Learn white water kayaking this winter at the Brooklyn Center community pool

November 4, 6:24 AMMinneapolis Outdoor Recreation ExaminerMarie Malinowski

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Pro paddler Nikki Kelly in Chile

Winter hasn’t officially started and May is six months away. Pool sessions, sponsored by Rapids Riders, take place every Sunday evening from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 pm. 

The pool sessions are a perfect opportunity to meet the Minnesota white water paddling community, become comfortable in a white water kayak (or canoe) and learn basic boat handling skills. The cost is $10.

Plus, it’s just fun to splash around in a big heated pool when it’s eleven degrees outside. The complete pool schedule isn’t posted yet, but, Rapids Riders offers a few structured pool sessions that focus on specific skills for beginners throughout the winter such as paddle strokes, rolling, safety rodeo, etc.

If you want to expand the skills that you learned over the winter, plan to attend Canoe U in May. It’s an excellent instruction course that spans two weekends and is geared for beginners (folks who have never been in a white water kayak/canoe) and intermediate paddlers (those who want to work on skills and learn new ones).

 In the book Hell or High Water, Peter Heller writes, “…a river is alive. It falls and jumps and leaps, never the same for a single instance. It sings in summer and roars in the spring.” Peter was talking about Tibet’s Tsangpo river—which probably isn’t on your short list of achievements. But if it is, you can begin your white water journey in a safe and controlled environment on Sunday nights at the Brooklyn Center pool.

If you go, you’ll need the following items:

• Kayak
• Paddle
• PFD
• Spray skirt
• Helmet
• $10

If you don’t have the above gear, you can rent it from Midwest Mountaineering.