The program is aimed for students of all experience levels and aims to teach basic safety skills when kayaking.
Hopeful kayakers and simple joyriders are making a splash at the Ohio University Aquatic Center every Tuesday night.
Outdoor Pursuits offers a free kayak clinic on Tuesday nights from 9:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., in the Aquatic Center. Students can be admitted with an OU student ID.
Dan Sandberg, an instructor for the program, said anyone can attend the sessions regardless of past experience, or lack of it.
“These guys are all on totally different levels,” the graduate student studying in the campus recreation program, said. “The whole idea is that it’s come where you are and as you are, and it’s just about having fun in boats.”
While the sessions are two hours long, students are not required to stay for the full duration of the program and can receive individual attention based on what skills they wish to polish.
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“People can work on whatever they want to work on — improving their strokes, getting comfortable underwater, learning to roll their kayak, learning to improve at any level,” Sandberg said. “Or they can come and hang out with friends and play games.”
Alexandra Rhue, the graduate assistant of Outdoor Pursuits, said instructors will tailor their training based on where the students’ experience levels are.
“If you have never been in a kayak before, then we teach you the basic skills that are essential to kayaking safety,” the graduate student studying recreation and sports pedagogy said in an email. “This provides opportunities for practice so that students become aware of how a kayak operates, how it feels and how to manage rolls.”
Rhue said students with prior kayak experience will receive training that focuses on mobility and specific techniques. Proper kayak safety, Rhue said, is a crucial element of fully enjoying the sport.
“The goal of these clinics is to help educate people about what they need to know to explore lakes or waterways in a kayak,” she said.
On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the clinic focused on dealing with “rolls,” or scenarios in which the kayak overturns in the water.
Bryan Chamberlin, a sophomore studying outdoor recreation and education, said while he had prior experience with kayaks, the clinic dealing with rolling was beneficial.
“Sometimes it’s better not to fight it,” Chamberlin said, regarding the decision to stay with a roll instead of attempting to remain upright.
The students were given the option of using skirts, or a device that allows the rider to stay inside the seat without slipping out when the boat rolls over. The primary focus of the clinic was teaching students how to exit the boat after flipping, but a different exit strategy had to be taught when a skirt is attached.
The skirts were intended for the more serious kayakers, Sandberg said.
“If you’re just in here to goof around and play with friends you probably wouldn’t be wearing the skirt,” he said.
While some come to tone up their kayaking skills, there is no requirement for what students must participate in during the clinics.
“There are a lot of folks from previous weeks that are just interested in getting in a boat, paddling around, playing some kayak basketball — just playing some games and goofing around,” Sandberg said.
Sandberg said between six to 12 students generally attend the sessions, and each student will receive 15 to 20 minutes of individual attention concerning the topic of the clinic that day. However, prospective kayakers shouldn’t expect to be an expert after one session, Sandberg said.
“It’s a gradual process,” he said.
@seanthomaswolfe
