RE: [Paddlewise] Safety Clinic

Jim said:

> > I have been selected as the GUY IN CHARGE for the yearly 
> safety clinic 
> > for our club.  I am dealing with a tough crowd who could 
> give a hoot about any safety.

How about making it a fun thing. For example, you could have contests to see
who can do a solo paddlefloat rescue the fastest, or who can do any kind of
solo re-entry and have a dry cockpit and be ready to go the fastest.

You could also do a kayak tug of war to help with towing--have two kayakers
paddle in opposite directions while having their tow lines clipped together.
A rolling contest could also be fun--who can do the most rolls in 30
seconds. 

It can be hard to get people to practice safety skills. In our club, I
usually host a session about once a month. Instead of putting one person in
charge, we get several experienced boaters to be mentors and we break up
into small groups and practice what the participants in each group want to
practice.

We also get in touch with the local outfitters who support us and negotiate
a special "club price" for some professional classes. For example, many of
them usually charge about $120 for a full day lesson and we have been able
to get them to offer a "club special" for $75. The outfitter gets a class
that is totally full, the members get a break in the class, and the club for
the last 2 years has been rebating $25 back the people who took the class.

It's a win-win situation for all. We don't compete with the outfitters by
giving classes, students get to learn from some of the best kayakers in the
country and wind up spending only $50 for a full day class.

Some of the classes we did this year were:

Bracing
Power Strokes
Navigation
Guiding and Leadership

Steve Holtzman
Southern CA
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