A First Step towards Beijing

“So, what do you know about the Chesapeake Boathouse?” I ask my Oklahoma City-based cousin on a recent phone call.

“A good friend of ours has become an avid rower and some big names in the sport are relocating here. I hear nothing but rave reviews,” my cousin replies.

“Oklahoma City – new paddlesports capital of the world?

“That’s the plan. Who would have thought?”

My late aunt and uncle who lived in Oklahoma City for all of their adult lives never would have believed what Oklahoma City is getting ready to do. No, not preparing to welcome an NBA franchise although that would have surprised them too. Better yet, the city is getting ready host the premier Flatwater Canoe/Kayak race of the quadrennium – the Olympic Trials. Elevating the status of this prestigious event is the stunning Chesapeake Boathouse, a $3.5 million river-front facility that has positioned kayaking and rowing as core residents in and mainstream activities of Oklahoma City’s revitalized downtown.

This weekend is about more than athletes competing for the coveted positions on the United States Olympic Team. It’s about celebrating an emergence of an evolving outdoor lifestyle. That prominently features paddlesports. At an unlikely destination that is more commonly associated with cowboys and cattle than kayaking.

Making local water ways more accessible by human-powered boats is innovative “Gold Medal Thinking” at its best. Bringing such lifestyle attributes and amenities found in outdoorsy places like Portland, Oregon and Chattanooga, Tennessee uniquely brands Oklahoma City and helps it stand out from other big cities doing the same old big cities things. Resources like the Chesapeake Boathouse and its easy access to the Oklahoma River shout a loud and clear message not just about how your community works, but how it lives and plays.

A few athletes will leave Oklahoma City at the end of the weekend a step closer to the Olympics in Beijing and will take with them the “can-do” spirit and initiative of this community. These same athletes will leave behind a powerful legacy fueling an opportunity to continue building a healthy and vibrant affinity with the outdoors long after the Olympic Trials are complete.