For those interested in learning to paddle whitewater, or just want to brush up your skills, the annual RICKA Basic Whitewater Course will be held on Sat June 23 and Sun June 24.
The course will be taught by ACA certified whitewater instructor Mike Rock. The price of the course is $50 for qualified RICKA and ACA members. If you are not an ACA member, there will be a one-time $5 event membership fee.
In this course, participants will learn and refine the techniques needed to paddle in class II whitewater. After a review of the basic strokes on flatwater, we will head to the river to work on eddy turns, peel-outs and ferries. We will also cover river reading and basic river safety. The class will be held on the Deerfield River in western MA.
While this is a beginner whitewater course, it is not for novice paddlers. You must be able to handle self rescues (wet exits) and already know the basic strokes. The course is designed for students who are new to whitewater paddling, but that have some previous general paddling experience. Previous moving water experience is a plus.
Please visit http://www.woonsocket.org/wwschool.html for more info and to register for the course. Please note that payment details via PayPal or by check will be posted to this site shortly.
If you have any general questions or are wondering if this course is right for you, please do not hesitate to contact me. Email link is above.
Also, please contact me if you are interested in the class but do not have your own whitewater boat, paddle, etc. I would like to give everyone who is interested a chance to participate in this class.
While I can not guarantee that I can find you gear to borrow, I am more than willing to work with potential students in doing so. I have a full extra setup myself and have paddling friends who may be willing to lend gear as well.