Kids will tell you when they are ready to learn, and as a parent, you get to know the signs better than anyone. Our oldest daughter hadn't shown much interest in paddling until one day as I headed off to teach a kayak lesson to some adults, she kissed me goodbye and, out of the blue, asked, "Daddy, could you teach me how to kayak sometime?" I was flabbergasted and when I had regained my ability to speak, I told her, "I would be happy to."

A few weeks later we took an easy raft trip together and a couple of kids followed the rafts in kayaks. When one of them tired of kayaking my daughter couldn't wait to get in and try. She hopped right in, maneuvered unsteadily to where I was sitting on the raft, and asked for some tips on turning the boat. I beamed as I showed her the basics of the sweep stroke and she paddled off downstream diligently practicing what I had taught her.

Frequently children look to a trusted adult other than a parent to teach them something new. Their friend's parent or a close relative often can be more effective than their own parent. Some parents may not have the necessary skills to teach their children, while others may know too much.

Let the Motivation Come from the Kids
It's important to let children make their own decisions about whether to take up the sport of paddling. The more committed the parents are to paddling, the more important this is for their children. The feeling that "mom and dad want me to do this" is often enough to turn a child off to paddling for good. Whether parents are paddlers or not, they should offer support and encouragement, not pressure. The same child introduced to paddling through a group of her or his peers might love it.

We teach a program for local children between the ages of eight and eighteen. Some of the kids (often the younger ones) want their parents around during the program. Others' interest waxes and wanes in inverse proportion to the amount of interest their parents show in paddling. They want to find an interest of their own that they can pursue without the pressure, approval or disapproval, and help of their parents. They want to prove to themselves that they can succeed at paddling on their own terms.

Excerpted from Paddling with Kids by Bruce Lessels and Karen Blom published by the Appalachian Mountain Club 2002. Printed with permission.

Your physical and mental states can be a barrier to reaching your rodeo goals. It is very important to get yourself in good shape and to exercise. From the intermediate playing level to the expert level you cross over one of the largest humps in the learning curve. People?s skills often plateau at this point, and they need to either change to a different style of boating and/or learn some new skills.

There are always new things to learn; it may just take a while to discover them. Going from general river running to rodeo boating is almost as big a jump as first learning how to kayak. There is that much new information to absorb.

Rodeo boating challenges you to make the most out of all the dimensions in a rapid. What's even harder is that, as you get more into rodeo boating, you may feel as if you are losing skills rather than gaining them. This often occurs because you have to back up a little before learning the new skill, even relearning what you already thought you knew.

Where should you start? Look at the match between the skills you want to learn and your gear. For example, if you own a Perception 3-D and want to learn how to cartwheel, there are better boats out there with less volume in the bow and volume that is more evenly distributed from bow to stern. All manufacturers are making boats that can make rodeo moves much easier, pick your favorite

The first step to rodeo boating is to try to get your boat vertical any way you can. Honestly, this is how I learned. I paddled a lot and did lots of stern squirts and silly enders. You've probably read articles about double pumps; practice them. My first vertical flatwater tricks were done by paddling backwards and doing backwards double pumps. Play around, flip a lot and have fun. Try not to get discouraged and laugh when you flip over repeatedly. Do lots of stern squirts. This is usually what people learn first and it helps you learn to be balanced when vertical. Also try paddling forward into enders. Fill your boat a little with water. Play.

Learning stern squirts. Find a practice site with a strong swirl of eddy current and spend a few hours at the same spot. The eddy line should be well-defined. Leave the eddy with just enough speed to get your boat completely into the current with your stern resting over the top of the eddyline. Your lean is critical. If your stern sinks quickly and then you flip upstream, you have too much lean. If you flat spin over the eddyline you have too little lean. Start your squirt with a mildly hard lean. As the current grabs it, flatten your boat out and the current will keep pulling your stern.

To be continued in the July issue of the Zoar Rap . . .

In part II, Jim talks about the double pump and cartwheeling.

Have you ever watched other paddlers surfing waves and holes and wished you had a coach to help you learn to do these moves yourself? These one-day clinics are held at local playspots such as Tariffville Gorge on the Farmington River and Hartland Rapid on the Connecticut River. Sometimes we get to do a section of the Dryway. Our staff of paddling professionals (like Jim) will initiate you into the community of the playboating elite.

[outdated course info removed]

Cost: [outdated course info removed]

Participants should have a solid class II-III roll and the ability to catch eddies, ferry and peel out in powerful current.