By Kenneth Prabhakar | Photo Editor

You would think we would leave PE behind in high school, but lifetime fitness is a requirement for all Baylor students. However, there is way more freedom in what we get to choose for that college credit.

I will admit, I pushed off registering for my lifetime fitness for the longest time because I was undecided about all the options. I had heard great reviews about many of them. However, one class stood out to me: paddle sports. Paddle sports is a kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and canoeing class. Taking this class felt like a shot in the dark. There was nothing about it online, and there was no information about the instructor either. However, I could not imagine having a bad experience in a water sports class, so I figured I would try it out.

The class is broken into four units: kayaking, tandem kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and canoeing. The units go in ascending order of difficulty level, with canoeing requiring the most technical ability. Considering this was a water sports class, the only times we would actually get soaked were when we practiced rescues, which would typically only happen once per unit. With each class, everybody got more comfortable on the water, and it became second nature.

Every unit came with its own set of challenges that were fun to work through. Although canoeing required a little more thinking than the other mediums, stand-up paddleboarding was the most different, as it required balance.

Now that the marina is closed due to water temperature policies, I will say that no other lifetime fitness can bring the same emotions as paddle sports do. Something about starting your day off on the water was incredibly relaxing. The views were unbeatable for a lifetime fitness, and it was pretty routine to see turtles and fish almost every time. Paddle sports are not traditional in any way, but if you are willing to roll the dice, I promise it will be worth your time.