Purpose:
This series of introductory and intermediate kayaking courses provide continued training, assessment, and individual coaching in fundamental skills for river, sea, or surf kayaking. The program uses maneuverable river kayaks in the comfort of a swimming pool, which is an ideal and familiar learning environment. Focus is on fun, safety, strokes, maneuvers, and rescue skills. Students interested in developing their skills further can attend future training courses in the series and receive guidance with specific action plans for their personal practice and skill development.

Introductory & Intermediate Courses:
As a minimum, one or two introductory courses and one intermediate course will be offered each weekend of the Series (pending sufficient registrations) see above for dates.

Series:
This series of courses provides training in kayaking skills of the appropriate level of difficulty, so students can develop safe habits and hone their flat water skills at their own pace. The intermediate skills are progressive and rely on successful development and performance of introductory skills. Come take an introductory class to get started.

Staffing:
Alaska Kayak School instructors and coaches certified by American Canoe Association and the British Canoe Union will run the courses, but may get assistance from Alaska Kayak and other qualified paddlers.

Logistics:
Chugiak Pool: Saturday courses are planned to run from 2-530 PM and Sunday courses will be from 11AM-3PM at Chugiak Pool, except for the weekend of 13, 14 November 2004, when the Saturday session will run from 3-630 PM. Each course will have a minimum registration of 8 and a maximum of 12. All you need is a bathing suit - all equipment is provided: kayak, paddle, spray skirt and helmet.

Pricing:
Saturday's 3.5-hour courses are $89
Sunday's 4-hour courses are $95.

A. Students signing up for 2 classes/weekend will receive $5 off the second course.

B. Students signing up for a "series", i.e., 2 or more classes this winter will receive $5 off each successive course.

How can you take advantage of this fun program to build your kayaking skills through the winter? Get involved!
1. Take a skills course (or maybe you already have) and get your personal skills checklist to guide your own learning and personal practice. We will hand out skill checklists at the courses.

2. Get a Kayak. Borrow or rent a river kayak and gear (that fits), and take advantage of the numerous open kayak pool sessions in the Anchorage area (i.e. Service, Bartlett, etc.). Smaller modern kayaks are a lot of fun in the pool, not a gimmick!

3. Practice. Use open kayak pool sessions @ Service and Bartlett pools to practice and hone your skills you learned in the skills courses, and be ready to take it all to the next level in another series course later in the winter. Kayaking skills are progressive and good training and practice are invaluable.

Assessment. Get your skills assessed and move your training and practice to the next level. We offer "pool" skills assessments to the criteria of the British Canoe Union's star awards, complete with certificates. These assessments should really help you improve your skills and will be excellent training to help you ass BCU assessments outdoors next spring or summer.

Reservations/Registrations:
Students can sign up in person at REI customer service, or by email/phone with Alaska Kayak School ([email protected]). Call/email Alaska Kayak School for information (907-235-2090). Please fill out registration forms and pay with check at REI, thanks. Call or email us to register with us here @ the Kayak School.

Practice kayak rentals for open pool sessions:
River kayak rental packages are available from Alaska Kayak Paddlesports Outfitters (907-522-7710, [email protected] ). These practice kayaks will provide you with the chance to hone your skills and continue training through the winter at local pool sessions of your choice: Service High School (Wed. 730-9PM $5.25) or Bartlett Pool (Mon. 730-9PM, $5.50). You'll get the most out of the training if you practice! And you'll have more fun and meet new people and test drive some sweet kayaks and gear.

The Courses

1. Introduction to Kayaking
Introductory courses are for novices, beginners and more experienced paddlers that have never had formal instruction. Intro programs cover materials included in the British Canoe Union's closed cockpit kayak 1 and 2 star awards, and the basic flat water skills for an American Canoe Association's Introduction to Kayaking course. These skills are the foundation of kayaking - get 'em, make' em yours, it's fun!

Topics include: the importance of warm-up & stretching, safe carrying and launching, equipment sizing, fit to a boat, parts of a boat and paddle, use of the paddle, posture, safe wet exit, use of a skirt, balance, forward and back paddling under control, stopping, turning, moving sideways, ruddering, use of the lower body for balance and control, use of the upper body for power, simple rescues (with assistance). Also includes the beginnings of edging, sculling and Eskimo rescues (the beginning of Eskimo rolling). The introductory courses emphasize understanding the relationships between your actions and the reactions of the kayak, rather than strict performance of strokes and maneuvers (see intermediate skills). Includes a short primer on hypothermia prevention and clothing.

2. Intermediate Skills
Intermediate courses are for paddlers that have developed their introductory skills (see above) wishing to refine their skills to achieve total control of the kayak on flat water. This course includes materials in the British Canoe Union's closed cockpit kayak 3 Star award, the intermediate skills. Emphasis is on technical performance of strokes and maneuvers.

If you haven't taken the introductory course, you should consider it. The intermediate skills courses build on sound introductory skills, and "jumping ahead" will probably not help you develop efficient skills more quickly.

Topics covered in the intermediate courses include efficient strokes and maneuvers: forward, back, draw, stopping, bow and stern rudders, committed recovery and bracing strokes, sculling draw and sculling for support, combination strokes, functional Eskimo rescues, deep water assisted rescues, confident edging, confident wet exits, hanging draw/side-slip, draw on the move, low brace on the move, towing, use of a towline, Eskimo Roll, YAWHOO and much more.

Comprehensive - The suite of skills in the 1, 2, and 3 star awards are the requisite flat water kayaking skills for paddlers wishing to guide or teach paddling. The "flatwater skills" are a large array of abilities and knowledge, often taught during 2-3 days outdoors. So, it might take more than one intermediate pool course for you to master this fantastic set of skills. But it's all fascinating and great fun! Once you "get" the skills you'll have fun discovering all the variations in their performance and applications.

Summary of Skills often covered in our pool courses:

Stretch and warm-up Parts of kayak and paddle How a paddle works Principles of paddling Posture Fit to a boat - outfitting Lower body to maneuver Upper Body (torso) for power Safe lifting, carrying kayaks Safe launching kayaks Safe capsize and wet exit Efficient forward and back paddling Stopping Spin the kayak 360 degrees Forward paddle figure-8 course Reverse paddle figure-8 Course Low Brace turn Moving kayak sideways

Ruddering Preventing a capsize/maintaining balance Turning Edging Tilting to assist turning Turn on the moveSculling draw Draw on the move Low brace on the move Hanging draw/side-slip Sculling for support Eskimo rescues Capsize and swim kayak to shore Deep Water Rescues Trapped-paddler rescue Towing Eskimo Rolling Disembarking Hypothermia prevention and clothing