This blog is provided by Sioux Falls Whitewater Park, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. We want to help current whitewater enthusiast and new people getting into whitewater. We hope to provide locations in the area to paddle, events going on, updates on the Sioux Falls Whitewater Park, and helpful tips for increasing paddling skills and safety.
Fantastic turnout for our first pool session of the season.
We had boats galore, spraydecks and paddles for everyone who wanted to try a whitewater boat plus a couple of extra.
I had no idea so many people wanted to work on their roll. Way to go! We needed three more of me to go around. I discovered that 8 boats in a pool is similar to 30 kids in a classroom.
Nine people all wanting to work on rolls!
Awesome!
First we practiced popping off the spray deck for a wet exit, then I helped the new folks increase their comfort and confidence while upside down. Mitchell, Josh, Dan and Stephen all helped with hip snaps, then we started working the paddle into action.
Every student progresses at a different pace when they are learning to roll, so after about 15 minutes, everyone was at a different place in their learning. Oh my!
Learning complex motor skills doesn't happen instantly, because training muscles and complex new movements takes time. Have you ever tried to learn to play an instrument?
I think this youngster was at his first pool session getting his first rolling lesson and he did great.
I'm having fun planning some informal teaching sessions for our first pool session this year. My plan is to have three "skill learning stations" that folks can rotate through, if they want, to gain some introductory rolling and paddling skills. What is rattling around in my mind, all day today, is that these skills, and all whitewater skills for that matter, are not just whitewater skills. They are kayaking skills that are used in coastal areas, lakes, and river settings-- basically everywhere people kayak.
Helmets are also used in surf, rock gardens, and sea cave exploration, in addition to the Klondike rapids. Spray Skirts are essential in chop, surf, wind, and cold conditions, at a coast, lake or river. They also help prevent sunburned legs! WW strokes and maneuvers: Power forward stroke, reverse strokes, rudders, draws, sweeps, etc are all useful strokes when launching, landing, dealing with boat wakes, waves, turning around, looking backwards, maneuvering to another boat, and when dealing with intersecting currents at wing dikes or river mouths. Boat balance & edging skills are essential in rapids, but also come in extremely handy when skirting around obstructions like wing dikes and river snags, and when dealing with wind and waves. Rolling and bracing- power boat wakes, wind-driven waves, and wing dikes have capsized many touring and racing kayaks. High, low, and sculling braces are essential tools to prevent capsizes and wouldn't it be nice to roll back up if you do capsize, so you don't have to swim your boat to shore &/or struggle to clamber back in, soaking wet, and pump it out after a flip, especially in cold water?
What I'm trying to say, is that even though our pool & training sessions utilize whitewater boats, they will offer you the opportunity to become a better paddler by gaining skills that may be useful in all your kayaking adventures.
And they're fun. I love pool sessions! Can't wait!
When you go down the river for a daily float you will see the random trash and I pick it up on your way down. Once you are there to actually clean the river you then see all the hidden trash that has been left behind or floated downstream. I don’t know if this area of the river has been cleaned before but from what we got out of a small area I’m guessing it hasn’t been cleaned for many years.
Sioux Falls Whitewater Park conducted their first river clean up on The Big Sioux River at Lien Park in Sioux Falls South Dakota. On Tuesday September 16, 2014 5:30 pm we had a total of six volunteers. Two were working the river by boat and the other four were working the banks of the river. We were fortunate to have Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation donate bags and rubber gloves for us. They also provided us with trash pickup so we just needed to pile the trash in a designated area. We chose Lien Park first because this is the area that is best fit for a whitewater park. Lien Park has flow from Skunk Creek, Sioux Falls Diversion Dam, Silver Creek and the Big Sioux River. This area also doesn’t complete freeze either so it could possibly be used year round in the correct gear.
With six people we were hoping to cover a good area. Soon as we started it was clear we were going to have a big job ahead of us. We covered about 400 feet of the north river bank and came out with 28 bags of trash, tire, old lawn chair, some piping, and some car parts. We stopped around 7:30pm because we were losing day light. This area was mainly full of old aluminum cans and plastic shopping bags.
Here are some pictures of spots we were not able to get to because of daylight availability. As you can see trash accumulated in this strainer. We hope to get out there with a grain shovel with drilled holes to pick up the majority of this and maybe take care of this strainer.
If you have been down the Big Sioux River in town this fall you are aware of the garbage lining the banks. SFWP hopes to conduct 3-4 clean ups in 2015 to get a handle on this. We hope to see more people out there as our organization grows.
If you have questions, concerns, areas of rivers that need attention, or would like to take part in this great cause. Please email us at info@siouxempirepaddlers.org or message us on Facebook Sioux Falls Whitewater Park.
Sioux Falls Whitewater Park will be hosting their first of many pool sessions at the EMBE downtown Sioux Falls South Dakota. This pool session is open to the public with limited availability. We can handle 10-15 paddlers depending on the style of boat. Our main concentration will be whitewater boats so we can have more people attend. There will be a fee for this pool session of $10.00 a person or $15.00 a person if you need to borrow equipment. We do have extra whitewater kayaks, paddles, skirts, and PFD’s to spare but this is a very limited amount of 5-6 boats. We hope to have a few trained paddlers to help the newbies and less advanced paddlers to help get in the right boat and learn some new skills. It is best to come with a buddy so you are able to practice techniques together but it’s not necessary and we can pair you up with someone.
What we hope comes out of the pool session:
Expand the knowledge of whitewater boats and kayaking to new people and let them try out a boat
Show new and existing paddlers safety techniques such as wet exits (being able to exit the kayak correctly and not being injured), bracing (a technique to keep your boat upright), Edging (pretty much a need to know for advancing playboating skills, getting around in whitewater, and advancing paddling skills in all types of kayaks), Eskimo roll (rolling your kayak back upright after going upside down in your boat), and other safety features (for instance: we will have a throw bag to help practice saves).
Have fun and try something new.
Please think about attending! As of 09/26/2014 we have 6 attending and 5 maybes, so reserve your spot as soon as you can. You can do this by going to our Facebook Page "Sioux Falls Whitewater Park" and checking out the events.
If you schedule doesn’t work for this date we hope to have a few more in the winter of 2015. Please email us (siouxfallswhitewaterpark@hotmail.com) or message us on Facebook if different dates and times work for you. We try to work around the majorities schedule to get the most out of these pool sessions.
If you just want to check out what we are doing and see if this is maybe something you would like to do. You are more than welcome to come watch, take pictures, and ask questions. There are bleachers for you to sit on and watch. No charge for viewing and questions!!
Creek Boat- 8'-9' cork-like to escape gnarly holes in dangerous WW
Crossover - 9- 12' with a skeg to track straight, a bulkhead and a hatch
Slalom/racing >10'- fast
Deck (top) versions:
Sit Inside- the traditional kayak design. In rough water, a spray skirt is necessary to prevent water from entering the cockpit and flooding the boat.
Sit On Top (SOT) - open deck with drain holes, moulded-in or clip-on seat and foot pegs, knee straps for edge control.
Hull Terminology
Planing hull = flat from side to side. Allows the boat to literally spin on a dime or on a wave
Displacement hull= somewhat rounded from side to side
Edges= sharp chines (angles) where sides meet bottom. Sharp, low edges help carve turns, but can make a boat more likely to flip.
Rails= grooves along the bottom edge. These help carve and stabilize, but can snag on rocks
Rocker= the curve from bow to stern. More rocker makes the boat easier to turn and harder to paddle a straight line. Rocker at the bow makes the front less likely to nose-dive (pearl). Rocker at the back end makes it easier to launch off rocks (boof ledges).
The playboats, free runners, most river runners and most modern creekers have planning (flat bottomed) hulls under the paddler with edges to carve turns. The flat bottom makes the boat more likely to spin, which is nice when surfing on waves, but a serious challenge for a long paddle on calm water. Rails help the edges carve turns and raise the edges to make the boat a little less likely to capsize.
The crossover boats, some creekers and some river runners have a slightly rounded hull under the paddler (displacement or semi-displacement) no rails and softer (rounder) edges. These characteristics make theses boats less likely to snag on rocks, less likely for the current to catch an edge and capsize the boat, and easier to roll back up. Their extra length makes them faster and less likely to go vertical or spin in confused currents and helps them track a straighter line.
Sizing
Your boat should be sized for both you and the type of water you will be running. Most WW boats come in three sizes (small, medium, large) with volume (in liters) and paddler weight ranges listed for each size. Jackson Kayaks often combine a size-related name with their boat name to get things like: Star, AllStar, SuperStar, and MonStar. If you are between size categories, then your skill might dictate which size. In general, talented boaters would rather be at the high end of the listed paddler weight range so they can more easily 'throw' the boat around (with their legs). Novice paddlers doing more down-river paddling may feel more stable if they are at the mid or lower end of the weight range.
Since fit and comfort vary wildly from person to person, it is very important to sit in the boat you want to buy before you purchase it.
A few thoughts
If you are considering a whitewater boat, you should have a good idea of what rivers you will be paddling, how often you will be paddling and how playful you would like to be. Will you want to stop at features and play for a while? If you're only going out once or twice a month, do you want a boat that demands skillful handling? Are you willing to learn how to roll?
If you live in our area and only want one kayak, I'd recommend a crossover boat. I consider my crossover ideal for most rivers in our area, but remember, no boat is good at everything. I could take my crossover out on the Missouri River for a 4 hour float with recreational paddlers, but I would not take it there for a 4 hour paddle with strong paddlers in touring boats or a 20+ mile paddle-- I'd take a longer, touring boat.
If you never, ever want to learn to roll, then a sit-on-top might be your best choice.
I'm a big fan of getting a used boat to start with. Craigslist is a great source of used boats. Get a boat, get yourself out on the water, into a pool, gain some skills, meet other WW paddlers and sit in as many of their boats as you can. Soon you'll learn more about what you like and want.
Fluid's Dope - the cheapest playboat around
The Categories
PlayBoat
The Jackson Stars, the Fluid Dope, Dagger Jitsu, Pyranha Jed & Molan, Wavesport Möbius & Project X are a few examples of short, stubby play boats. These boats have pinched flat front ends, almost no rear end and are designed to pop out of the water vertically to allow aerial rodeo moves such as loops (flips) and cartwheels. These are suited for aggressive paddlers wanting to do rodeo tricks at park and play spots. They are not ideal boats for learning to surf, but if you have a play spot nearby, you're gonna have to get one!
Free Runners
Jackson's Fun, a popular FreeRunner
The Jackson Funs, Fluid Spice, Dagger Axiom, LL Freeride, Pyranha Varun, and Wave Sport Fuse are a few examples of playful river runners. These boats have more length than the rodeo playboats for a little more stability, comfort, and speed, but are short enough to pull off spins and tricks on most any wave or eddyline. They are great boats for an athletic person getting into playing on whitewater and running rivers.
River Runners
Liquid Logic Remix- a river runner
The Jackson FunRunner & Zen, Fluid Detox, WaveSport Diesel, Pyranha Burn, Dagger Mamba, LL Remix are some examples of stable river runners well suited for beginners, mellow paddlers and yet are boats that can handle big WW with style. Most modern runners have a flat planing hull and enough volume to pack compact gear for an overnight trip.
Creek Boats
Dagger Mamba- a creek boat
Creek boats are high volume boats with bulbous ends. They are designed for running steep creeks with waterfalls. Their high volume makes them surface faster after a plunge into foamy water and their thick ends are less likely to get pinned between rocks. Creekers also make good stable beginner WW boats while folks build up their confidence. They are certainly capable of surfing some waves.
Crossover Boats
Pyranha's Fusion- a crossover.
Crossover boats are hybrids between a light touring boat (long, bulkheads/hatches) and a river runner. Most have a river runner inspired hull, a stern bulkhead and hatch, and a drop down skeg which massively improves tracking a straight line. The skeg is a must in flat, calm water to keep the boat traveling more efficiently for a long paddle. These boats are typically easier to pack for overnight trips than a whitewater boat. They are stable, comfortable boats and mine was easy to learn to roll in.These are great boats for rivers up to class III.
Sit On Tops
Fluid's Do It Now with thigh straps.
If you are a fair weather paddler who will not try to learn to roll, then one of these boats might be your best choice. The
Perception Torrent, Ocean Kayak Frenzy, Liquid Logic Coupe, Fluid Do It
Now are examples of sit on tops that can handle waves and whitewater. Their hull is similar
to a creek boat, so they tend to be very stable for beginners. They need thigh straps in order to edge turns which is really important when crossing eddylines.
Lots of
rental companies put folks in this type of boat because they are so
easy to exit and reenter, even in the middle of a river! If you already know how to roll, you should be able to
roll one.
I'm a huge fan of these to get people out on the river, but a
stroke lesson, edge control, and river skills are very important for whitewater paddling.
8 hours is a long road trip to get to a park, but some parks are worth the drive. If you are an experienced white water (ww) paddler or a ww playboater and/or you don't have any runnable rivers nearby, then Wausau is definitely worth the drive. (Only 6.5 hrs from Sioux Falls)
Dam gate is a slide- safely passable, what a ride!
The park is an engineered side shoot off the Wisconsin River right next to downtown Wausau. A dam gate upstream controls the flow of water into the park and "releases" of water from the dam only happen on scheduled weekends or for special events.
These releases mean the park can be open even if water levels are fairly low, but they also mean that the park is only open during scheduled releases. Typically there are two releases scheduled each month from May thru September with the dates posted at http://wausauwhitewater.org
Likes:
Sam running the dam. Photo by Angelica Schultz
The dam slide is safely runnable!
There are least 10 different features
to entertain loads of paddlers
Retentive hole for advanced playboaters
Smaller features at bottom for beginners
Nice take outs & launch rocks
Paved trail for hauling boats up and down course
Great eddies for paddlers awaiting their turn
Cheap daily fee (currently $12)
Cheap lessons ($40) include rental equipment
Paved parking adjacent to park
Free camping next to park
Flush toilets at camping area
Farmer's market next to camping area
There are always lots of paddlers in Wausau-- you're never paddling alone there. It is fun to watch the other paddlers and I find it slightly humerous to watch adults awaiting their turn to play in the waves, but it wasn't just adults. There were some kids paddling, too, usually with a parent right there if needed, although one teen was giving his father lessons. Paddlers, in general, are incredibly nice, friendly, and very supportive of beginners-- perhaps because they are all working on improving their skills and all remember what it was like to be a beginner.
Middle section before release. Great place for attainments (moving upriver) and eddy turns on the way down
There was a variety of whitewater boats there: slalom, river runners, free runners, playboats, single ww canoes, double ww canoes and some crossover boats. One fellow brought both a playboat and a 17' sea kayak, but his big boat stayed on the very bottom feature. What they all had in common were floatation bags. A swamped boat is heavy and difficult to rescue. Floatation bags prevent the entire boat from filling up with water, so the boat stays lighter and easier to rescue when swamped. All boaters also wore helmets, life vests and all the kayakers wore spray skirts.
Two days of ww paddling is exhausting-- at least for this ol' lady. Every muscle in my body got a workout, but that is good-- that means I was using my legs and core as all kayakers should.
I made it through two days of paddling without a swim-- combat rolls rock!
Retentive hole before release. The middle is a pour-over which creates recirculating currents, but the sides are sloped.
This is where the talented boaters do amazing tricks like flips and cartwheels.
The big drop before water released
Surfing a 17' sea kayak with a Greenland paddle
A few whitewater canoes on the course, too, with floatation bags, of course.
Very nice flush-toilet restrooms at campsite w/ outdoor shower.
The question of where to rent a kayak, SUP or canoe seems to be an ongoing question. So we have decided to give you an answer.
We have browsed the web, contacted "our people", and searched local classified ads. What we came up with is a list of three locations in Sioux Falls and two locations right outside of Sioux Falls at our nearby State Parks. Unfortunately, a lot of you have the question if the rental companies transport or deliver the kayaks. We only found one company that offers pick up delivery for an extra fee depending where the location is. Here is a list of Kayak, SUP and Canoe rentals in town.
Sioux Falls Kayak Rental
The only rental in Sioux Falls that is willing to drop the kayaks off at your local starting point and pick up the boats when you are done.
$300.00 deposit (per boat)(checks or credit cards accepted for deposit)
$5.00 non-refundable Damage waiver fee
Boat, oars/paddles, and life jackets
Ace does not provide tie downs or transportation for boats
*Shop from the link below to help donate a percentage to Sioux Empire Paddlers*
Private Sector - Valerie Quade No available Hours
Kayak and Stand Up Paddle Board Rentals: No deposit for rental. You will need to provide a valid drivers license and sign a waiver. Boat/SUP, PFD, and paddle $45.00 per 24 hours $80.00 per 48 hours State Parks
Locations:
Newton Hills State Park
28767 482nd Avenue
Canton, SD 57013
605-987-2263
*Shop from the link below to help donate a percentage to Sioux Empire Paddlers*
The Gobbler loves to gobble me up and spit me out.
The Gobbler is the nick-name given to the whitewater wave feature in the brand new Elkader Whitewater Park in Elkader, IA. This park was built when they removed a low-head dam on the Turkey River, right next to downtown.
Low head dams often look small and 'runnable', but they are a huge hazard to boaters and anyone unfortunate to flush over one because they generate recirculating currents that trap and drown people each and every year. No one, under any circumstance, should ever expect to survive a trip over a low head dam. During a training session, I heard the swiftwater rescue instructor tell the local volunteer firemen that The Gobbler is 1,000x safer than the low-head dam it replaced.
The whitewater wave at Elkader
This photo shows the view of the whitewater feature from Main Street. The smaller feature on the far side of the river is considered a fish ladder and according to the locals, is a place where smallmouth bass hang out. The bigger wave on the near side is where the boaters spend most of their time and when boaters aren't around, folks show up to fish. The feature was designed and constructed to create a raised wave at the bottom of the outflow, large enough to allow a kayaker to surf, facing upstream, on the face of the wave. Well, it allows skilled kayakers to surf. It offers the rest of us a big challenge just to get up into it and come out right side up if we are lucky.
My first day at The Gobbler, I was afraid to even attempt to get on the wave, because I wasn't sure my roll would work in the swirling currents coming out of The Gobbler. On my second day, I discovered my roll and mind would both work in 'combat' so-to-speak, so my roll was officially elevated from "pool" to "combat" status. With that mental hurdle achieved and acknowledged, the FunFactor became greater than the FearFactor and I was ready to face off with The Gobbler.
This was my first attempt.
Yes, it gobbled me up and spat me out, but I am not easily defeated. Again and again I went into combat and my roll was tested frequently. Occasionally, I remained upright when it flushed me out. Small victories, often enough, to make me want to do it again and again and again. I was hooked.
As I made the long drive home, I wondered when I might get another chance to tackle the Gobbler. Turns out, just one month later, I was able to return for two days of a gobbling good time.
On my second trip to The Gobbler, I had the most fun I've had in a very long time. I surfed, attempted 360* spins, and pulled off a couple of boogie board surfs on a board Sam brought. A dozen different boaters showed up that day and a party atmosphere developed (stone sober- I've never seen a whitewater kayaker drink while kayaking). I loved watching Marty seal launch his kayak off the rocks, dive straight down nose first, then pop up into the air and do a front flip. Wow!
The Kellog family
When my body told me it was time to quit, I couldn't tear myself away. A couple of local guys showed up with their kids who had a blast boogie boarding, tubing, paddling and getting rolling lessons from dad.
One lucky girl's father buddy-surfed with her in her kayak in The Gobbler. It was wonderful to be surrounded by that many smiles and witness adults having as much fun as the kids.
Boogie board surfing.
I've met a bunch of new friends at Elkader: some who routinely make the 1.5 hr drive from Cedar Rapids, some local beginners, some locals experts coaching the beginners and introducing their children to the fun of moving water.
Elkader built a beautifully engineered, safe, simple feature that draws me in from 5 hours away and makes me want to return again and again and again.
Kudos to Elkader!
Sioux Falls? Lets help make a whitewater park happen here!
Sunday August 24, 2014 SDCKA had a cruise down the Big Sioux River. Since it was a beautiful 85 degree day with low humidity I decided to join. 19 paddlers gathered at our first canoe ramp in Sioux Falls South Dakota, corner of 57th street and Western Avenue at 1 pm. We shuttled some vehicles down to Kilian Community College downtown. It was a great trip with great people. Below are some pictures. I would say the trip tool about 3.5 hours with shuttling and ending downtown. Everyone was kayaking and having fun. One person fell out of there kayak but they stated "we were messing around!"
Sioux Falls Whitewater Park organization is hosting their first river clean up. It will be on the Big Sioux River at Lien Park Sioux Falls South Dakota. Lien Park is located northeast of Falls Park right off of Cliff Avenue. Since this is our first river clean up we will just be cleaning a small section of the river from upstream of Cliff down to the end of the park. We hope to get individuals to clean up the shore line by foot, on the river by kayak or canoe, or walking the shallow parts of the river and river bank. Plan to get dirty while cleaning this section.
The reason we picked this section of the river is to show people the potential future site of the whitewater park and this section is used by many paddlers going down the Big Sioux.
It will be Tuesday September 16 at 5:30-7:30 if it even takes that long.
Please join us and tell people to come out and help.
Bracing the paddle against the water to stay upright and rolling back up if the brace fails.
A roll (a.k.a. Eskimo roll) is essentially a brace done after the boat
has flipped.
Boat first. Head last.
What is the secret of rolling and bracing?
Snapping the boat right side up first, before the head comes up.
It
sounds simple, but our bodies instinctively try to get our head upright
first. So many things in kayaking seem upside down and backwards, or
counterintuitive-- rolling is a classic example.
Try this: Start tipping yourself over to the right
while sitting on your couch. How do you get yourself back upright? If
you're like most people, you'll push down with your right leg. But if you tip to the right in a kayak on water and you make that same corrective movement, what is going to happen?
Yep, you'll tilt the boat even farther to the right. Staying upright in
a kayak often requires us to do the opposite of what we instinctively
want to do.
So the key to learning how to brace and roll is training your mind that the boat
has to be flipped up first and only after the boat is righted can you
bring your head and shoulders back over the boat. The head must learn
to love being first-in and last-out of the water.
Watch this video clip and decide which knee pulls
the boat upright after I fall to my right. (The hip snap = cranking the
knee+thigh UP into a thigh pad to pull that side of the boat UP)
The boat comes up first, from a strong hip snap. We call it a hip snap, but you can think of it as pulling the thigh up. (This is an extremely late high
brace or a roll and the right knee is cranking up to upright the boat).
Rolling and bracing are mostly mental skills plus a good hip snap. The paddle plays only a supporting role, so they are skills of finesse
not strength.
Watch my right hand stay above water in the next video clip.
There is barely any force applied to the paddle. The paddle is a gentle
brace. The force of the roll comes from the hip snap.
I've
been quite surprised at how learning new kayaking techniques has tested
both my mental and physical flexibility-- this journey into whitewater
kayaking has been a workout for both the brain and body!
More later, from the Elkader, IA WhiteWater Park-- the Turkey River Gobbler,
Installation 1--by Helen Hello folks! Someone asked if I might write up some of my beginner whitewater paddling adventures, so I thought I'd start with a story about my journey into whitewater paddling.
Becoming a whitewater paddler was not really a goal of mine. Perhaps I got tricked into it. Maybe it was fate, or possibly a logical, necessary next step for an avid recreational kayaker, but for a 50+ year old lady? Who am I kidding? I must have been tricked.
It all started innocently enough, on a sunny warm vacation day, on a beautiful, easy class II section of the incredible Wolf River in Wisconsin-- in what they call a boulder garden. A boulder garden is exactly like it sounds-- lots of rocks, seemingly planted in the river, that a paddler must either navigate around, smash into and/or bounce off of. I navigated (mostly), had a blast, loved the clear water and scenery, but realized I didn't really have any real river running skills. It dawned on me, then and there, that after 14 years of kayaking, a lesson would probably keep me safer as I explored new rivers.
So I went online, found the Wausau Whitewater Park in WI, and signed up for a class. The Wausau park is amazing and on the weekends when water is released from a dam into the course, it is always filled with talented boaters. Lots of students and a bunch of instructors showed up for the classes, but much to my dismay, after 14 years of kayaking I found out I was a beginner. I had never even tried to roll and without a roll, one is a liability in rapids. Without a roll, if your sit-inside kayak flips, you have to hang onto the paddle, try to swim the boat to the shore, and dump out the water before you can climb back in and rejoin your group. It usually takes a partner to help you swim the boat to shore on a river powerful enough to dump you in the first place. So I stayed with the beginners that day, below the course, working with the currents coming out of the whitewater park.
Good kayaking classes are small-- typically one instructor for 4-5 students, so we got some great attention. We were taught many skills: -- How to wet exit a kayak while wearing a neoprene spray skirt (pull the the skirt off the boat and fall out with skill :-) --The J-lean that allows the boat to tilt without unbalancing the paddler. That tilt allows one to carve turns and it is also used to prevent the current from catching the side of the boat and flipping it over. -- The low and high braces, skills that take a bit of practice before they become an effective, instinctively performed action to prevent the boat from flipping over. -- The hip snap, a key element of a kayak roll and braces. -- An intro to the roll, but without a nose plug and goggles, I was an uncomfortable, nervous wreck under water. -- How to ferry from one side of the river to the other, facing upstream right below a rapid. -- How to enter and exit the eddy current next to a rapid (eddy turn and peel out), using the edge, lean, and a couple of new paddle strokes.
At the end of the day, I was mentally and physically exhausted- what a work out that was! I was also very disappointed that we had spent almost the entire day facing upstream and I had never even entered the whitewater course to run the features. I hadn't learned what I had gone there to learn, and the skills I had been taught would take more time and practice for me to master, so lacking an inner tube and permission, I still wasn't ready to get on the course the next day. (Whitewater parks are a blast for tubing and foam boogy boards but Wausau caters to paddlers, exclusively.)
It wasn't until two months later, as I watched my friend almost get flipped while crossing an eddy line next to a wing dike on the Missouri River, that I realized that the techniques and insights I learned in the class were very valuable and would prevent many potential flips on the Mighty Muddy MO River and any other river I paddled. With a new sense of purpose, I found my swim goggles, bought a nose plug, and practiced calming my mind while upside down in the kayak. I was bound and determined to learn that roll and master the skills to which I had been introduced.
