Sioux Falls Whitewater Park name changed to Sioux Empire Paddlers

Hello All,

Our organization Sioux Empire Paddlers formerly known as Sioux Falls Whitewater Park has gone through a few changes. Our main focus is still on the whitewater park but we also provide paddling classes and membership outings/events.

We have changed our name to Sioux Empire Paddlers so we can cover the Sioux Falls South Dakota and surrounding towns for paddlers. We want to focus on all paddling not just whitewater paddling. We want our members to be paddlers from all different paddling genres. 

The biggest reason for the name change was our Kayaking for Kids Program. We were receiving a lot of feedback from parents that didn’t want their kids learning in whitewater (which was not the case). To increase our Kayaking for Kids Program we wanted a name to attract everyone in the community.

Our board first voted on changing our name change and picked from several other name ideas. Once the name was picked, we reached out to our members for a majority vote. Obviously the majority vote was received.

If you have any questions about the changes please let us know but we are trying to make the transition smooth as possible.

Our new blog can be seen here: http://siouxempirepaddlers.blogspot.com

We will also announce when our new website will be live at www.siouxempirepaddlers.org. We hope the new site will have a more professional look give better updates on classes and updates on the whitewater park.

Want to become a member? You can visit our website to become a member -http://siouxempirepaddlers.org/membership/

Want to help donate funds for the whitewater park simply by purchasing on Amazon? Go to our web pagehttps://www.siouxempirepaddlers.org, select any Amazon banner, start shopping, and checkout. Amazon will give a percentage of the sale to our organization with any purchase made on Amazon through our website!

Sioux Falls Whitewater Park 2016 Raffle Results

Our 2016 is complete. We would like to thank everyone that helped us get one step closer to getting a whitewater park in Sioux Falls.

Winners of the four prizes are:

12 Foot Native Watercraft donated by SunNFun was Dan B.

9 Foot Jackson Rouge was Dale H.

50 inch LED TV was Brad S.

Patagonia Blackhole 45 Liter Duffel Bag donated by The Great Outdoor Store was Cody J.

You can continue to help our group out by making purchases on Amazon through our website. You can go to our website Sioux Empire Paddlers and select any Amazon banner ad to bring you to the Amazon site. Anything purchased within 24 hours of selecting this banner our group will get a percentage donated to our group.

You can also become members of our group. We do winter pool sessions, different events, and paddles around the area. You can become a member contacting us at EMAIL or going online at Sioux Empire Paddlers.

Thank you again for your support.

Membership Giveaway 2016 Results

We want to thank everyone for all your support lately. The membership giveaway is just one of the many things we want to do for our followers and members. We hope to make this a great year for members and hope for quite a few events this year.

We also want to let everyone know you can still get raffle tickets to win some prizes if you didn't win anything with the Membership Giveaway! Proceeds for the raffle will help make the whitewater park dream come true!!

 

BUY RAFFLE TICKETS HERE

Now for the results of the Membership Giveaway. For the drawing we labeled the five prizes with numbers and I had my 3 year old son pick a number for the prize and then drew a name for the winner of that prize.

Winner for the Blueant Endure Bluetooth Earpiece - Joseph R.

Winner for the UP by Jawbone Black - Jarett B.

Winner for the UP by Jawbone Blue - Mary F.

Winner for the Grand Trunk Double Parachute Nylon Hammock (donated by the Great Outdoor Store) - Andrea F.

Winner for the GoPro Hero - Peter L.

Congrats everyone. Below is the picture of the prizes.

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Whitewater Park UPDATE Conceptual Design North Falls Park Sioux Falls

We are proud to announce another task has been completed for Phase II. We currently had a conceptual design completed. This design is a visual piece of information to show you what the possibilities are for a whitewater park in Sioux Falls at North Falls Park.

Lets start at the beginning of the course which is on the bottom of the design since the Big Sioux River is actually flowing north in this section.

The first feature is where the current low head dam is. Instead of spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to remove this low head dam we are able to modify this section to put in a low flow wave. This wave will replace the dangerous low head dam into a low flow play wave. It will be available to tube and surf. It is for low flows so it can be used for most of the warm season. It will also be a great surfing wave at high flows with possibility of loops and cartwheels. So grab your tube, boogie board, stand up paddle board, kayak, wake board, or kayak and have fun on this feature.

The second and longest feature will be the slalom/rock garden sections. There is a perfect gradual slope to had boulders and boulder wings to provide perfect eddies and small slalom course. This will be a fun section of rapids to go through with your tube. If you are a new paddler, this is a great place for beginners. there will be eddies to hop throughout this whole area. Beginners will be able to use this spot to get used to faster flowing water and build paddling skills with many options to stop in eddies to rest or recoup. This section can be used for classes, soap box races and beginners. With high flows it will fill up more of the river right section which has natural rock ledges to make it fun for the more intermediate paddlers on the right side of the river.

The third and last feature is what will put us on the map for whitewater in the area. When we have low flow at the end of summer and fall we will have a great wave to still use on the right side of this section. It will be engineered for the low flows. When the water is higher in spring and we receive rain the left section will turn into a wave for high flows. This section will be for the more advanced paddlers to surf and plow through some great whitewater.

Throughout the course there sections for prospectors to sit and watch the water or river users. These spots will make a great area to sit and relax with friends and family.

Our hope is to extend Falls Park beauty farther north and also follow the River Greenway Project that have been completed up stream.  This park not only will be fun to use but it will add to the natural beauty of Falls Park and Sioux Falls. There will be more to do in the area and it will be free to use and view.

Here is a little design to show you what we have been writing about.

WE STILL NEED YOUR HELP FOR MORE STUDIES AND DESIGNING:

We are currently hosting a raffle to win some great prizes. Funds will be put towards making this a reality.

The raffle will be completed 03-13-16.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP OUT

Do you shop on Amazon? Well you can help us make money simply by shopping on Amazon and using our website to direct you there. Simply go to our WEBSITE click on an Amazon banner and start shopping. In return we collect a percentage of your sale, no cost to you!! 

How easy is that to help make this park happen.

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Conceptual Design

Downstream Wave Feature

Education / Circulation Signage

Low Flow Wave Feature

Recreational Whitewater Wave

Slabstone Terrace River Access

Slalom Course/ Eddy Boulders

Upstream Low Flow Feature and Eddy Boulders

Soft Trail River Access

Sioux Falls Whitewater Park 2016

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Its that time of year again when our group decides to raise funds for the whitewater park. Last July we had River Restoration from Carbondale Colorado come up and provide us with a feasibility study for a whitewater park. Information from the feasibility study helped us make the decision where to pursue the possibility of a whitewater park in Sioux Falls. Sioux Falls Whitewater Park Board Member and Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation decided this location would be the best opportunity for further study. So now we are raising funds for more engineering studies.

Raffle begins 01/09/2016 and ends 03/13/2016

Drawing will be held at our booth at the Sioux Empire Sportsman Show at 4:30PM

Cost of Raffle Tickets:

1 for $3.00

2 for $5.00

5 for $10.00

12 for $20.00

Prizes:

12 foot Native Badfish Fishing Kayak

9 foot Jackson Rouge (Cross over kayak)

50 Inch LED Flat Screen TV

Patagonia water resistant duffel bag

At 4:30PM March 13, 2016 at The Sioux Empire Sportsmen Show we will draw four winning tickets. These winners will chose their prize in the order they were drawn.  (Example: first drawn ticket will be able to choose one of the four available prizes. Second ticket drawn will be able to choose one of the three remaining prizes and so on....

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Good Luck and Thank You for Supporting the Sioux Falls Whitewater Park

Our 2016 Raffle Sponsors!!

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Become a member!!

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