2012 Paddling School Reunion - October 6 & 7

2010 Paddling School Reunion - October 2 & 3

We're happy to welcome you to the 2012 Paddling School Reunion webpage.  The Reunion is our opportunity to get together with all the great folks who make our school a success - our students!

Join us for a weekend of paddling, socializing, learning and fun as we invite alumni from our paddling programs to come back to the Deerfield River and enjoy the fall, each other's company and the great sport we all love. Come for the whole weekend, for only one day or for only Saturday evening's festivities. The reunion is open only to former Zoar Outdoor paddling students.

2012 Paddling School Reunion Mini-Clinic Descriptions

Paddling warm-up and Technique Refresher Join us for a paddling warm-up and review of basic skills, strokes and maneuvers. A great way to start the weekend if you have not been in your boat in a while or you just want a review.
River Rescue Basic river rescue is one of the most important skills you can have in your arsenal. Our instructors will help you learn safe, effective techniques to deal with simple rescue situations.
Perfect your Stroke Timing and Efficiency Do you feel like you’re fighting to get anywhere on the river? Better stroke timing will give you that extra finesse you need to improve all your river maneuvers as well as make your paddling look great!
Slalom Survivor is a fun way to help you think about timing strokes precisely, applying power smoothly and setting specific destinations on the river. Non-racers can apply some of the skills and habits of slalom racing to everyday paddling and have a great time.
Make your Eddy turns & Peel outs look easy! Learn to use eddy currents to your advantage. Entering and exiting an eddy high helps you make the most of the river’s power and avoid getting caught on the eddy line.
The Well-Balanced Paddler Are you jittery or unstable in your boat? Learn to use the three key attributes of a well-balanced paddler: edge control, paddle placement and momentum!
Back Deck Rolling Learn another type of roll to add to your paddling quiver. The back deck roll is powerful, quick and effective when used in the right situations. You should presently have another style of flatwater roll 80% of the time.
Introduction to the Kayak Roll In this session we will introduce you to the key elements of a good roll. No experience with the roll necessary.
Improving your kayak roll If you have a roll that needs work, our skilled instructors can help troubleshoot the problem. To take this clinic you should be able to roll at least 50% of the time on flatwater.
Fundamentals of Freestyle - Flatwater Start freestyle paddling by learning the proper timing and body mechanics needed to execute the hottest new paddling maneuvers. We will be focusing on pivot turns, bow and stern initiations, rotation and timing, and will demonstrate how these basics link into more advanced maneuvers. If you have been at freestyle for a while use this time block to freshen up your skills and warm up for the day. A good roll is recommended for this class.
Intermediate Freestyle This is for paddlers who are working toward the utmost degree of boat control and have begun to explore the vertical world. We’ll look at using buoyancy energy to control verticality in bow and stern stalls, cartwheels and splitwheels. A good roll is recommended for this class.
Catching Surfs Surfing is an excellent way to improve your ferrying and boat sensitivity skills. Catching a great surf also feels really awesome. Everyone can surf - whether you’re in a river running boat or a playboat.
Smooth Paddling Using Draws Does your paddling need some S.A.L.T. to make it better? We’ll help you smoothly Speed over eddylines, Angle more efficiently, Look in the direction of your turns and maintain proper Tilt for better balance. We’ll also make your turns smoother by incorporating some really cool draw stroke techniques. A few different styles of these draws will allow you to glide effortlessly through current differentials regardless of what size turn you need.
Running the Gap for the First Time Do you think you’re ready to run the Gap? If you are confident making class III moves in class II water and you have the mental tranquility to step it up a notch this is the clinic for you. You should be an active paddler and able to perform eddy turns, peel outs and ferries as well as roll 50% of the time on class II water.
Running the Gap with Control and Finesse Learn how to work with Zoar Gap so the Gap doesn’t work you! We will concentrate on precise and aggressive moves to help bring your paddling to the next level. Prerequisite: a recent successful run of the Gap.
Open Paddling with Zoar Instructors Come join us for the open paddling session where you can either just come paddling with us and/or get some paddling pointers.
Try a SUP (Stand Up Paddleboard) SUP’s are one of the hottest new trends on the river in paddlesport. While stand up paddling has been around for over a hundred years it has only recently started to grasp a foothold on our inland rivers and lakes. Test out your balance and one-bladed skills while demoing some current designs. We’ll provide the instruction to get you started.
2012 Dates & Schedule of Events

Daily Schedule

Saturday, October 6th

  8:30 AM - Registration and Boat Selection

  9:00 AM - Boat Loading on Trailers

  9:30 AM - Travel to Clinic Sites

  9:45 AM - First Clinic Offered

Well Balanced Paddler

Improve Your Roll

Smooth paddling using draws

11:45 AM - Lunch

12:15 PM - Meet at Zoar Gap and travel to site.

12:30 PM - Second Clinic Offered -

Fundamentals of freestyle – Flatwater

Catching Surfs

Make Your Eddy Turns / Peel Outs Look Easy

Perfect Stroke Timing & Efficiency

 2:15 PM - Meet at Zoar Gap and travel to site.

2:30 PM - Third Clinic

Clinics Offered - Running The Gap For The First Time

Make Your Eddy Turns / Peel Outs Look Easy

Open Paddling

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM - Reunion Dinner

Sunday, October 2nd

  8:30 AM - Registration and Boat Selection

  9:00 AM - Boat Loading on Trailers

  9:30 AM - Travel to Clinic Sites

  9:45 AM - First Clinic Offered -

River Rescue

Well Balanced Paddler

Smooth Paddling Using Draws

Open Paddling

 11:45 AM - Lunch

12:15 PM - Meet at Zoar Gap and travel to site.

12:30 PM - Second Clinic Offered - Running The Gap For The First Time

                       Zoar Gap With Control & Finesse

                       Class III Moves In Class II Water

                       Make Your Eddy Turns / Peel Outs Look Easy

 2:15 PM - Meet at Zoar Gap and travel to site.

 2:30 PM - Third Clinic

Clinics Offered - Catching Surfs

                       Improve Your Roll

                       Perfect Stroke Timing & Efficiency

                       Make Your Eddy Turns / Peel Outs Look Easy

 5:00 PM - Weekend Wrap-Up - Coffee and Cookies to be served in the kayak school.

Mini-Clinics Available

  • Perfect stroke timing and efficiency
  • River rescue
  • Well-balanced paddler
  • Make you eddy turns/peel outs look easy
  •  Improve your roll
  • Catching surfs
  • Smooth paddling using draws
  • Fundamentals of freestyle – flatwater
  • Open Paddling with the Zoar Instruction Staff
  • Running the Gap for the first time
  • Zoar Gap with Control & Finesse
  • Class III Moves In Class II Water
Price

Saturday - $80.00 per person (includes t-shirt, lunch and a hearty evening dinner)

Sunday - $70.00 per person (includes t-shirt and lunch)

Both Saturday & Sunday - $140.00 per person (includes lunch each day and dinner on Saturday......your t-shirt is FREE!)