The Cornwall Recreational Whitewater Club

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This article is about Palmer Fest and CReW.

So why digital incompetence? Simple. I really suck at taking pictures and remembering to take pictures. How hard can that be? I get soo excited about teaching and paddling that I forget to stop, breath and capture some of those memorable moments. I kick myself every time but do not seem to learn… My apologies and I will try harder next time.

And now, back to Palmer Fest.

Every year Scott MacGregor and the staff at Rapid Media put on an event at the Paddlers Coop at Palmer Rapids Ontario. The river is the Madawaska and the time of year is Mid May.This year Palmer Fest brought out 356 paddlers and 55 instructors together to learn, have fun on and off the water, hook up with old friends and make new ones.

The clinics that are offered are geared to all levels of paddler. From intro to kayaking (these classes were packed!), learning to roll (brrrrr), children’s intro courses, kids advanced classes, freestyle clinics (some big names come out to teach these!) and creeking too! Did I neglect to mention the open boating and C1 courses? There are a lot of those too!

The camping is good, the food on Saturday night was excellent and this year the bands were on their game!

A good row of vendors is on site with equipment to demo or buy. There are even some great ideas from the vendors to keep your attention. Throw bag tosses, raffles and this year Matt Hamilton graced us with a Bicycle powered blender. Ooh the things you can mix in that .

What strikes me most at Palmer Fest is the family friendly environment. There are kids running around everywhere. There are also day care facilities offered without extra charge for parents with itty-bitty kids. How cool is that!

The only tough side of Palmer Fest: The weather! This year when we got there on Friday it was warm and insanely buggy. Then it changed…. it rained on Saturday and was cold on Sunday….. The trade off for this is that when it is cold and wet there are no bugs. If the wind dies, the sun comes out and the temp rises you are treated to  clouds of black flies and mosquitoes (just like the day we got there….). (Or should I say: the bugs are treated to a human smorgasbord)  This does not stop people from all over Ontario from coming out to the event!

It really is an event to put on the calendar. If you have never gone there then plan on it next year. (You need to book early as it is sold out every year by the mid April. Do not miss out.

This year CReW made a good showing there. Sean and Adam Hakvoort spent the entire weekend camping and learning and having fun. Alan brought his 2 sons, Micheal and Mat, out and Cheryl joined Sylvie, Emily, Zachary and myself.Next year we will bring out more (we even handed out a few membership forms to families and individuals from our region )

Sylvie and I decided to put something back into the event for a change and came out as instructors. Cheryl, who just completed her instructor certification so that she can teach this summer at our youth programs,  was also snagged into the instructor gig by Scott. Nice Catch Scott!

Sylvie was teaching rolling classes. 2 hour sessions standing in cold water so that  others can learn to roll and avoid swimming. That is dedication. The water is still cold and the weather does not make it easier! Cheryl started her teaching career as one of 5 instructors teaching a huge number of NEW paddlers! On Sunday she she joined me with the kids after Daryl suffered an small injury.

What is my angle? “White Water Kids: The next step”. I absolutely love teaching kids. They are receptive and expressive. When they catch on to an idea they pick it up fast and improve in ways that adults don’t. They are also supper happy with every small improvement. Soo cooI! I was teamed up with Daryl who has been doing this for a long time and his enthusiasm rivals my own. We had a group of 10 kids between the ages of 10 and 13. Some can roll and some can not but they are all super stoked and eager. They are tough too. It was wet and cold on Saturday and just plain cold on Sunday. Every kid went home with a new experience: river running, front surf and a few spins all mixed up with nervous smiles and excitement. Saaaweet!

A special mention goes to Ben. Ben is a little dude whho wanted to go out with us on Sunday. At 7 years old he would not yet be ready for the class but we have a secret weapon: Dynamic Duos! So Ben spent Sunday afternoon in the front of the duo with Cheryl and he too got the chance to run the river and surf and get the full on whitewater experience! Thanks fo getting in with us Ben. The smiles and yells were definitely a highlight! Thank you to Ben’s mom and dad too. It is very rewarding to be trusted by a parent to care for their child.

At the end of the festival we are all tired and ready to go home. Everyone had fun. Our kids made friends and played all weekend without making us worry. We made new friends and got reaquatinted with old ones. We learned a bit mmore about our skills and about being instructors.

We will go back next year and I will get pictures too.

Now we are home. Warm showers and beds. Cleaning gear and getting ready for the next event.

See you on the river,

Robert.

www.cornwallwhitewater.com