Water ball
Kayakers compete at Augusta Canal
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Wayne Irby (center) looks to pass the football as other paddlers try to steal the ball or block him. The friendly game of kayak football is played along the Augusta Canal.
ANNETTE M. DROWLETTE/STAFF
Sharing a love for water sports and the gridiron, about 20 people from througout the area get together Wednesday evenings at the Augusta Canal for a game of kayak football.
Wayne Irby heads up the Augusta Kayaker and Canoe Club, which created this hybrid sport where an equal number of players split into teams with an objective to pass a Nerf football beyond their opponents' goal line.
"This is our backyard version of the game - without the officials," said Irby, who likens the game to rugby in the water.
In the mid-1980s, kayak games were popular in Augusta, Irby said, but eventually participants stopped showing up and membership dropped off.
About six years ago, Irby restarted the club.
"It was always a fun game, and I figured it was time to bring it back," Irby said.
Joey Martin, a clerk at Augusta Wilderness Outfitters, Ltd., said he enjoys a game of kayak football after work.
"It's a pretty cool thing to do," Martin said.
Paul Smock reacts after a score while playing kayak football in the canal.
ANNETTE M. DROWLETTE/STAFF
Although Paul Smock looks intimidating on the water in his yellow canoe, his wife, Kim, is unfazed. Her competence level increases each week, even though she paddles a much smaller vessel than her husband, she said.
The North Augusta couple credits their teacher for their competitiveness on the water.
"Wayne is really a legend; not only in Augusta but in the entire Southeast," Smock said.
Hugo Krispin of North Augusta is one of the club's transplanted players.
"I've really learned a lot since starting about a year ago," said Krispin, who grew up near Philadelphia.
Irby said the club welcomes new participants, and a lack of experience or equipment should not keep anyone from coming out for a game.
"We look out for our visitors out here," he said.
For more information on the kayak football group, call 737-3174.