'He's a rock star of kayaking': 85-year-old paddler inspires by surfing waves
When Ross Turner first ventured towards the Tofino surf in his kayak, his instructor was feeling cautious.
“Oh boy!” Yves Aquin recalls thinking. “This is going to be a tough one.”
Ross was 77 years old then, relatively new to kayaking, and said he wanted to learn how to “play in rough waters.”
“So we always keep an eye on him,” Yves says.
But then a wave suddenly flipped the senior upside down.
“My heart!” Yves recalls with a gasp. “That’s going to be trouble.”
Yves raced to help, but before he could reach him, Ross rolled back up in the big surf.
“And I’m like, ‘Whoa!” Yves says the senior seemed to effortlessly do the challenging manoeuvre over and over again. “[I thought], ‘What’s going on here?’”
To answer that question we need to go back to when Ross was a boy, who despite showing me an early photo from when he lost two front teeth doing one of countless dangerous things, never lost a taste for adventure.
“I just go for this stuff,” Ross laughs. “I don’t know why. It’s just in me.”
Which is why the now 85-year-old does everything he can to keep doing stuff, including daily exercise routines, downloading apps to learn a new language, and staying curious about new things.
When he started learning to paddle, he noticed much younger people rolling their kayaks underwater.
“I’d like to do that!” he recalls with a laugh.
Despite being in his mid 70s then, Ross mastered the manoeuvre.
“It feels good when you come up,” he laughs.
Now Ross rolls regularly.
“He’s known as the rock star of kayaking,” says Tracy Dance-Olson, adding Ross is an inspiration to the members of their paddling club, many of whom are decades younger.
“It’s all about living,” Tracy smiles. “And [Ross] lives it to the fullest.”
Which brings us to Ross’s recent 85th birthday request.
“[He said] 'I want to go kayak surfing with you guys,'” Patti Stevens recalls with a smile.
Patti and her husband Yves are the owners of Go Kayak who first taught Ross how to ride waves before forming an enduring friendship with him.
They took Ross to Tofino for his big birthday and marvelled at how the 85-year-old surfed in his kayak for three full days in a row.
“You can keep playing at any age,” Patti smiles.
Although Ross called the surfing “exhilarating,” he says the best part was spending it with friends. He says the best moments of the past 85 years have been loving the family he created with his beloved late wife of 53 years.
“We’re only here for a short while,” Ross smiles. “It’s terrible to waste the time.”
So savour the time with those you love, Ross shows us, and rise to the challenge of making the most of every moment.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
BREAKING 15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members today during a ceremony at British Columbia's legislature cenotaph commemorating the Second World War's Battle of the Atlantic.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.
Nylander defends Leafs' core after playoff exit, Toronto again picks up the pieces
The Maple Leafs battled back from a 3-1 series deficit against the Boston Bruins with consecutive 2-1 victories - including one that required extra time - in their first-round playoff series to push the club's Original Six rival to the limit before suffering a devastating Game 7 overtime loss.