Sandy
UALR pool sessions??
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justanovice
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- Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:24 pm
- Name: Sandy
- Location: Sherwood
UALR pool sessions??
After renting kayaks for two years, we (myself and two kids) have just bought Liquid Logic Remix XP9s from OOO as our Christmas gifts. Don suggested the UALR pool sessions as a great place to start learning some paddling skills and eventually how to roll. Can anyone give me the information I need to get started? Like...what are the dates and times? necessary supplies? requirements? attire? and anything else that might be of help. I am ecstatic about this sport, but I want to make sure that I keep my kids safe and having fun (age 8 and 13). So far, we have the kayaks, sprayskirts, paddles, PFDs, and a little experience down the middle Buffalo, Ouachita Lake (Beginners Lesson), and Lake DeGray. Any advice is welcome and appreciated.
Sandy
Sandy
Sandy S.
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Cowper
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Re: UALR pool sessions??
Most of the information is covered here:
http://www.arkansascanoeclub.com/Defaul ... eId=490025" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Read that first and then come back to this post, or some of what I say will be out of context.
If you get a chance, pick up a copy of the DVD "The Kayak Roll" and watch that at least once. Don't try to memorize what it says or anything like that; just watch it as an intro. What you see and hear will make more sense later.
I see from your other posts that you'll probably be using a trailer to haul the boats. Sometimes the gate to the parking lot is "up", if that is true then you will have a large area to find parking in, close to the pool. If the gate is closed, it may take you longer to scout around and find a place with enough room to park it. Campus police have NOT given us any trouble about pulling over long enough to unload boats near the pool, the vehicle and trailer can then be moved to where ever you find enough room to park it, which might be a short walk back to the pool, but further than you would want to carry the boats.
necessary supplies? requirements? attire?
Required: A clean boat (wash it at the door), paddle, sprayskirt, swimsuit, nose clips (or diving mask)
Optional: Towel, sandals to wear in the shower, some folks wear their helmets or PFD's just to get the same "feel" they would have on the river. Some type of paddle wear to keep your upper torso warm is often beneficial; some nights the pool thermostat is set relatively low for an "indoor" pool.
Sessions will probably resume mid-January; look for Joe Tarver's posts on this message board to confirm. he usually posts a "reminder" and update of any cancellations about 24 hrs before the sessions. If you want to be 100% sure that there will be someone there to assist, then tag onto that thread and ask if others are coming to that week's session.
If you get there early or even right on time, you may be the first to arrive and the door to the outside may not yet be propped open. Usually the first person there goes around and comes in by the front desk, drags the water hose down to the door, and leaves it outside which serves to both keep the door open and provide the means to wash out the boats. Even if the boat is totally clean, please go through the motions of rinsing it off a little bit; otherwise we run the risk that any stuff found in the pool is assumed to have come from the "unwashed kayaks".
Sessions are highly informal; most folks have come to practice their own roll, but will happily give up 25 to 50% of their "practice" time to help someone else learn. (What goes around comes around.) Some folks are more shy than others about offering assistance, so if nobody says anything to you in the first 5 minutes, then just ask around if there is anyone who can help you or the kids out. Even if the person you happen to talk to first doesn't feel they are personally up to teaching others yet, they'll still probably know who is there that has been seen helping others in the past.
The XP-9 is a good boat choice; I say that first so what comes next won't sound like a criticism. It is an "adult sized" boat, designed with enough width for good stability. Unless your kids are pretty big, they may tend to slide around a bit when doing the motions required to roll the boat. If you have good hip pads to keep them from sliding side-to-side too much, it will really help them when they start trying to learn the roll. Forgive me if Jeremy or Don already talked you through all that, or, if that hasn't been covered yet, get them to help you with the outfitting if you live anywhere near Hot Springs.
One more note - we often go out to a local pizza place or Mexican joint to eat supper after the sessions. If you don't have to rush the kids home for homework, this is a good time to chat and pump others for information on boat outfitting, places to go, or whatever else you're wanting to ask questions about, and to just share some general comraderie with other boaters.
http://www.arkansascanoeclub.com/Defaul ... eId=490025" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Read that first and then come back to this post, or some of what I say will be out of context.
If you get a chance, pick up a copy of the DVD "The Kayak Roll" and watch that at least once. Don't try to memorize what it says or anything like that; just watch it as an intro. What you see and hear will make more sense later.
I see from your other posts that you'll probably be using a trailer to haul the boats. Sometimes the gate to the parking lot is "up", if that is true then you will have a large area to find parking in, close to the pool. If the gate is closed, it may take you longer to scout around and find a place with enough room to park it. Campus police have NOT given us any trouble about pulling over long enough to unload boats near the pool, the vehicle and trailer can then be moved to where ever you find enough room to park it, which might be a short walk back to the pool, but further than you would want to carry the boats.
necessary supplies? requirements? attire?
Required: A clean boat (wash it at the door), paddle, sprayskirt, swimsuit, nose clips (or diving mask)
Optional: Towel, sandals to wear in the shower, some folks wear their helmets or PFD's just to get the same "feel" they would have on the river. Some type of paddle wear to keep your upper torso warm is often beneficial; some nights the pool thermostat is set relatively low for an "indoor" pool.
Sessions will probably resume mid-January; look for Joe Tarver's posts on this message board to confirm. he usually posts a "reminder" and update of any cancellations about 24 hrs before the sessions. If you want to be 100% sure that there will be someone there to assist, then tag onto that thread and ask if others are coming to that week's session.
If you get there early or even right on time, you may be the first to arrive and the door to the outside may not yet be propped open. Usually the first person there goes around and comes in by the front desk, drags the water hose down to the door, and leaves it outside which serves to both keep the door open and provide the means to wash out the boats. Even if the boat is totally clean, please go through the motions of rinsing it off a little bit; otherwise we run the risk that any stuff found in the pool is assumed to have come from the "unwashed kayaks".
Sessions are highly informal; most folks have come to practice their own roll, but will happily give up 25 to 50% of their "practice" time to help someone else learn. (What goes around comes around.) Some folks are more shy than others about offering assistance, so if nobody says anything to you in the first 5 minutes, then just ask around if there is anyone who can help you or the kids out. Even if the person you happen to talk to first doesn't feel they are personally up to teaching others yet, they'll still probably know who is there that has been seen helping others in the past.
The XP-9 is a good boat choice; I say that first so what comes next won't sound like a criticism. It is an "adult sized" boat, designed with enough width for good stability. Unless your kids are pretty big, they may tend to slide around a bit when doing the motions required to roll the boat. If you have good hip pads to keep them from sliding side-to-side too much, it will really help them when they start trying to learn the roll. Forgive me if Jeremy or Don already talked you through all that, or, if that hasn't been covered yet, get them to help you with the outfitting if you live anywhere near Hot Springs.
One more note - we often go out to a local pizza place or Mexican joint to eat supper after the sessions. If you don't have to rush the kids home for homework, this is a good time to chat and pump others for information on boat outfitting, places to go, or whatever else you're wanting to ask questions about, and to just share some general comraderie with other boaters.
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