Women’s Sea Kayaking Workshop with Karen Knight -- Day 2

Women’s Sea Kayaking Workshop with Karen Knight

1 or 2 Day Course

Sat June 17th & Sun June 18th, 2006;

9am – 4 pm

Location: NorthShore MA, exact local TBD

Women’s Sea Kayaking Workshop - Strokes and Skills - Development & Refinement:

To be a skillful paddler, you don’t need to be a certain height or build, nor do you have to have a lot of muscle mass or upper body strength. Kayaking is about technique, good judgment, and knowledge of your environment and abilities. In this all-women’s workshop we’ll begin the first day (June 17th) by looking at the strokes we use most of the time - forward, back, sweeps, etc. We’ll fine-tune them so person, boat, and blade move as one - with grace, fluidity, and power. Later on in the afternoon we will review some basic assisted and self-rescue techniques. By the end of the day you’ll gain an appreciation for and understanding of the value of your paddling skills and how they relate to rescues. If your strokes are solid, you can prevent many a capsize. However, if you or someone else does go over, it is these same essential strokes and good boat control that will enable you to perform an efficient rescue.

On the second day (June 18th) we’ll pick up where we left off and continue to solidify our skills and take our paddling to the next level, by incorporating boat tilt (heel). Heeling helps you to develop greater balance and confidence, plus allows your kayak to do what you want it to do in less time and, in many cases, in less space. We’ll also introduce the support strokes (high and low braces) and draw strokes and combine them with heel to create maneuvers, such as the low brace turn underway and sideslips. If time allows, students will have an opportunity to use their new skills in various boat placement and rescue drills.

The course is open to women who are fairly new to kayaking and seasoned paddlers in need of some refinement and additional skill development. Students can attend the first day or both days of the workshop.

Profile of Karen Knight:

Karen Knight has been described as a “ballerina on the water.” Whether she is canoeing down the Grand Canyon, kayaking along the coast of Maine or dancing on the water with her Freestyle canoe, this former Interpretive Freestyle Canoe Champion is renowned for her paddling grace and precision. She’s an American Canoe Association Instructor Trainer Educator in Open Water Coastal Kayaking and Freestyle Canoeing, a Whitewater Canoe Instructor and has ACA endorsements in Traditional Kayaking (Greenland) and Adaptive Paddling.

A versatile paddler and innovative instructor, Karen is recognized for her ability to teach and motivate students of all ages, levels and abilities. With a meticulous eye for detail and stroke nuances, students can’t help but leave her class a better paddler than when they came in.

Karen, along with her partner Bob Foote, travels around North America, Europe and Central America leading trips, and teaching sea kayaking and canoeing. In addition, when she is not paddling she practices and teaches yoga. Last year Karen was featured in Paddler Magazine, as one of the “Top 7 Cool Canoeists You Should Know.” (http://bobfoote.com/karen/articles/KarenArticle1.jpg). For more information on Karen Knight refer to her website at www.karenknight.com.

Fee: $100/day for NSPN Members.

To Register: Send an email to the class facilitator, Paula, at [email protected]. Include your ACA #, boat description, emergency contact name and phone number. Please indicate if you want to attend the 1st day (June 17th) or both days (June 17th & 18th).

Paula will tell you where to mail your check and will keep the registration list and a waiting list. Paula will only hold your slot when she receives your check made out to NSPN. If you cannot attend you will receive a refund only if your slot can be filled from the waiting list. If the class is oversubscribed Paula will ask if you want to be placed on the waiting list.

All NSPN-sponsored commercial events are run on a “pass-through-the-cost-basis.” NSPN may include a very small markup over actual costs to cover incidental expenses and support club activities that benefit the membership as a whole. These classes are still priced well below what commercial outfitters charge for comparable activities. The club does not subsidize activities that benefit only the participants in classes with limited enrollment. Therefore, in the highly unlikely event that the class is canceled due to extreme weather, there will be no refunds. Lightning will obviously keep us off the water, but much can be learned from these talented teachers on shore.