Together with Meritrust Credit Union

Meritrust has more than a dozen conveniently located branches across Wichita, including their newest spot on Amidon at 2275 N Amidon Ave.

It’s one of those things you don’t think about until you need it, but when you do, it matters. Whether I’m running errands or chasing kids around town, it’s nice knowing I can pop in and get help without driving across Wichita.

Even in 2026, when most of it happens online, having real people nearby still makes a difference. To better serve the community, team members at the Amidon location are available to assist in both English and Spanish

Check out the Amidon location today!

Flatwater Fitness

If Wichita had mountains, we’d talk about them nonstop.

If we had an ocean, it would be on every billboard, every tourism ad, every “Top 10 Things to Do” list. There would be drone shots. There would be merch. There would be people pretending they “discovered it.”

But we don’t.

And because we don’t, a lot of people land on the same lazy conclusion:

“there’s nothing to do here.”

That argument falls apart pretty quickly when you realize most of those people haven’t actually tried what’s already here. (I mean have you seen our weekend event rundowns?!?)

As the saying goes “There is no such thing as boredom, only boring people”.

Because about 10–15 minutes east of Wichita, there’s a place with beaches, trails, and water, and one of the most underrated outdoor experiences in the area is sitting right on top of it:

Flatwater Fitness at Santa Fe Lake

A Water Story… in Kansas

The person behind Flatwater Fitness is Katherine Wallace, and her story explains a lot about why this exists at all.

She’s a self-described “water person,” which is funny considering she ended up in Kansas. Her mom was from California, her sisters were born on the coast, and somehow she landed in the middle of the country and stayed.

Like most good Wichita stories, this one didn’t start with a grand plan. It started with curiosity.

Back in 2015, Katherine and her husband were planning a cruise and decided to take a paddleboarding lesson beforehand so they wouldn’t look like complete beginners when they got there. That one lesson turned into a full summer of being out on the water, renting boards, hanging around the lake, and slowly getting pulled into something bigger.

Eventually, the opportunity came to take over the business.

So she did.

And that’s kind of the throughline here. This isn’t some hyper-optimized, venture-backed outdoor concept. It’s someone who loves being on the water and built something around helping other people experience that too.

The Place Most People Don’t Know Exists

Before you even get to paddleboarding, you have to understand Santa Fe Lake (see map above).

Because the wild part is how many people in Wichita either:

1. vaguely know it exists or 2. have never been

Even people who grew up nearby sometimes missed it (that’s me).

Which is strange, because once you’re out there, it doesn’t feel like something Wichita should be able to casually ignore.

There are real beaches. Not “stand on the edge of a muddy pond” beaches, but actual sand, kids playing, people swimming. There are trails wrapping around the lake, a disc golf course that’s quietly ranked among the best in the country, and if you catch it after a good rain, even a small waterfall tucked into the landscape.

It’s scenic in a way that feels unexpected for the Wichita area.

Like you slightly miscalculated how far you drove and accidentally ended up somewhere better than planned.

Katherine said it perfectly:

And that word gets overused, but here it actually fits. Not because it’s secret, but because people just haven’t bothered to look.

More Than Just “Rent a Paddleboard”

It would be easy to think Flatwater Fitness is just a rental setup. Show up, grab a board, try not to fall in, call it a day.

That’s part of it, but it’s not really the point.

Most people start with an hour. That’s kind of the sweet spot. You get a quick rundown on shore, learn how to stand up without immediately embarrassing yourself, and then you’re out on the water figuring it out in real time.

There’s something about that first few minutes that sticks with people. You’re a little unsure, a little wobbly, and then suddenly it clicks. You’re standing, moving, balancing, and it feels like something you didn’t expect to be able to do.

From there, it opens up.

Some people stay casual. They come back a few times each summer, bring friends, maybe bring their kids. Others start leaning into it more. Lessons turn into technique. Technique turns into confidence. Confidence turns into joining a paddle league or trying a timed session just to see how you stack up.

And somewhere along the way, people realize it’s also a full-body workout.

Not in the “drag yourself to the gym and suffer” kind of way. More like you leave thinking you just had fun, and then the next day your core reminds you that something happened.

And isn’t that the best kind of workout?

The Unexpected Part: It’s Actually Social

What stands out about Flatwater Fitness isn’t just the activity. It’s the vibe around it.

You’ll see families out there with kids figuring it out together. You’ll see people who clearly do this all the time, gliding across the water like it’s second nature. You’ll see someone cautiously standing up for the first time while their friends cheer from a distance.

And then there are the dogs.

Yes, dogs.

They’ve leaned all the way into it with things like “Dog Days,” where people bring their dogs out on the boards. Some of them immediately get it. Some of them look deeply confused. All of them make it better.

There’s even a massive board that can hold six to eight people, which turns the whole thing into less of a sport and more of a floating hangout session.

It’s not intense or exclusive. It’s just people being outside together in a way that feels easy.

The Part We Usually Get Wrong About Wichita

This is the part that matters more than paddleboarding.

Wichita’s reputation problem isn’t really about what we have or don’t have. It’s about what we compare ourselves to.

We compare Wichita to Denver and wonder why we don’t have mountains.

We compare it to coastal cities and wonder why we don’t have an ocean.

That’s a losing game every time. It obviously isn’t going to change.

What we don’t do enough is ask: what does Wichita actually offer, if you’re willing to engage with it?

Because the truth is, we have places like Santa Fe Lake. We have experiences like Flatwater Fitness. We have things that are:

• close, affordable, accessible, and genuinely fun

But they don’t hit you over the head. You have to go find them.

Katherine sees that disconnect all the time:

That’s not a resource problem. That’s an awareness problem.

What Flatwater has to offer:

• Kayak, tandem kayak, and SUP rentals by the hour or by the day

• Classes for paddle boards

• Sunset SUP Yoga

• Various other fitness classes

• Paddle 2 Gravel (BIG Event you don’t want to miss) - think of it like a triathlon with a paddle board. Sign up today!

Think of this way

Here’s the easiest way to think about it.

You leave work a little early one day. Or maybe it’s a Saturday morning and you don’t have much planned.

You drive east, hit Santa Fe Lake Road, and within a few minutes you’re somewhere that doesn’t feel like the city anymore.

You get a quick lesson.

You step onto the board.

You wobble a little. You figure it out.

And then you’re just… out there.

Water, quiet, maybe a little wind (or a lot…), maybe your kids laughing, maybe your dog trying to decide if this was a good idea.

An hour later, you’re done.

Not exhausted. Not overwhelmed. Just thinking, why don’t we do this more often?

Why This Is Worth Paying Attention To

Flatwater Fitness isn’t trying to be something it’s not.

It’s not trying to compete with Colorado or California. It’s not pretending Wichita is something else.

It’s just taking what we do have and making it better, more accessible, and more visible.

Because Wichita doesn’t get better when we complain about what it lacks. It gets better when more people start using what’s already here.

If you want to check it out, start here: Flatwater Fitness - let them know we sent you. Give them a follow on Instagram or Facebook.

They post updates throughout the season (usually April through early fall), and it’s one of those things that’s easier to try than to overthink.

If you want to learn more, check out my podcast with Katherine on Spotify, Apple, and Youtube:

What do you want to see us go deep on in a future deep dive?

Let us know!