CReW Youth Challenge Kayak Program

The Youth Challenge Kayak program has been running now in the Cornwall, Eastern Ontario region for 5 years. It started small and it is still small though growing at a nice little pace.
We have had a lot of fun, made new friends, shared our experience with kids and in return we have learned so much from them.

Tomorrow, is our first winter session at the Aquatic Center in Cornwall. The pool will see 6 new paddlers from the SD&G Boys And Girls Club at each session. They will meet many of our club members, learn to paddle, play some kayak polo with the club (also a good learning tool) and have a lot of fun while they are with us.

We could not do what we do without the sponsors that have stayed with us since the beginning and a few that have joined us along the way.
Please accept my thanks on behalf of the kids, the volunteers and my family. We hope that you will stay with us for many years to come and continue to allow us to teach and share with the young people around us.

Thank-you and stay tuned for posts from our winter sessions.

Robert Zwanenburg

robert@cornwallwhitewater.com

Saturday August 20^th 2011
Riviere St-Charles, Valleyfield, Quebec.

A warm sunny day greeted us our volunteers as we set up for the Season finale of the 2012 Youth Challenge Kayak Program. The trailer is set up in Valleyfield, Sylvie, Zachary, Emily Aime-Jean, Jennifer and Eric are up to speed. 9 young people (16 registered) are on site and their parents and grandparents are with them to encourage and have fun throughout the day.

Sylvie has the equipment ready for the kids and in no time at all everyone is good to go.

The activities start with a tour of the site and a walk of the river. Zachary and Aime-Jean are the demo paddlers and give them a little freestyle show at the same time.
The river walk includes a discussion of the features, hazards, communications (hand signals), river courtesy and local rules. From there we move to our regular JSmarts Circle Check. The circle check brought out some new questions about the risks of whitewater and how they would be addressed. Everyone is showing a little anxiety and it comes out in the questions. After a few questions and a few jokes the kids are ready to swim!

Swimming is the best intro to a river for young kids (whenever possible). They can all swim and have a good control over that. So allowing them in to the water with their own perceived strengths and comfort lets them relax.
They swam it over and over again

Then we raft and get right into their warm ups a short review of entering current and a wet exit.

A short lunchtime is next and the chatter of exited kids continues. We also let the parents and grandparents (yep, grandparents too!) know that later in the days them would have an opportunity to swim and play with their kids.

Right after lunch Aime-Jean and I set up the duo’s and it is time for each of our young paddlers to get the full river paddling experience. (This is my favorite part of the day!) From the top of the river to the take out, each young person gets a feel for all the features, gets to surf and gets a taste for what they are aiming for.

The duo run is all it takes to get the group motivated to learn to roll. As the duo runs end, Sylvie and Jenn are already working on the roll with the kids.
After 2 hours of rolling practice Zoe, Charles and Melanie have shown us that they can roll. Nick has been rolling for a while and is now getting on the waves to surf! Aimee is just a hair away from rolling. Soo close and only needs a little bit of help from her instructors. Austin is very close and just needs to put pieces together upside down. Same goes for Ben. Katiana and Breanna worked on their confidence and comfort.

At the end of the day, the kids got a chance to take their parents and grandparents out onto the water for a swim of the rapids. It was awesome to see so many parents involved with their kids. It also gave them a chance to see just how much we are challenging their kids and how proud they should be of them all. Between swims, anyone who wanted to surf in the duo was welcome to join Zachary or myself. There were lot’s of takers and everyone left the duos with a smile

At 4 PM everyone is tired and out of steam. The kids are dry with their families and we are slowly packing up. All the kids have asked us when they can do it again and we assured them that they would have the chance for sure.

As fast as the season started, it is over.

Now we gather the gear, wash it all down and make sure that all the kids who have received our membership forms get them filled in and returned to us. Just because the program is over does not mean that he paddling is done.

All the kids have access to us and our gear. They are all welcome to come and paddle at any outing and event that we host.

This is not the end for them. It is the beginning!

Thanks to all the parents who leave their kids in our care.

Thanks to all our sponsors and partners without who we could not do this.

Thanks to our volunteers who are the back bone of the program

And thanks to all the kids who come back to us week after week.

See you very soon,

Robert Zwanenburg
www.cornwallwhitewater.com

Wednesday August 17th 2011.
Lamoureux Park, Cornwall, Ontario.

The last flatwater day of the season came up on us soo quickly. That’s right, the 2011 Youth Challenge Kayak Program – Summer edition is coming to and end this week.
At 6 PM we were joined at the Waterfront by our always energetic collection of kids and parents and Jacquie Richards (Executive Director of BGC Cornwall/SD&G) And,… we were also joined by a Special guest; Our Ontario MPP Mr. Jim Brownell came out so see us so that we could say a special thank-you from myself, my volunteers, the Boys & Girls Club and of course the kids.
Last winter we were fortunate to be able to be the recipient of a Trillium Grant. This generous grant has allowed us to purchase a 20 foot enclosed equipment trailer for all our boats and gear. As I explained to Mr. Brownell, this trailer has allowed us to spend less time handling gear and as a result more time on the water with the kids. It is a win win situation
Again, thanks Mr. Brownell and the Ontario Government for making this a reality for us.

Shortly afterwards we were back in motion. Kids getting geared up, parents settling in, and the warm up began.
We spent some time with our JSmarts Circle Check and the kids are catching on. Sometimes, some of their “what if” statements are a bit funny but they get it and are thinking about the risks and how to handle them

This being the last evening of flatwater Sylvie and the gang wanted to work out a few rolls for as many of the kids as possible. It is a young group and many first time paddlers but several are really close. I am sure that if they choose to stick with us through the winter and next season they should all be up to speed For now the key was to get them worked up for our end of the season whitewater adventure in Valleyfield! So some rolling time and a bit of horsing around and the evening blew past.

After getting off the water we gathered everyone up for the seasons kayak certificates That’s right. Each of our new paddlers made different improvements. They each stepped up to their own challenges and anxieties and they pushed though. I am proud of them all.

I also wanted to make sure that they all took a moment to acknowledge the CReW. This summer I was away for more than half the program. Sylvie, Zachary, Emily, Jenn, Eric and Aime-Jean held it together and took great care of the kids. I am just a pretty face They also were reminded of the improtance of respect. Every one of the volunteers does this because they want to. From the youngest to the oldest, they are all superb paddlers with their skills and experience to share. This is worth yelling about and saying thanks. So… THANKS!

After a final few words with the kids and some preparation with a few parents for this Saturdays day in Valleyfield we called it a day and headed on home.

Stay tuned for the final event of the summer! This is where the kids get to apply what they learned , step way out of their comfort zone, step up to the challenges and have a whack of fun all day long.
Next stop: Saturday August 20th. Riviere St-Charles, Valleyfield Quebec. See you all there 

Paddle hard and play safe

Robert Zwanenburg
wwwcornwallwhitewater.com

6 weeks of the youth program, time goes by so fast!

Robert was in Toronto this week and Emily was at camp so we were 3 instructors and one helper. I have to say it again, I am surrounded by fantastic people, Jennifer, Eric and Zachary! They make the Wednesday evening go so smoothly.

This evening was focused on rolling and t-rescues so after Jennifer and Eric were done with the warm up, we did a short bit on how to tie a kayak to a roof rack then proceeded to the water. We split  up the group in 3 and had each of us working on something different and had the kids rotate. Eric was in charge of paddling and games, he is so good at that!! Jennifer worked on rolling and I on t-rescues.

All the kids did very well, pushing a bit beyond their comfort zone. Even those who do not want to go upside down worked on their skills and for them, having the boat go over while I was holding them with their head out of the water was already a big step, so well done everyone!!!

On Thursday evening, we were met by 3 enthusiastic kids all looking forward to paddling with us ! There again, I have a great instructor to help me, Aimé-Jean, this is his 4th summer helping us and he is awesome to work with. We started some by running from the middle and others by rafting, then proceeded to our on water warm up. We only have 3 kids in Valleyfield so I have a mom and usually a dad( he hurt his back this week before paddling) that took some private lessons with me before join their kids on the water. I love to be able to get parents and kids to have a great time together. So we worked on crossing eddy lines and had a couple swims but everyone had fun.

This was our last evening in Valleyfield, next Wednesday in Cornwall will be the last evening of the program, we will have one day in Valleyfield as well, that Saturday is always a lot of fun for everyone, but we know that not all the kids can make it there.

I do have a few pictures this week, thanks to Kari-Anne and Justin!!

Happy paddling!!

Sylvie

August 4th 2011, Valleyfield Quebec – Riviere  St-Charles.

We were met by a small group of kids. Eric, Charles and Savannah. Here are 3 kids that seem to really enjoy the whitewater experience.
Because of the small numbers on the Thursday nights, we decided that we would reward the parents who come out every week with the chance to get in themselves!

the evening consisted of rolling, rolling, practice rolling and for some the beginning of the surf! Highlights of this particular evening included parents swimming rapids with their kids, A little bit of throw bag practice for young people and parents. Always a good thing to practice since you never can tell when you will need to use the skill and help your friends.
Eric decided that this was his night! He rolled and rolled and rolled. Then,  Aime-Jean took him into the current and he rolled some more! What can we do after that? The questions is what can’t he do after that! Time to start trying to get Eric to Surf! This young man gave it everything he had and although the surf eluded him, his roll was bomb proof! well done Eric.

Savannah and her mom worked together on working out the eddy lines and crossing into light current. It was also cool to see them swim the rapids together

Charles stepped it up to show me that he has the skills to peel out in heavier current and run a section of small rapids then eddy out without any issue! Well done!

The boys’ dad, Denis, worked on some rolling with his sons and  in time will have his hips sorted out so that he does not catch an edge when he peels out. Despite the frustration of swimming a lot he had fun too and learned along the way with his boys.

It is really so cool to be able to put families into boats together so they can learn and share the experience. What a memory that will follow them forever

This a time when I want to be able to thank the parents who bring their kids out to us. You trust us with your most precious possessions, your children. Thank-You for your faith. You all have great kids and I am happy to see that you are there for them.

2 more weeks to go and it will all come to an end. But that means there are 2 more session and a final day for all the kids in Valleyfield!

Stay tuned and watch as these kids continue to improve their new found skills, learn a bit more about themselves and their water ways and continue to have fun with us.

Until next time,

Share your love for a sport with a young person. Not many things are more rewarding then the smile it will bring.

Robert Zwanenburg
www.cornwallwhitewater.com

Wednesday August 3nd: Here is how it went down for the 5th week of the  Got off a plane in Ottawa at 4 PM. Drove to Cornwall and got to Lamoureux park just on time to see an awesome sight. The CReW truck and trailer were on site, back ramp open, boats coming out and kids showing up

It needs to be said: I am soo proud of my family and our volunteer instructors! I felt like a 5th wheel on a car. Sylvie, Jenn and Eric, with the help of my daughter Emily and son Zachary had it together. The kids were geared up as quick as can be, sitting together going through the JSmarts Circle Check and in no time at all they were ready to be on the water. I took a few pictures and talked with a few parents.  The kids were quickly split into groups to match their skills and each instructor took on a group.  Sylvie is super organized while taking care of the younger more timid paddlers and kept it all in order, while Jenn and Emily worked with the girls and Eric took the boys out.
As for me, I jumped between groups offering a little guidance or relief when necessary.

It is really cool to see the kids progress and step up to new challenges. It is time to gear the kids towards rolling for those who are comfortable with the idea. To get them there each instructor had kids working on hip snaps, T-rescues, hip snaps and then the basics.
I hung out with Eric and took the boys through the motions until they were looking at bit worn, then we headed up stream for some fast moving water and eddie lines.
Eddie lines are a funny thing. No matter how brave a young person is on the flats, the idea of crossing a clean sharp eddy line spooks them a bit This is of course all part of the experience and slowly, one at a time each kids took a stab at peeling out and heading down the current! It was a lot of fun and go figure, no one flipped! The confidence follows quickly as they see what they are capable of doing.
It was also not long before Jenn and Emily had the girls up there with us.

While this is going on I  took a few of the kids who wanted to start to get the feeling of surfing onto a little tiny features. Seriously, they were really little, but the smiles on the girls and boys who could feel the force of the water underneath them was priceless.

Well, as always, time goes by too fast and suddenly Emily pointed out that it was 20 past 8. Doh. Time to get back to the trailer. So, despite a few protests from our group, we got them each to peel out of the eddy and head down for the last 10 minutes on the water.
When  everyone one was back at the trailer we got them all out of the gear and they sponged and prepped the gear to be put back in the trailer. Love that part!
A quick close up with Sylvie after packing and all the kids are released back to their parents

the following week I will not be able to be there because of work. Sylvie and the team will take care of the kids and it will be another fun, safe and educational evening for kids.

Got to say thanks to the Trillium Foundation for making it possible for us to purchase the trailer. It has made the task of preparation and closing up at the end of each night, a manageable task for a small and dedicated group of people. Less time preparing and closing means happy volunteers and more time to spend with the kids. Thanks Trillium!

Until next time,

Play safe and paddle hard,

Robert Zwanenburg
www.cornwallwhiteweater.com

Well, I do not feel so bad about writing the blog of week 2 late now that I see that Robert did not write about week 3 He has been busy and away a lot so we’ll excuse him

This week was awesome, the kids did so well! Jennifer, Eric, Emily and Zachary started with a talk at first going through the Jsmart circle while I was taking care of the last arrivals,then on to what was expected of everyone that evening. We have some new kids and some returning from last summer so the goals are different but we can all work together. At the end of every session, I ask the kids to share one thing they learned that evening and this time I added one thing you improved on so they new they had to improve on something I also talked about posture and how important it is while paddling and guess what, it worked! I saw lots of straighter backs on the water !! We split the group into 3 and the 3 instructors went their separate ways with their group. We started with throw bag rescues, it was a warm evening so it was nice to swim and get rescued We are nice instructors so we found some spots with no seaweeds!

Then on to wet exit with or without skirts, everyone did it and should be proud! Some improved on their past experience and that is what we are looking for.

After that, some paddling was in order so we went and reviewed all the strokes. At that point, the 3 groups were pretty far apart so I will recount some parts that I heard from the great 2 helpers ( Zachary and Emily).  So in one group, we had a great game of kayak tag going on, apparently, some great action! Also some t-rescues.  In another, we had some issues with certain paddle strokes so we worked on that a bit longer, I think it is mastered now For others, the brace was mastered and for some, just being in the kayak and paddling a bit was a great accomplishment! So to everyone, great job tonight, I am very proud of all of you, you were awesome!

I am lacking again in the picture department, we will hopefully get some by e-mail tomorrow and share them with you.

Until next time, Happy paddling!

Sylvie

I know, we are almost ready for week 3 but Robert being away means lots to do around here and one less person to help do it so writing was somewhere down my list and I am just getting to it.

So, Robert was away for work last week which means we were short one instructor. I could not have done it without the help of Jennifer and Eric, our 2 Wednesday instructors and Zachary and Emily, my 2 teenagers. They all got things going with stretches and warm up while I was putting stuff away and getting the last minute arrivals ready.  Jennifer also covered the Jsmart “Think it through” and some of the kids remembered too

We then put everyone on the water because it was time to get some paddling done! We had a couple kids who were very nervous getting into their boat. The boats are a bit unstable and that can be unnerving at first. But they are brave young people and they stuck to it. We had one that decided to stop there for the evening but she is brave too and will be back this week to try again!

Forward paddling sounds pretty boring and possibly easy, that is until you try it in a playboat So everyone discovered that going in a straight line is not so obvious! Everyone got it though and we will see improvement trough the summer, practice makes perfect

We continued the lesson with going backwards and sweeps. At some point, we split up the group between all the instructors, kids can focus more on the instructor when in a small group so that worked very well. Everyone seemed to have fun and learned something new. Even the kids that are back from last season.

We had a few unexpected swims, some might have been a bit on purpose though, it was a very warm evening and the kids thought it was fun

We ended with wet exits, some are not ready to use a skirt yet but that will come and if it’s not this summer, it will be next. That is one reason I love this sport, everyone works and progresses at their own speed yet, you can all have fun while paddling together.

I did have some pictures, I asked a parent to take some but while I was loading them onto the computer, it all failed and I lost a whole week’s worth of pictures Very frustrating!! That will also teach me for not taking them off the camera every day!

We will be back on the water with the kids in a couple days. 16 kids,  4 Instructors this time but only one helper. Zachary is at Liquid Skills ( a kayak camp) for the week. He will be missed!

Until then, happy paddling!

Sylvie

The date: July 7th, The Place: Riviere St-Charles, Valleyfield, Quebec. Why?…..

Kids and whitewater!!!!!!!

Thursday evening was the kick off to the whitewater portion of our Youth Challenge Kayak Program. As this was the first session for our more advanced group, the numbers were low. 3 kids came out. But do not despair! This means that each person got sooo much attention from our instructors it could only be good. Eric, Charles and Savannah were partnered up with one on one care from Aime-Jean, Eric and Sylvie. (I got to jump around in the group).

As with our Wednesday evening group we started with the intro’s and hellos to the parents. (Yeah, that is right, all 3 kids were accompanied by their folks who stayed the evening to watch their kids have fun. Gotta love it!) The it was time for J Smarts.

Jennifer Jackson from J Smarts in Toronto was out for the previous 2 days teaching my CReW about J Smarts and how to bring the program to kids. She did such an awesome job that Sylvie took to it right away and is now CReW’s official bilingual J Smarts person

Just like the night before, the kids were introduce to the principles and they all worked together to identify the risks on site and find solutions on how to address them. It would appear that hanging out with me could be construed as a risk Luckily there seems to be a solution to me as well.

Think it thru! That is the key to our new approach to risk management.

In not time at all the kids were down on the river’s edge, discussing the features and the hazards and getting stoked to hit the water. Then it was swim the river time. Charles first, the Eric and then Savannah. They did great. From there we moved right way into a wet exit review to be sure they remembered then rafting
At the end of the float down the river we reviewed the roll. Eric and Savannah still had it down. Got to love it and I am sure that my man Charles will be there too. His roll is good with just a tiny bit of assistance. Next week it will be sorted for sure!!!!!!

The last 20 minutes included some ferry’s and S-turns intermixed with an occasional swim. The water is warm and that ensures that the swims are fun too.

As always, the 2 hours goes by too fast and it was time to round up the kids and get hem to take their responsibilities to the gear. Sponges out, boats empty, paddle, skirt, helmet and life jacket in the racks and boats in their place in the trailer. Well done guys.

A short talk with the kids and the parents assured us that they had fun and would be back to do it again.

Once again, thanks to all the people and orgs that help us make this happen. Week one has been great and we are looking forward to every week that is coming this summer.

See you all on the river soon and remember: Think it thru

Robert Zwanenburg
www.cornwallwhitewater.com
robert@cornwallwhitewater.com

Another summer has started.
Warm weather, fresh cool rivers, parks, and more – still young people are looking for things to do to get busy and stay healthy. That is where the Adventure Sports Access Group and the Cornwall Recreational whitewater Club come in!
With the help of our partner, The Boys and Girls Club of Cornwall/SD&G we are joined by kids at Lamoureux Park in Cornwall Ontario, every Wednesday evening throughout the month of July and into August. A second day for the more advance kids is also going on every Thursday evening.
Kids who want to participate can still go to BGC www.bgccornwallsdg.com and put their names on the list for an opening. We encourage the kids from previous years to come back and step up to the advanced sessions with us in Valleyfield.

This year we have added a new component to our program: J Smarts! www.jsmarts.ca J Smarts is a risk management program for young people in sports. We were very impressed by their principles and their staff so we invited them to teach our instructors and teach the first evening with our new young paddlers! They are an awesome fit and we will be working with them for many years to come.

Wednesday July 6th, Day 1 of the Youth Challenge Kayak Program:

What a day to play on the water. My CReW (Sylvie, Emily, Zachary, Eric Bruneau, Jennifer Tytula and a special appearance by Sean Hakvoort) and I were joined by Jennifer Jackson (of J Smarts), a bunch of excited young people and several parents at Lamoureux Park in Cornwall, Ontario for the first day of kayaking for the summer. The weather was perfect sun and cloud, light breeze and warm

The first group of young new paddlers

As the kids came in Sylvie and a few others got them fitted with a boat, paddle, skirt, life jacket and helmet while I took a few moments to brief parents on the ground rules and what they should expect to see. Making sure that parents are happy and comfortable is key to their kids having fun. Parents need t have confidence in us and the kids, who are already stepping way outside their comfort zone, do not need the added pressure of their parent expectations. It is a balance that needs to be set from the beginning so everyone walks away smiling.

Once we had all the kids in place (17 registered for he evening and 13 showed up) we got them all in a circle with their new instructors and we did our meet and greet. Some are shy, others are outgoing. It is an excellent mix of characters. Should be fun The ground rules were laid down for the kids, and the parents got the “thank-you’s” they deserve from their kids. Nothing is more important in the development of young people than positive support from their parents. We have seen more and more parents stay to watch their kids and we feel that this should be acknowledged. Time to introduce Jenny Jackson (JJ) from Smarts.

JJ (Great initials for someone who works for J Smarts. ) brought our circle closer then sat down in the park with the kids to go through the circle check and easy to remember and use principles of Smarts. The kids loved it. Using the circle check tool the kids put kayaking into the tool (Should I, Could I, Would I and what if) to identify and find solutions to risks involved in their new adventure: Kayaking. It was awesome! They asked questions that we as kayakers forget are a concern and as a group come up with an evaluation of whether what they are going to do and how it will be done is an acceptable risk. Unbelievable. They took to the idea and with a little nudging from JJ came up with smart solutions to their concerns. So cool After 20 minutes with JJ

and JSmarts the kids established that it is OK to go kayaking. Nice

J Smarts Circle Check Tool

Each young paddler was given cool stickers and a circle check tool that they will use every week with us. All the new kids that come on board each week will also get to learn and apply the principles of JSmarts.

And now we get to the paddling

Paddling always starts at the beginning and that is getting in a boat. Once thee kids were good with that we moved them straight into the water for the always exciting first flips and wet exit class!
After seeing a demo where I used my good friend Sean Hakvoort as my demo paddler, there was a lot of quiet anxiety on shore (I wonder how many were re-evaluating their circle check / ).  With 4 instructors in the water we got everyone to experience upside down over and over again. The comfort levels of some of these first time paddlers was astonishing and they made our jobs easy. Others, who were a little more nervous, made our job fun!
There is no pressure from us to do it all in one evening. They key is to have fun and be happy on the water. We will revisit this skill next week and encourage those who need a little more time to step up a little bit more.
The wet exit is so important as a first step in paddling. It means you are comfortable and will get out of your boat safely if you flip over. Good for the parent and young person confidence and also good for the instructors. It means that we can be sure that, although we have had eyes surgically added to the back of our heads, we will know that he kids are able to be safe either in the boat or if necessary out of the boats. (We don’t really have extra eyes, but we are always working as a team to keep a watchful eye on all the kids on and off the water)
In the end almost everyone did a flawless wet exit and rescued their own boats with a swim to shore. Well done everyone!

During the process, parents watched, smiled, grimaced and made encouraging hoots and whistles. It was very cool.

8:30 sneaks up on us way too fast, and after the last young person showed us what they could do, our resident time keeper (my wife and our “keep it organized” person: Sylvie) let us know that it was time to get off the water. Here is a new thing for us: With our new CReW trailer we can engage the kids in the clean up. Each young paddler brought their boat to the trailer, sponged out the boat, brought the paddles, life jackets and helmet up into the trailer while we loaded the boats in the racks. This will make them responsible for their equipment and teach a little life lesson along the way

Day 1 in Cornwall was awesome. Loads more to come.

Stay tuned. (Sorry JJ, we did not get any pictures of the J Smarts presentation to the kids.   As paddlers we do well as photographers we have issues.. We will get J Smarts in action next week!!!!)

Live, laugh and paddle,

Robert Zwanenburg

www.cornwallwhitewater.com

robert@cornwallwhitewater.com