At this year’s Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium, we had the opportunity to work with students who signed up for the “one-coach track.” This meant each of us worked with five students for the entire weekend, rather than being assigned to teach a series of two-hour skills sessions with an ever-changing group of participants who signed up for each of those courses. We chose the one-coach track because we were interested in working on a progression — one of our responsibilities as BCU Coach 2 trainees. But we did so with some regrets because it meant we wouldn’t have the opportunity to work with other coaches and participants at the symposium. We’d be off on our own little learning island. It turned out to be a terrific opportunity. We began by discussing their goals and then videotaping each of the 10 participants performing a set of two-star skills: efficient forward paddling, moving sideways, maneuvering in a small space, and performing a low brace. Some of the participants in our one-coach track watching their videotaped performance as Alec offers observations. Over the course of the next two and a half days, we were able to help them improve those skills. We began with the fundamentals: posture, connectivity, power transfer and feel. We then applied those and other concepts to everything from the forward stroke and edged turns to bracing and rescues. Our standard for everything was “safe, effective, efficient,” enabling them to understand why particular approaches make the most sense and to choose what works best for them. Thanks to the weather, the course culminated in taking those skills into bumpy water for a real-world application. Finally, we videotaped again, allowing our students to see how much they had progressed. It was a rewarding weekend for all of us. One-coach participants testing their skills in bumpy water. The one-coach track allowed us the freedom to work on skills without feeling the two-hour clock ticking, to establish a well-paced progression, and to provide varied practice over two and a half days. In the end, if was a more optimal learning experience for them, and a more satisfying coaching experience for us. The 10 participants and two coaches from this year’s one-coach...

Unloading boats at the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium. The words of Herodotus, inscribed above the door of the New York City post office, might well apply to this year’s Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium*: “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night…” We arrived in Grand Marais, MI just before a deluge that signified the end to a string of hot, humid days and the start of a period of cooler weather. The rain pounded so hard on the metal roof of the symposium headquarters in the community center, people had to shout at close range to be heard. Outside, ominous clouds began circling over Lake Superior, and the US Coast Guard announced a water spout offshore. Ominous clouds circling offshore at Grand Marais, MI. But the wet and wild weather didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of coaches or participants. Hey, it’s a water sport! These students couldn’t be stopped. Over the next three days, we paddled in wind and waves, as well as on flat water. We sweated in light clothing and shivered in dry suits. It was a weekend tour of midwestern summer weather, and a great demonstration that neither snow nor rain nor heat not gloom of night stays these paddlers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. *More posts about this symposium will follow in the coming...

   We just returned from the 26th annual Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium (GLSKS) in Grand Marais, Michigan–a tiny town on the southern shore of Lake Superior. This is the oldest of the Great Lakes symposia, and it has a storied past. It was begun by Stan Chladek, founder of Great River Outfitters (GRO), who ran it for many years before handing it off to Riverside Kayak Connection. This year, Downwind Sports (which began and still runs the annual Ladies of the Lake symposium) picked it up. Bill Thompson, co-owner of Downwind Sports, organized the event, recruited the sponsors and vendors, and kept the coaches fed and watered. Kelly Blades, force of nature, recruited the coaches, restructured the courses and ensured the proper balance of safety and mayhem as well as plenty of laughs. Bill Thompson and Kelly Blades model good communication skills.    This year, the symposium offered three days of guided tours along the scenic coastline and islands of the area. Participants could choose to paddle anywhere from 8 to 18 miles, past the colorful limestone bluffs and dramatic sand dunes of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. They got to try some rock hopping, poke into sea caves, and paddle under waterfalls and through arches.   The cliffs on the west side of Grand Island. An arch on the north side of Grand Island, below the light house.    On Friday, when the symposium officially began, students chose classes with unconventional names but very practical purposes: Going Forward (forward stroke), Not Going Forward (turning and draw strokes), Staying Dry (bracing), Getting Wet (rescues), and so on. On day two, the wind kicked up in time for Bumpy Water Boat Control, Rough Water Play and Surfing. The onshore waves built to about three feet, creating surf on the beach and clapotis near the break wall.    That day ended with the traditional Pasty Dinner (an Upper Peninsula delicacy) and Freya Hoffmeister’s “Race Around Australia” presentation. The final day featured a Blessing of the Boats by the paddling pastor, Doug Van Doren, and a wacky race past squirt-gun toting kids and insult-hurling spectators.    Racers survive the Tunnel of Doom en route to the Valley of Insults.    Every symposium has its own personality, and its character changes over time. The GLSKS began with an emphasis on providing BCU training and certification for American paddlers and evolved into a tour-and-classes symposium that offered more courses for higher-level students. Under Downwind Sports’ management, it continues that tradition while adding a sense of humor and a stronger presence by sponsors and vendors. And the kids’ program was bigger, better and free with adult registration. (A shout-out to our daughter, Hannah, who ran...