Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Pool Session 2016

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We have five pool sessions scheduled for the 2015/2016 winter season.

Dates:
Saturday, February 6, 2016, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
February 27, 2016, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
March 19, 2016, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
April 9, 2016, 6:00pm - 8:00pm
April 23, 2016, 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Location:

Sioux Falls Embe Downtown, 300 W. 11th St. Sioux Falls, SD 57104

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Skills to practice:

Strokes, draws, sweeps, wet exits, rescues, rolling, bracing, edging, and anything else you want to try in regards to paddling.

 Cost:
 Free for Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Members
 $10.00 pre-sale for nonmembers Sioux Falls Whitewater Park
 $15.00 at the door for nonmembers of Sioux Falls Whitewater Park
 (no refunds <30 days from event)

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Memberships and Giveaways

Become a member here

 

Here is an opportunity that you wont be able to resist.

Since its the holiday season we want to treat our members with some great giveaways. For anyone that becomes a member of Sioux Empire Paddlers or renews their membership, we will put you in a drawing for the following prizes. The giveaway will start 12/01/2015 and end 02/15/2015. If you are an existing member you can renew your membership and we will extend your anniversary date a year.

Prizes for membership drawing:

First member randomly drawn - GoPro Hero
Second member drawn - Grand Trunk Double Parachute Nylon Hammock (donated by Great Outdoor Store)
Third member drawn - Black Jawbone Up (large)
Fourth member drawn -  Blue Jawbone Up (large)
Fifth member drawn - BlueAnt Endure Bluetooth Earpiece

Become a member here

On top of these great giveaways, all members do receive the regular member perks:

1. FREE SFWP t-shirt (1 shirt for 1 and 2 year memberships – 2 shirts for family memberships)
2. Free SFWP decal
3. Free Pool sessions hosted by SFWP (five pool sessions scheduled for 2016)
4. Planned trips to whitewater destinations
5. Discounts on ACA memberships and other discounts through our ACA Paddle America Club Membership
6. Option to nominate yourself or someone else to be on our board of directors
7. Option to vote for board of directors\
8. Being a part of getting a whitewater park in Sioux Falls South Dakota
9. Opportunities to teach paddling classes with compensation

Become a member here

Help Complete Phase II for the Whitewater Park in Sioux Falls

As some of you know, our organization is currently working on Phase II of the whitewater park in Sioux Falls. We have a few plans to get Phase II completed but we need our supporters help. One of the best ways for you to help is to go through our siouxfallswhitewaterpark@hotmail.com. website when making online purchases for the holiday season. There is no cost to you and you shop at your normal stores websites. You just need to go to http://siouxempirepaddlers.org/advertisers/ click the banner of the website you want to shop, make a purchase and we get a donation. I know it is a couple more steps to do your online shopping but you will also be donating to make the whitewater park possible. We ran some numbers and we figured if roughly each person that likes our page (supporters of the whitewater park) made a small $35.00 purchase online five times a year we would have Phase II complete!  To the average online shopper $175.00 a year online is not hard to do. This may seem impossible but if supporters tell friends and family to purchase more than $35.00 ($175.00 a year) online, we can make this goal! Help spread this information to everyone you know. We would rather do it this way than wait several years for cash donations from our supporters!

If you have questions or ideas to make this easier for our supporters please let us know at info@siouxempirepaddlers.org.

100% of donation profits go to Sioux Falls Whitewater Park 501(c)3 organization!

Stores we get a donation from when you select their banner on our website and make a purchase:

Amazon

eBay

Cabela’s

NRS

Sierra Trading Post

REI

EVO

Marine Products

Backcountry

Colorado Kayak Supply

Yeti

LifeProof

Thank you for your support in advance!

Quick link to Amazon below!

SFWP Sponsored ACA Kayak Instructor Certification Workshop

Sioux Falls Whitewater Park is proud to announce our first ACA L2 Essentials of River Kayaking Instructor Certification Workshop.

With this class you can obtain certification to become an ACA instructor.  Being a certified instructor gives you the benefits of spreading your knowledge of paddling to others. You can conduct classes through SFWP kayaking for kids program, other SFWP kayaking classes or teach on your own.

Please remember you need to be a current ACA member at the time of this class. SFWP is an ACA PAC member so if you are a member of SFWP you can get a discount on this years ACA membership!

If you have questions please "email us"

****2016 Instructor Class****

American Canoe Association
L2 Essentials of River Kayaking Instructor Certification Workshop
$315 per person, includes ACA Instructor Manual
May 20-22, 2016 9-5pm each day

The ACA Instructor Certification Workshop will be focused on a moving water environment up to Class I. Instructor Candidates need to come with a strong paddlesports background, meet the Instructor Eligibility Requirements set by the ACA Safety Education & Instruction Council and be current ACA members.

The Instructor Eligibility Criteria can be found here: 

ACA Instructors teach paddling skills in approved ACA course curriculum after qualifying in various disciplines and at various levels, can teach both skills courses and assessment courses up to their level of certification and are expected to represent and promote the ACA and paddlesports in a positive manner.  Successful ACA Instructors possess a high level of personal paddling skills, understanding of education & learning styles and investment in creating a culture of safety.

Refunds: 100% >30 days, 50% 15-30 days, and 0% <15 days.

**To register for the class please visit our website or click here.

Update: Helping Sioux Falls Whitewater Park by Shopping

Hello,

We have a few updated places you can shop and donate to our organization at the same time.

Simply select any of the links/tabs below to shop at those stores. We will get a percentage for our nonprofit on all your purchases. You can shop for your items and donate at the same time, no extra cost to you.

 

EBay

Thank you for Shopping through these links and helping make a whitewater park happen!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE TO SHOP THROUGH AMAZON

Grant Awarded for Kayaking for Kids

Sioux Falls Whitewater Park is proud to announce the acceptance of a grant from the Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation for our Kayaking for Kids Program. With this grant money we will be able to get gear for children. We want to get our youth outdoors and paddling. No longer will our youth have to manage an over sized boat or a paddle to long for them. We can provide appropriate sizes life jackets. Our classes will be based off of ACA standards and taught by certified ACA instructors. We hope to provide our youth you skills for paddling and safety!

Thank you again Sioux Falls Area Community Foundation!

We are still trying to raise some more fund for safety equipment. You can help us out by making a donation on our Gofundme page.
https://www.gofundme.com/Kayakingforkids

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Kayaking and Paddling With Your Cell Phone

Today we are going to go over an item I like to bring kayaking with me, my phone. Well as most of you paddlers know water and electronics don’t go very well together. That is why I use the LifeProof Fre Case for my IPhone 6.

I bring my phone everywhere I go. Just in case of emergency or I want to snap a quick picture of my surroundings. I think everyone has gotten their phone wet at least once. To prevent water damage I use a Lifeproof Case for my phone. I like this case because it doesn’t make my IPhone bulky and I have never had it leak. I also like that you can add a lifejacket to it so if it slips out of you hand, it will float! The case also doesn’t affect my picture quality which is really nice when you are viewing beautiful scenery and want to share it with friends.

You may think it’s costly for a phone cover. But I have dropped this thing in places I don’t want to mention and dropped my phone on rocks, asphalt, and cement (manual says it has a drop height of 6.6 feet). Never had any leaks or damage to my phone as of yet.

Here is some detail about the LifeProof Fre Case for IPhone 6. (Sizes are going to be different depending on what phone you have).

Colors:

White (pictured), Pink, Blue, Camo, Red, and Purple.

Dimensions (inches): 5.84" x 3" x 0.44"

Weight: 1.23oz

Pictures included are from my case I use heavily. You can see a little discoloring on the back side but no big scrapes or gauges from several 4 foot falls.

I recommend this LifeProof Case Fre to anyone that enjoys the outdoors and paddling. Have fun paddling at get those amazing pictures without worrying about getting your phone wet.

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2016 Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Board Members

It’s that time of year again! We are looking for board members for Sioux Falls Whitewater Park nonprofit organization. Please email info@siouxempirepaddlers.org to nominate yourself or someone you know. 　

Would you like to help with fundraising ideas, help plan regular paddling trips, get involved with the whitewater park program, get involved with our kayaking for kids program, or just want to be part of a great new organization? If you have questions or want to nominate yourself please email us at info@siouxempirepaddlers.org. Members will vote on Board Members in January.

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Help donate to our organization simply by shopping from any of the banner links included in this post!
EBay Link

Shop Cabelas.com to Help Support our Sioux Falls Kayak Group

We have more great news. Now you can help donate to our Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Nonprofit Organization by shopping at Cabelas.com. You can get all your outdoor gear at this site and donation to our organization at the same time.

Just select our links through our website or blog and you can start helping us.

Thank you again for help out the Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Nonprofit Organization.

Save this link in your favorites for each time you shop Cabela's online.

http://cabelas.7eer.net/c/185801/185932/2623

Sponsorship for Sioux Falls Whitewater Park

Want to be part of something great, need a tax write off, or just want to support more greenway projects in Sioux Falls South Dakota?

Your chance is now! Sioux Falls Whitewater Park is a nonprofit organization looking for businesses and clubs to sponsor our cause.  We are looking for cash donation of $250.00 to help our organization. Donations will be put towards our Whitewater Park Program, Kayaking for Kids Program, river stewardship and general purpose of the club.

If you are a person, business, or organization that want to help the Sioux Falls community, please consider being our sponsor for only $250.00.

What do you get out of being a sponsor?

We will put your logo on one order of membership t-shirts, post your sponsorship on our blog (www.siouxfallspaddler.blogspot.com), post your sponsorship on our website (www.siouxfallswhitewaterpark.org), drop sponsorship post on our social media (Facebook, twitter, and Google+ “over 3600 followers”) and we will get you an official sponsorship letter for your tax write off.

Please email us atinfo@siouxempirepaddlers.org or you can call for a meeting or discuss our sponsorship request at 605-759-5665.

Thank you.

NRS Split Stern Floatation Bags / Kayak Floatation

Today I want to talk about kayak floatation and the NRS Split Stern Floatation Bags. I have used these for years but recently picked up another pair for a kayak I have recently purchased. When I first started kayaking I would have never thought I would make a purchase for bags that fill up my stern or bow of my kayak. Now that I have them I don’t know what I would ever do without them. They are so worth it!

First of all let’s go over the float bag. I recently purchased the NRS Rodeo Split Stern Floatation Bags for my Liquid Logic Freeride 57 but have been using NRS Split Stern Floatation Bags in my Liquid Logic Stomper for years. Floatation bags cover the open space in your kayak with an air bladder. Why would you want to fill up open space? Well when you swim or take on water, those empty areas fill up with water fast. I am sure you all have had that moment when your kayak has filled up with water and you are in fast moving water or in the middle of the lake. Your kayak gets heavy with all that water. A bow/stern floatation bag fills up that area so less water fills up your kayak. This makes it easier to get to shore or flip your boat over and get back in your kayak. Floatation bags can bring down the weight of a flooded kayak by 1/3.  Now that doesn’t seem much but when you have can decrease the amount of water in your kayak by 150-200 pounds that could be very helpful. Some people also say it helps with floatation of the kayak so you sit higher on the water when you have some water your kayaker. I do not have an opinion on this part but I’m guessing it would help because of less weight in the boat and less chances of getting pinned.

These bags are easy to use. They are designed for kayaks so they look triangular. You just slide the deflated bag into the spot you want them. Once you are in position you can take the long air hose attached to each bag and open the valve. Fill until the bag is tight all around the inside of the kayak. You then turn the air hose valve off and you are ready to go. These are very easy to figure out. These NRS bags also come with little D clamps on each corner of the bag that you can use to secure the bags to your kayak if you feel like the water pressure will push them out of position.

Floatation isn’t just for whitewater boats either. NRS has single bow and stern floatation for your recreational boats too and I highly suggest using them on both your stern and bow. Recreation boats are pretty basic but adding these floats to both ends of the kayak will improve reentering your kayak when flooded with water for any reason.  Imagine you and a buddy our out in the middle of a huge lake and the wind picks up. You start to get water through your cockpit. You try to make it to shore as fast as possible but the water keeps you weighing you down and it’s hard to move a 500 pounds of water. You eventually flip and you now start to perform a T rescue. With floatation the t rescue will be easier to let water out and get in your boat to get to safety. Floatation in this situation would make your boat less heavy and wobbly so you might make it to shore without completely flooding your kayak. Either way you need to get that water out of your kayak. Even by shore it’s hard to get a flooded kayak on shore to dump out the water. With floatation bags it will be easier to get to shore and dump out your water.  You may have a bulkhead in your recreational kayak, which is amazon and works in the same manner as a floatation bag. So if you have a bulkhead in the stern you would just need floatation in your bow.

Floatation bags can be a little higher priced but they are durable thick material that have lasted me over three years.  You can also get different sizes that will work with your boat. You may not be a whitewater kayaker or just a weekend warrior on those local rivers and lakes. Either way a floatation bag would help you out in those weird situations when you get water in the boat. And I have never met a veteran paddler that hasn’t been in a situation where floatation bags would come in handy.

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Sioux Falls Whitewater Park River Clean up Rotary Park 9-21-15

Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Nonprofit Organization had a beautiful day to clean up the Big Sioux River yesterday 9-21-15. A group of seven began at 6:00 pm in Rotary Park Sioux Falls SD (corner of Southeastern Avenue and 26^Th Street). We kayaked up The Big Sioux River cleaning up the banks and trees of trash. We paddled up about 1.11 river miles to the Pasley Park bike trail bridge and worked our way back to Rotary Park. We got a good amount of trash but we believe the 8-27-15 big rains may have washed most of the trash downstream. On the west side of the river we followed Leif Ericson Day Camp and on the east side followed the Sioux Falls bike trail. We were lucky with high 70’s and the wind died down by the time we got on the water. The mosquitos were a little bad but nothing we couldn’t handle. We had a great time cleaning up and ended the clean up right before dusk. We hope this encourages more people to volunteer to help clean our rivers. Many of use this water way and we need to keep it clean for our future paddlers and adventures.

Might have a start at our river trash Halloween costume!

 

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Donations to help Sioux Falls Kayaking by Shopping at Backcountry.com

We have more great news.  Now you can help donate to our Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Nonprofit Organization by shopping at Backcountry.com. You can get all your outdoor gear at this site along with tons of great deals on paddling equipment.

You can select the link below to start your shopping experience. You can even get Free 2-day shipping with purchases over $50.00!

Thank you again for help out the Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Nonprofit Organization.

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

Future Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Location

 Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Nonprofit Organization recently had a whitewater park feasibility study completed back in July 2015 by RiverRestoration. Out of five spots that were looked at three were a feasible location for a whitewater feature or park. We needed to choose between Rotary Park (26^th and southeastern), Lien Park (north Cliff Avenue) and Falls Park (North side of Falls Park). Our feasibility study showed pros and cons of each site so our board sat down and went over all the pros and cons and made a decision on the location.

　

Our decision was based on a several items. We went over the feasibility study which went over roughly 18 categories, SFWP supporters opinions, club members opinions, and Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation opinions.

Going over all the opinions and the discussion with our board of directors we have chosen Falls Park north for the following reasons:

Existing parking

Possible Dam Removal

Existing bathrooms/changing rooms

Along bike trail

Bank rehabilitation needed

Possibly dam removal – depending on design

Not a normal kayaking route

In downtown Sioux Falls

More than 550 feet in distance to work with (more drops/waves and features)

Existing rapids

Enough elevation drop to offer more than one drop (other location would just be one drop/wave/feature

Possibility for two play waves and a slalom course/rock garden

Highest scoring from the feasibility study and best suggested site

Highest votes from club members and supporters

Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation are willing to explore this area further with very little concerns compared to the other locations.

Our Official Website

Bank Erosion

Falls Park at this point is the best location for these reasons. In the map below you can see the area the park might cover.

Now that we have picked a site location we have a lot of work ahead of us. We are currently working on Phase II and III of the project. With supporters help we can get this done in a timely fashion. Most of the work is detailed in fundraising. We are planning to talk to more local business and companies but we also need the help from our individual supporters and community. Phases of the project


Bank Erosion

You as an individual can help donate to our phases simply by purchases items through our links below.

You can shop Amazon and eBay right now with the hopes of being able to shop Austin Kayaks, Under Armor, Columbia, Backcountry, and Colorado Kayak Supply.

Below are the links available, just click on the link and save as your favorites so you can purchase through our links and donate each time you make a purchase on these sites. No extra cost for you the purchaser.

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=siofalwhipar-20&linkId=XMR7GIXOBVHWKYSO

EBay:

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=1&pub=5575136725&toolid=10001&campid=5337738907&customid=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg

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Existing Rapids

Existing Rapids

Kayaked Split Rock Creek T-Shirts

Kayaked Split Rock Creek T-shirts (Pre-order)

Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Nonprofit Organization is selling t-shirts to raise funds for their organization. 100% of profits from sales will go to the organization.

We are now taking pre-orders for shirts so make sure you get one in your size. We don't know who all wants them, so pre-order them so we can keep this low cost. Otherwise, we would need to raise the price up $5.00 or so.

Order below from sizes S, M, L, and XL (XXL will only be available for pre-orders)

Or you can EMAIL us at siouxfallswhitewaterpark@hotmail.com to meet up with one of us and save us on PayPal fees.

Thank you for your pre-order and we hope to get them out asap! We will keep you updated on our Facebook Group Page "Sioux Falls Whitewater Paddlers Group" when shirts are available!

Don't forget to like us on Facebook Sioux Falls Whitewater Park!

AND REMEMBER: you can help get our organization donations simply by making purchases on Amazon or eBay. Here are the links below for both sites. You can save the links in your favorites to do all your shopping throughout the year or you can make purchases on our website for Sioux Falls Whitewater Park!

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/ref=as_li_ss_tl?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&linkCode=ur2&tag=siofalwhipar-20&linkId=XMR7GIXOBVHWKYSO

eBay:

http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?icep_ff3=1&pub=5575136725&toolid=10001&campid=5337738907&customid=&ipn=psmain&icep_vectorid=229466&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg

VISIT OUR WEBSITE