On the weekend of Oct 4 – 5 over 40 paddlers
arrived at Zoar for the 5th Annual Paddling School
Reunion.ThePaddling School Reunion started in 2004, the year after
we hosted the first Whitewater Symposium.
The Whitewater Symposium brought people together from all over
thepaddling industry to share ideas andpaddle together. The
symposium was so much fun we decided todo something similar for
thealumni of our paddlingschool. The reunion weekend is a great way
toconnect with other boaters,get instruction and have a final paddle
together before the end of the season. Every year the reunion gets
better and some students come back every year.
Instructor Hillary Friedman just finishing a river run with some awesome women paddlers, April, Tammy [&] Ursala!
Instructor Jim Sullivan highlights the importance of theproper use ofriver rescue equipment.
Instructor Chris Snowdon helps studentsfine tune their roll by
going back to the basics. Chris isemphasising the importance of the
lower body (driving knee/hip snap)while rolling.
One of the most popular sessions is the open paddling with the Zoar instructors. Having fun and making connections!
“Make your eddy turns look easy” by using speed, angle management, vision and edge control.
Instructors Heather Young [&] Jim Sullivan work with alumni to “Perfect your stroke timing”.
Instructor Rachel DeMaine’s “hula dance” is well known to help the”Well-balanced paddler”.
Alumni got a chance to work on their technical skills in theZoar
gap, a local class III rapid. Some got the chance to take the
course”1st timers in the Gap” and others worked on “paddling the Gap
with Control [&] Finesse”. Lots of great fun had by all!
Saturday evening, our cook, Joel put on a great meal that would
satisfied any hungry padder. We watched a slide show of the days
photosand other paddling DVD’s while we chated about the season and
future paddling adventures.
Sunday’s weather was warmerand thepaddlers were eager to be out on
the river again.We paddled hard and by Sunday afternoon everyone was
tired and satisified.
Thanks to everyone who came to the reunion and I look forward to
seeing you all in 2009! For more information on the reunioncheck out
http://www.kayaklesson.com/reunion.htm
See you on the river! Janet Burnett Cowie, Director of Instruction Programs