SK101, An Introduction to Kayaking

Over one hundred people gathered at the West River Center just south of Annapolis, MD this past Saturday for an Introduction to Kayaking event.  To be exact, we had 91 students and 12 staff/volunteers. As I watched all the people, with their excitement for the new sport, arrive on a sunny day in early march, I could not help but to think that there was no better way than this to start the kayaking season for the club.

If you do not know what SK101: An Introduction to Kayaking is about, then let me fill you in.  For a number of years now members in the club have voluntered to put on an early season (well still off-season is more acurate) event where people who have not yet become active in the sport of kayaking can come and learn. March is a great time to put on such an event, since we are all aching to get back on the water, and eager to tell anyone who will listen all about what we have done in our kayaks in the past, and what we plan to do in the season just starting up.Although this event has not been put on by our volunteers every year, whenever it is scheduled, it fills up fast.  This year was no exception.  One hundred people signed up.  And I heard that there was a waiting list too. 

What can people new to kayaking learn at an SK101 event?  Glad you asked.  This year, the two volunteers who coordinated the effort (Yvonne Thayer & Gina Cicotello) decided to make sections where new comers can hear about the following.  Kayak history, as excellently portrayed verbally and visually by Dave Isbell.  Kayak design in detail from materials to boat handling by Greg Welker.  Kayak paddles, their construction and performance by Brian Blankenship.  Paddling gear for safety and comfort by Cyndi Janetzko and Todd Angerhoffer.  Places to paddle and people to paddle with by Jennifer Bine and Dave Biss.  And finally, a demo of kayak rescues and rolls by Cyndi Janetzko and Dave Biss.

The West River Center did an excellent job providing a space for all the guests as well as food for everyone.  All the volunteer speakers had fun talking about their subject, and no one had a lack of visuals to work with.  Dave Isbell's hand-made kayaks and paddles were of a great interest to everyone (including myself) he really did a great job explaining how kayaking originated and how it carries on today with the continued of skin-on-frame boats for recreational use.  The topping to his display was the boat he was finishing up for Gina.  It is truly a work of art.  When it came time for Greg to talk about boat design, he wanted to show samples of various types of kayaks.  Helpers would move boats into and out of the room and place them as high as possible behind where Greg was speaking for everyone to see by demonstration what he wanted to pass on to these new paddlers.  Brian came next.  All the boats were moved out, and lots of paddlers were moved in.  Everyone had the chance to see and hear all about a great variety of paddles from the homemade Greenland wood paddles to the expensive carbon fiber wing racing paddles.  Cyndi and Todd really out did everyone with the gear presentation.  After all, their talk was about gear.  They made it exciting by dressing in gear that would portray different seasons.  Todd dressed up as though he was paddling in summer.  Cyndi represented spring and fall.  And then they topped it off by having Kingsley Chan come up and put on his dry suit to represent winter.  After some lunch, Jennifer and Dave talked about places to paddle.  Along with their excitement in describing some of their favorite places to paddle and how to understand the environments of each place, they showed slides of past paddles to these places.  To end the event, a demo out on the water was scheduled, but the weather decided not to cooperate for the second year in a row.  The wind was howling outside and white caps were forming on the West River.  The on water demos were called off in favor of doing dry land simulations.  Cyndi walked the crowd through a demo of a Paddle Float Re-entry and a T-Rescue.  Dave did a couple of mock rolls.

As only one volunteer at the event, I must say that I had a lot of great questions posed to me by really interested people.  If all the volunteers got the opportunity to answer as many questions as I did, then it just shows what a job such an event as this accomplishes.  Many people came to the event with their interest in kayaking to see what they can learn.  We all hope they went home with many questions answered but with a lingering desire to get out and paddle.  I am sure that many of the faces that I saw at this year's SK101 will appear again at the CPA Piracies and at many of the CPA paddling events.  It is a great thing to know that there are many people out there just starting to look into the sport of kayaking, and it is a very satisfying feeling to have passed on many of my experiences and much of my excitement for the sport. 

I believe that I came away from the event with some new found knowledge as well.  Everyone knows that I think safety is a big item in one's kayaking skills list.  And I guess I have always believed that new paddlers only learned safety as they progressed into the sport.  Many of those accidents that I have heard of which could have been avoided by preparing better, always seemed to be able to be explained by thinking that if the paddler had more experience, they would have prepared themselves better.  Well, what I leaned was that many more new paddlers than I expeced have a truly well developed sense for paddling safety and are learning how to prepare themselves before they leave shore.  It is heart warming to see this.  Maybe it is a the sign of a new generation of paddlers.  Maybe it is due to the generosity of the existing generation of paddlers.  At any rate, a new set of faces will be out there this year.  Look for them and look out for them.  Ideally, all the knowledge we pass onto them this year will be well seasoned by the time they have the chance to pass it on at one SK101 event in the future.