Teen and Youth Paddling Clinics
| River: | Other |
| Skill: | All |
| Trip Date: | 06/09/2012 |
On the second weekend in June, 19 youth and teen paddlers descended on Bryson City for a paddling clinic held by the Foothills Paddling Club and Carolina Canoe Club. The students ranged in age from 7 to 18, with almost every age in-between. Skill levels ranged from, “what’s an eddy?” to “why aren’t we on the Ocoee?” The students were divided into three groups – beginner, novice, and intermediate, with 2 instructors for each group.
On Saturday the beginner group worked on skills on the lake at Timberlake Campground. The novice group started at Fontana Lake and then moved to the Town Tuck. The intermediate group headed to the Nantahala. Saturday evening found a lot of tired adults at the campground but somehow most of the youth and teens still had lots of energy to play games and have fun.
Sunday morning started with a bit of rain that had a few folks calling it a weekend early. For those that decided to tough it out, the beginners headed to the Town Tuck. The novices headed to the Tuck Gorge, and the intermediate group once again headed to the Nantahala. The weather quickly cleared, and the remainder of the day was beautiful.
I can't speak for all the groups but the intermediate group really pushed the Nantahala for all it was worth. Lots of time was spent running alternate lines, playing, catching small eddies, boofing rocks, and making difficult ferries. The students took turns leading the group and practicing boat scouting. Shore scouting was practiced on the first day at Patton's Run and on the second day at Nantahala Falls. Surfing, stern squirts, pop-ups, 360 spins, and lots of other fun play moves were tried everywhere from small waves to the Freestyle Wave at NOC.
I would like to thank Jeff Dennie, David Evans, Kurt McKissick, Ron Miller, and Greg Runyon for agreeing to teach these clinics. Each of these instructors put a lot of thought and time into helping their students improve as paddlers. I would also like to thank the parents for involving their children in an activity that gets their kids outside and active. I certainly enjoyed these clinics and hope we make it an annual part of the program for both clubs.