This was the first summer that I saw a ton of kayaks attached to the top of cars in the city. In the past I’ve seen the occasional kayak… but this summer was different. Then, last week, I ran across this SUV with two open deck kayaks attached to it. There was an advertisement on the rear windows of the vehicle that read, ‘Adventures in Fitness, Inc.’. There was a local number listed below business, so I decided to give a call to inquire about additional information.
It was entrepreneur Tim Reed who answered the phone. I asked him what sort of kayaking trips he was offering within the city, and he explained, “My rafting and kayaking experience has been mostly longer trips with organizations, groups, etc. I’ve been thinking about putting something together for a local downtown trip. It would be easy to put together a tour of the Buffalo River for anyone interested in going. I have kayaks and canoes… and would be very interested if a business was looking for a team building opportunity. I can take up to fourteen people on any river trip. This is team building and leadership… if you’re not going to paddle with your partner then you’re not going to go anywhere but in circles. We take inner city kids rafting too… and we also take adults on adventures that they normally would not do. We work with families and church youth groups… that’s where I got my start. I’ve been doing this with my youth group for years, and I’ve been a personal trainer for 22-years. Adventures in Fitness is something that I’ve been doing for two-years. I had the opportunity to start my own business and I took it. The other half of my business is personal training. I have clients at clubs and I train people at their homes. Sometimes they have their own equipment and sometimes I bring my own stuff with me. I can develop fun programs for anyone who is interested.”
For anyone interested in trying out kayaking on the Buffalo River, check out this fun urban kayaking video taken this summer on the Buffalo River. You may have to wait until spring at this point, but there’s no reason not to plan ahead, right? If you’re interested in contacting Tim for some team-building opportunities, call him at 716-838-4230.
Bill Zimmermann
Bill runs Seven Seas Sailing school, and is a staunch waterfront activist. He is also heavily involved with preserving, maintaining, and promoting the South Buffalo Lighthouse. When Bill first started writing for Buffalo Rising, he wrote an article a day for 365 days - each article coincided with a significant historic event that happened in Buffalo on that same day.