DMG wrote:I seem to remember having classes with a one-to-one student/teacher ratio. I'm quite satisfied with the value of my instruction.
~Dave
Thanks Dave, I’m glad some see it that way.
I hope most folks understand that many of the costs of Canoe School are non-recoverable for the club; there’s $2500 for reserving the entire campground for the weekend; ACA insurance fees, Forest Service event licensing fees, and other costs. All instructors paid their own gas money to come, so while we applaud volunteers, the Club is not going to “tell” them they have to commit to spend more money coming to a “make up” session as well. We can’t strong-arm instructors into spending more of their own time and money, and then expect them to “volunteer” again in the future!
To me, Canoe School can be roughly divided between two instructional sets – the “dry land” stuff, and the “moving water” stuff. Part 1, the dry land stuff, is time devoted to talking about all the underlying principles in a level of detail that wouldn’t normally come out when sitting in an eddy; it covers a lot of safety information, gear selection information, and discussions about currents, terminology, the building blocks for a good eddy turn, etc. Students also get to ask any type of question; about safety, about gear selection, about how to tie boats on a car, whatever, and nobody needs to feel uncomfortable about “asking too many questions” because that is why everyone is there.
Part 2 is the moving water practice where all this is put into motion. Now here’s the interesting part – “Part 2” can be almost indistinguishable from watching a group of friends move down the river, playing and practicing at every wave and eddy, challenging each other to try something new, or playing “follow the leader” (sometimes closely related to “hold my beer and watch this”, so be careful and use your own judgment).
Yes, conditions were not good this weekend, and there was some confusion about whether or not classes would go on Sunday. But those that stayed to the end on even the first day only got a larger dose of the “Part 1” instruction than in an average year. I know what people want most is the Part 2 moving water stuff; but everyone that was at the school is now a member of the Arkansas Canoe Club. The Part 2 stuff is essentially available every time you see a posted float trip anywhere in the state; and available almost every Saturday and most Sundays Memorial Day through Labor day down at the Rockport Whitewater Park near Malvern. So those that want a “make up” day can have it, without having to ask any volunteer to set up something special or commit in advance.
Each person is different, but for me, if you show up on a float trip, I’ll be happy to give pointers and tips on new things to try to build your skills, if you just let me know you want me to. But my base assumption is going to be that you just want the “friendship for a day” and the same safety back-up we all give each other on EVERY trip, unless you tell me otherwise. So yes, if you go on a float trip, you might have to spend a few minutes sizing up the other participants to see which one you want to get pointers from, but once you do that, the “instruction” is free for the asking. We usually call it something else, but it’s really the same thing. Remember, some of us have been paddling together for over 20 years; so if we’re all chumming up in a circle, it probably looks like a clique to most people. But we try to make it one of the world’s easiest cliques to join, so don’t be afraid to step in and join the conversation, even if it takes more than one try.
