2013 WW School

[Adam Willard]

I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone involved that helped pull WW School together this year. Without all you AMAZING volunteers we could not pull this off. Participants, thank you for intrusting us to teach you a sport we all love. We had a lot of new changes this year and would love to hear everyone’s impute on how the weekend went for you. Some of the questions I have are; did you enjoy the band? Due to the weather would it have been better to have one larger fire near the band? Did the equipment sale interest you? Will you bring gear to sale next year? Was the information booth helpful? Did you enjoy the atmosphere? Those are just a few of the questions I have and would love to hear from everyone involved and from the participants. I didn’t ask about the food because its always spot on!! The reason Im asking is because we all work very hard to pull an event like this together, even down to the participants gather all the correct gear, it's a lot of work for everyone. But there is always room for improvement and we can do that with honest feedback. So again THANK YOU to all who volunteered and participated!!

Adam Willard

[tomOzarkVideo]

Band, gear, booth: All great!

A bonfire close to the band would be good for really cold weather.

Atmosphere is always great!

[GN YAKN]

Hopefully we won't have to encounter another cold year like 2013, but, if we do. I suggest instructors to take along several extra pairs of gloves! Cold hands seemed to be our biggest challenge.

We also took along a bottle of propane with a small catalytic heater. That was sure nice at the take out!

Only thing I think we could have done differently with the band was to maybe place them up on the pad in the small parking area between the north and south camping areas. Right in front of the outhouse! That way you could stand by a fire and still be able to see the band.

I had many favorable comments about the band and encourage folks to visit and like their facebook page and give them some feedback! They are excited about the possibility of playing for the ACC again!

Dave

[okieboater]

Rice and beans friday dinner!!!!

Some arrangement with Rangers and Byrds on parking fees for put in and take out. Either a premade charge ticket to ACC or a discount arrangement especially at Byrds since the best Sunday run was high bank to Byrds.

I think all us "old timers and instructors" have been around and have the gear for cold weather boating.
Students tho just do not. Even tho we warned them. We instructors did what we could but it was still cold for them.
I think we all should give a standing ovation to our students! They were just outstanding on Saturday! And, on Sunday they just blossomed out in the sun. Wow, students made this school special to me.

[Turner Bend]

It was a pleasure hosting the ACC once again here at Turner Bend. I just got through cleaning the campground and it was the easiest cleanup yet this spring. We routinely have much smaller groups that generate a lot more trash than the ACC. With the cold weather we would have done very little business had y'all not been here, but thanks to the ACC we ended up having a good weekend. And thanks so much for the plaque. It will be hung proudly in the store. Long live the ACC. Brad Wimberly

[gannon311]

Adam, best one yet !! The band has to be back next year. I sold all the gear I took to sale so I would say that went well also. On the fire placement.......... Who knows next year we may have to bring in cool cells.lol
I didn't get much use out of the info booth but I have been there several times. Im sure it was helpful to those that didn't know how everything worked. Did I all ready say best one yet!!!!
The only two suggestions well three I have are.......
Have a playboating class. I think we would get a group that would not normally be in a class. Don't know if we could do that or not but I think that would be cool

Have a slalom class also

Something to eat on Friday night!!! There were plenty of peeps there friday night to support some grub.

I want to thank you and all the rest of the powers that be!!!
Also turner bend!!!!!!

[RomanLA]

Have a playboating class. I think we would get a group that would not normally be in a class. Don't know if we could do that or not but I think that would be cool

That's a great idea! I stopped by to visit the Ozark Mountain Paddlers at the Mulberry one year. They had Clay Wright teaching a playboating class.

[Cowper]

did you enjoy the band? YES; although I split my time between listening to the band a little bit, and hanging at the campfire and listening to the banter of friends. But clearly there were enough gathered around the band that this was a success; and probably would have been even more so if the weather had been 10 degrees warmer.

Due to the weather would it have been better to have one larger fire near the band? Nah, I wouldn't bother. You circle the fire, or you all stand looking at the band. Cold natured individuals can bring Mr Heater. But if others want to try the fire thing, I wouldn't really argue.

Did the equipment sale interest you? Yes.

Will you bring gear to sale next year? Probably. Just ran out of time this year to rummage through the piles of stuff I could have / should have brought.

Was the information booth helpful? It must have been to somebody, although I didn't test it.

Did you enjoy the atmosphere? Yes.

OTHER:

The main thing I really wanted to comment on is, WHAT A GREAT JOB YOU DID! If you had not done all the work leading up to this weekend, it could not have possibly run so smoothly when you were unable to attend at the last minute. I especially appreciate that you tried a number of new things, and I just want to say THANK YOU for all your efforts!

[Moniker]

It was a pleasure hosting the ACC once again here at Turner Bend. I just got through cleaning the campground and it was the easiest cleanup yet this spring. We routinely have much smaller groups that generate a lot more trash than the ACC. With the cold weather we would have done very little business had y'all not been here, but thanks to the ACC we ended up having a good weekend. And thanks so much for the plaque. It will be hung proudly in the store. Long live the ACC. Brad Wimberly

My favorite time of year to visit the Mulberry and Turner Bend are the winter months.You have to get off the river earlier due to shorter days but the longer nights by the campfire more than make up for it.
The water levels hold better after rainfall and you do'nt have to deal with crowds,noise and the trash.
Whether you rent a campsite,cabin or boats I think you will be happy with the service you recieve.Just be sure to get a sandwich if nothing else,they can't be beat.
I did'nt attend Canoe School this year but I'm looking forward to my next visit to Turner Bend.Thanks to Brad and the crew at Turner Bend for all you do.
Don
P.S.Spring,summer and fall are also good times to visit and no,I don't work for Turner Bend or receive any compensation for my edorsement.

[Tim Eubanks]

Atmosphere great! Band Great! All in all a super weekend, especially considering the weather.

Next year: Maybe one of the chapters not doing the Saturday night meal and Sunday morning meal could do a Friday night meal. Hard to time given the constant influx of people. We were there Thursday night throught Sunday afternoon. Folks came in Friday all day long. I had extra grub Thursday and Friday nights that I was happy to share to some hungry dudes/moochers.

I have to nominate my wife for wife of the year for enduring yet enjoying a cold, wet weekend and for making that awesome breakfast casserole that fed about 6 people!

[Deuce]

Next year: Maybe one of the chapters not doing the Saturday night meal and Sunday morning meal could do a Friday night meal.

Can't speak for the whole chapter, but I will anyway. Well, sorta. I'd be glad to be heavily involved if Central decided to take this on. You know where to find me.

[sinewave]

Congratulations go out to the Arklatex chapter of the ACC for another successful Whitewater paddling clinic this past weekend. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the celebration, however I'm sure that all participants gained valuable information and experienced instruction towards the goal of becoming competent, safe paddlers. Kudos to Adam Willard; this years Director, Joe, and all of the other Arklatex members/volunteers; dedicated, experienced instructors {Billy}, Mas Aqua,and all of the behind the scene volunteers who collectively make this event an annual success for the ACC. Consider that the Arklatex chapter volunteers drove 280 miles minimum [one way] to execute this event. I believe that this clinic was an ACC 'first'; the first time an out of state chapter hosted and directed the annual ACC whitewater clinic; long time members--correct me if this is incorrect. In addition to becoming a better paddler, let's hope that all participants, especially those who are just getting their feet wet, continue to cultivate and promote a genuine appreciation for the free flowing rivers like the Mulberry and its' surrounding environment. As many of us are recently aware; unexpected external influences may not share the philosophy of river preservation. External influences may choose to engage in actions that are counter productive to the rivers' watershed, ecosystem, and overall river water quality. That's why it is so very important for the ACC members and volunteers to continue to educate the public and hopefully foster an increased appreciation and love for our free flowing rivers and the surrounding watershed. Thanks to the annual ACC whitewater clinic, its dedicated members continue to provide the opportunity for becoming a better paddler and fostering a constant vigilance for river preservation.