Nick Hermosilla, a volunteer with Marion County Parks and
Recreation, is also a certified paddleboard instructor, looking to
start a business connecting people to the water in a fun way.
Events like the Mon River Games help increase physical activity
and can help boost businesses centered around this water-friendly
lifestyle.
If you would like to be a part of the conversation around
connecting the Fairmont area to water, via events or otherwise,
please join the Friends of Marion County Trails at 9 a.m., on the
second Tuesday of every month at Marion County Parks &
Recreation Building/Marion County CVB at 1000 Cole Street,
Fairmont.
If you’re not in the Fairmont area and are interested in
activities on the water, you’re in luck! The West Virginia
Physical Activity Network provides resources for state parks,
rentals, and organizations in your area.
If there is a resource that you know about that isn’t in the
directory, contact the West Virginia Physical Activity
Coordinator, Courtney Roark, at c.roark@wvhub.org.