Ten minutes away from the JBU campus is a national-caliber whitewater park where you can kayak, canoe, surf, tube, stand-up paddleboard or bring a hammock, a book, or picnic and just enjoy being outdoors.
One of the key people shaping its future is JBU alumnus Ethan Sipes ('23). Today, Ethan is Operations Lead for @visitwoka, a paddlesports instructor and a member of the local kayaking community, @friendsofwoka.
WOKA is an outdoor adventure park with a 1,200-foot-long, 100-foot-wide channel offering eight drop features. The park is located along the upper Illinois River near Watts, Oklahoma. The name “WOKA” is an acronym for Waters of Oklahoma and Arkansas.
At WOKA, Sipes gets the chance to build relationships with paddling leaders across the continent as he helps bring new events, athletes and opportunities to a park with year-round whitewater just minutes from town. He recently got an inquiry from the Canadian National Team.
The funny thing is, Sipes didn't come to JBU as a kayaker. He came because he loved summer camp. While studying Outdoor Leadership, he started saying yes to opportunities, tried new things, and took a kayaking class that got him hooked.
Somewhere along the way, a hobby became a skill set, then a community, and eventually a career.
The relationships didn't disappear at graduation. Sipes still connects regularly with a professor and classmates who helped him grow, leads trips for JBU folks, and employs several current students.
This fall, Sipes experienced a full-circle moment: he returned to JBU as an adjunct instructor to teach Outdoor Living Skills, one of the first courses he took as a student.
For Sipes, time outside has become about much more than recreation. It’s a place to learn from others, grow in faith, build lasting relationships and invite others into a brand-new experience.
“A lot of my time spent at JBU was focused around, ‘How do I help other people experience the same things in their faith?’ ... not just in the church spaces that we occupy, but being out in the world and showing people what living as a Christian looks like," Sipes said.
It's pretty special to have a place like WOKA so close to campus. You don't have to arrive at college already knowing what you're passionate about. Sometimes you just need the opportunity to try something, and people willing to try it with you.
So, why not give whitewater a try? You might find a new hobby, friendship or even a career in the process. You wouldn't be the first.
