Children learn skills in safety of indoor pool
SLIPPERY ROCK — For many kayakers, winter weather doesn't stop the paddles from hitting the water.
Although January offered temperatures high enough to lure some avid boaters outdoors, others honed their skills at the indoor pool at Slippery Rock University.
Offering regular roll clinics for adult kayakers, SRU's Outdoor Adventures program also hosts occasional clinics for children.
Poised recently in brightly colored boats in the pool at the Abersold Student Recreation Center, 18 youths learned paddling techniques that included how to "wet exit," or push themselves out of the cockpit and to the water's surface after the boats had capsized.
When asked if the capsizing frightened them, most answers echoed the "Not really," response of Emily Green, 9, of Grove City, who attended the clinic along with her 6-year-old sister, Tori.
"If you need air, you can get into the seat part," Emily said of the pocket of air in an upturned boat's cockpit.
Emily was also among youths who volunteered for an exercise in which instructors flipped the kayaks and righted them while paddlers remained inside.
That exercise offered a glimpse of the rolling sensation experienced underwater when veteran kayakers use their paddles to right a boat that has accidentally capsized.
"I want to find (a boat) that's my size so when they roll me I don't flip out," Emily added.
Although many parents prefer the safety of a controlled environment, many of the youths also apply the techniques outdoors.
"(My husband and I) both kayak, and the kids have actually been out on the river," said Candy France of Connoquenessing, whose sons Austin, 8, and Zachery, 10, attended the workshop.
Candy's interest in kayaking prompted her husband, Matt, and their children to explore the sport by joining the Three Rivers Paddling Club last year. The club includes about 300 members from the tri-state area.
Although kayaking appears to rely on upper-body strength, Candy noted technique plays more of a role than strength, allowing children to successfully participate.
"Women have a far easier time than men," added Gary McCormick of Pittsburgh, president of the club, which includes white-water kayaking, as well as boating on flat water.
"Women have better balance, better technique. It's not a professional study that we've done. It's just something that we've noticed," he said.
The Frances said the group outings provide a sense of security for novices or families with children, since club members rally around when a need for help is perceived.
"We've had the kids wet exit in the river, and you just get swarmed by people coming to help," Matt France said.
McCormick said the membership of 300, or 180 households, has included many children — with members ranging from 4 to more than 70 years old.
Events hosted by the club or by SRU allow the public to explore kayaking without investing in equipment right away, he said.
Although white-water kayaking can be a dangerous pastime in which people are injured or killed, McCormick said club members are cautioned to engage in skill-appropriate activities and are provided information on where to get professional instruction.
"When I run a trip, I'll note who are the newcomers. What are their levels of proficiency? If I even think they aren't capable of doing a section of water … I will not take them," he said.
"We've got kids as young as 10 and 11, they're gong over the waterfalls, but they're good enough to do it. There are kids out there who are 8 and 9 that are paddling as well as I am," he said.
Multiple outings are held every weekend between March and November, he said.To help newcomers get a taste of kayaking, Three Rivers organizes weekend outdoor training events in early and later summer.The group also hosts pool sessions like those held weekly at SRU.Along with SRU's roll clinics and children's classes, kayaking adventure weekends are also offered through SRU."We have everything except their swimsuits," said Steve Roberts, coordinator of the university's outdoor adventures program.Roberts said interest in kayaking spiked when the recreation center pool was built in 1999. Although a sizeable boating community exists on campus, members of the public also participate.For more information on kayaking and other outdoor adventure opportunities at SRU, call 724-738-2883 or e-mail steven.roberts@sru.edu.For information on the Three Rivers Paddling Club, go to www.threerivers.org.
