Canoe U 2009 whitewater kayaking instruction begins May 16th

March 24, 6:23 AMMinneapolis Outdoor Recreation ExaminerMarie Malinowski

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Minneapolis Outdoor Recreation Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

What's the worst that can happen?

Whitewater kayaking is an esoteric discipline full of passionate intensity. Sponsored by Rapids Riders, Canoe U is the annual spring rite of instruction that merges the desire to learn to paddle whitewater with the necessary skills, support, and training. And it starts May 16th, so register now because class space is limited and they fill quick.

Classes, taught by volunteer ACA-certified whitewater instructors, are geared towards people who have never paddled a whitewater kayak or canoe (but want to learn) and those who have, but want a refresher course.

This year, Canoe U will be held the weekend of May 16 -17 at St. Croix State Park, Norway Point Group Camp, and May 30 – 31 at Robinson Park on the Kettle River in Sandstone. Classes build progressively, so plan to participate in all instruction days, including the pool session at the Brooklyn Center Community Pool. Date and time TBA but rumor has it that it could be May 3rd.

Previous whitewater experience is by no means a prerequisite for Canoe U, but attending the first pool session is. During this four-hour session, you will learn a few whitewater fundamentals in a class room situation before moving into the pool with your boat.

Now, onto something a little more philosophical. There is a phenomenon in the whitewater kayaking community known as “What’s the worst that can happen?”

This phrase, coined by my paddling buddy Mike J, is known and spoken of with reverence by everyone who has ever contemplated the consequences of a feature with a must-make move or else that spiteful hydraulic at the bottom will most certainly work you, invoke your wet exit reflex and send you on a long, cold, boulder-infested swim through Class IV rapids.

Incidentally, Mike J’s brain mercifully secretes megadoses of the neurochemical that blots out bad memories and erases carnage of years gone by from his mind. “What’s the worst that can happen” is that little piece of serendipity that makes you go for it. Thus, putting you back on a heavenly plane.

So go for Canoe U. What’s the worst that can happen?

E-mail training@rapidsriders.org for more information. Pictures from one of last year's classes below: