1000 Islands Paddle Sport Challenge

July 25th & 26th at Joel Stone Beach beside our location in Gananoque!

Welcome to one of the most exciting paddling events of the season! The 2009 Paddle Sport Challenge is a two day festival, celebrating our river and the unique way paddlers can connect with it. Our goal is to promote paddling as an accessible form of recreation for everyone. There is a huge variety of two hour introductory and advanced clinics designed to inspire a passion for paddling in children, beginners, seniors, and competitive paddlers. We have something for everyone. This is your opportunity to get your feet wet and enjoy kayaking for many years to come! All equipment provided.

Both days will host a display local organizations for you to meet who are involved with sustainable and healthy living. Thinking of buying a boat? Test paddle many new models of kayaks, work with great instructors, enjoy the BBQ and see some of the best paddling videos at the Real Paddling Film Festival.

Sunday is a fun day of races for kids, recreational paddlers and sprint boaters. The day starts at 9:00 with a 2 km kids race and warm up paddle for the longer distance events.

Race categories include K1, K2, OC 1, OC 2, OC 6 , Sea kayak and recreational boats.

A six kilometer sprint course an 18 km endurance course and a very exciting adventure navigation race. There will be both a sprint boat and recreational category with prizes for top place finishers in both distance races (6km 18 km). The adventure race begins at 10:00 am as you and a partner navigate your way through a set of checkpoints in 1000 Islands Admiralty group. Boats must return to the finish line in under six hours or a point penalty will be deducted from your total score. Safety boater will be on the water and maps will be distributed.

Entry prices:

Beginner clinics: $10

Specialty Clinics: $15

Family of four, $25 / clinic

Real Paddling Film Festival: $10

Kids Race: Free with purchase of 2 clinics, or $10

6 km sprint course: $15 recreational or $20 sprint boats

18 km endurance race: $20 recreational, $25 sprint boats

Adventure Race: $30 / team

To register for clinics please phone us at 613-329-6265

Please note that race prices do not include boats or safety equipment, for rental information please contact 1000 Islands Kayaking at 613-329-6265.

Enjoy perusing our clinic schedule for a list of Saturday’s events.

Course-Calendar-Paddle-Fest.pdf

Program Descriptions

9:00 – 11:00

1. Kids 6-12. Part I.

Kids need to get outside and play. With today’s trends of various social issues in youth, here is a great opportunity to introduce your children to paddling in a fun and safe environment. We believe in learning through play and have an extensive list of games to teach kids skills such as boat control, water safety and even rescues! They will work together to problem solve and will be begging to get back out on the water as soon as possible!

2. Intro to kayaking. This program covers two hours of the basics. If you have never tried kayaking before and are looking for skills to get you started, develop control of your boat and feel more comfortable, this is the clinic for you. Learn about necessary kayaking equipment, basic strokes for boat control and improve your confidence.

3. Stroke Improvement. Here we focus on technique for maximizing your efficiency on the water. If you have been paddling for a few weeks or even for a few years, we can help you move you boat with as little energy as possible. Develop edging techniques and push your paddling to the next level! Have some fun with this course and take skills with you to practice for years of paddling.

4. Competitive paddling (course description coming)*specialty clinic

5. Parents and tots. Play in the sheltered waters of Joel Stone Beach while enjoying a ride in a kayak with mom dad! Children ages 3-8 can climb into a boat with you and go for a spin along the Gananoque shoreline! Safety boaters will be on the water with you for basic instruction and to keep an eye on the group! Most kayak rides last half an hour depending on the age of your child.

6. Navigation. Navigation is the ancient art of figuring out where you are and where you are going. If your fascinated with the stars and enjoy reading maps, here is a great opportunity to learn or freshen up skills in chart plotting and labeling, along with compass basics and triangulation. This course will walk you through all the tools available for coastal navigation and give you some practice before heading out on an expedition. This will be a lifelong tool set for you to enjoy and help you tripping run smoother, safer and more efficient. Getting into adventure racing or orienteering? This is a need to know skill for getting where you are going!

To register for clinics please phone us at 613-329-6265

12:00 – 2:00

1. Kids 12 – 16.

This is a pivotal age for youth to stay active and deepen their connection to the outdoors. Kayaking has a magical ability to stimulate multiple senses and facilitate an emotional connection to our beautiful waterways. We are focused on a non-competitive, social experience that builds a solid foundation for future paddlers. At this age, we key in on water safety, judgment and fun with the goal of increasing independence and decision making skills. If your children are considering joining one of our youth paddling clubs or after school programs, this is a great introduction to the sport.

2. Women’s only stroke improvement. Boost your confidence and boat control. These two hours will leave you with a set of skills to practice for the rest of the summer. No need to get it perfect now, there is no wrong way to paddle a kayak, but there are defiantly more efficient and effective techniques. Even the best racing kayakers are still improving their strokes and we can set you up to use less energy and have more fun in your boat! Work with some incredible women instructors and potentially meet some local paddling partners!

3. Intro to kayak rescue. even though there is a very low likelihood of your kayak capsizing, the potential always exists. If you ever go paddling by yourself or find that you are taking your friends out who are beginners, getting back into your boat is an absolutely necessary skill. Take the time to practice with our nationally certified instructors in the calm, sheltered waters before the need actually arises in your adventures. We will cover multiple types of self and assisted rescues until you have the confidence to get yourself or your friends back into their kayak. Just think, if you ever do capsize, it is likely due to winds, waves, currents and the cold water is no time to realize that this is your first attempt at climbing back in. After practicing a few times, you will quickly realize that it is not that difficult and there is no longer a need to be worried. Take safety seriously and register for this course! Your friends will thank you once they are dry again!

4. Paddling for fitness. It is perfectly normal to feel a little sore and tired at the end of a day of paddling. Why not use the natural motion of kayaking to build core body strength, stability and cardio endurance. There are plenty of muscles in there that you may never have known you had. We will find them and give them a little wake up call! If you are already a paddler, you can take our fitness techniques to whatever level you desire. Relax in the inherently tranquil waterways paddlers seek out while working on breathing exercises, or deliver more power under windy or rough conditions. Paddling for fitness is a not competitive, recreational style of kayaking that will make you feel stronger with improved power and endurance.

5. Rolling Clinic, let’s face it, rolling a kayak is just cool! Every paddler is envious of someone who can simply flip their boat back up and suffer no consequence other than a little water up the nose. Safety wise, this is the most effective self rescue technique on the market! We will use white water kayaks for this clinic as they are more agile and tighter on your body to learn the skill. Once you have it, it is easily transferred to other boats. Bring your swimming goggles and a set of nose plugs as you will become very comfortable upside down during this course! Have fun with it, send your confidence through the roof and claim your well deserved bragging rights in front of your friends this summer! *specialty clinic

6. Winds, Waves, Tides Currents. Kayaks are rather slow moving crafts on the water and often at the mercy of the forces of nature. By studying the physics of these forces, we can predict a lot of to make our paddling excursions safer and more fun. Kayaking inherently connects people with the most powerful substance on this planet, water. By understanding how water moves and affects your kayak, it also draws your spirit and sense of wonder closer to this incredible element! If you are planning any extended trips, these skills will prove extremely useful for route planning and risk management. The more you can predict and prepare for, the safer you will be.

To register for clinics please phone us at 613-329-6265

3:00 – 5:00

1. Kids 6-12. Part II.

This is a pivotal age for youth to stay active and deepen their connection to the outdoors. Kayaking has a magical ability to stimulate multiple senses and facilitate an emotional connection to our beautiful waterways. We are focused on a non-competitive, social experience that builds a solid foundation for future paddlers. At this age, we key in on water safety, judgment and fun with the goal of increasing independence and decision making skills. If your children are considering joining one of our youth paddling clubs or after school programs, this is a great introduction to the sport.

2. Intro to kayaking. This program covers two hours of the basics. If you have never tried kayaking before and are looking for skills to get you started, develop control of your boat and feel more comfortable, this is the clinic for you. Learn about necessary kayaking equipment, basic strokes for boat control and improve your confidence.

3. Women’s only kayak rescue (description soon to come)

4. Competitive paddling (description soon to come) *specialty clinic

5. Rolling clinic part 2

6. Yoga for paddlers. What a perfect way to end a day of paddling! Dan Deluis of Brockville has an incredible approach to connecting the mind to the body through meditative breathing exercises and poses. We all could use more flexibility, core strength and relaxation in our lives. This course will be held at the water’s edge with the grass under your feet. There is indoor space available if the weather turns. The marriage between kayaking and yoga is a relationship that makes more sense than peanut butter and chocolate! Soul food at it’s finest! No experience is necessary for this course while Dan leads you through exercises specifically targeting the muscles used by kayakers. Relax, breath and remember what it feels like to be alive!

To register for clinics please phone us at 613-329-6265