Kent Ford. We just completed a three-day whitewater Instructor Development Workshop (IDW) with Kent Ford, one of the most respected instructor trainers in the country, who has competed and won titles in international whitewater slalom racing, coached the US Olympic kayak team, published books and produced videos about paddling technique and instruction, and continues to coach paddlers at every level. Despite all his credentials, experiences and accolades, Kent is a remarkably laid-back, open-minded guy. (Once again, we’re struck by the fact that most of the rock stars of the paddling world don’t let their prominence go to their heads.) The course was hosted by Geneva Kayak Center and taught at the new Yorkville whitewater park, where Geneva just opened its new paddle shop and instructional center. Kent, no stranger to whitewater teaching venues, was highly impressed by both the shop and the park. “It’s pretty darn amazing,” he told us. “It’s the most teaching-friendly of the whitewater parks I’ve been to, but there’s still plenty for a real strong intermediate or advanced paddler. It’s like five miles of class two river features jammed into 200 yards of city park.” We had visited the park earlier with our kids, who did find plenty to do with their considerable whitewater skills. This IDW was our opportunity to get some formal training on how to teach whitewater paddling, as well as some top-notch instruction and critique of our own skills. We’re still processing the experience, but some things are already clear to us: Coming from our sea kayak background, some aspects of whitewater technique are familiar and comfortable while others are foreign and awkward. Both the similarities and differences are valuable, and build our paddling skills. As we develop as coaches and paddlers, we realize that being knowledgeable and capable in various types of boats is essential to becoming graceful and skilled in any type of boat. Certainly, the coaches who impress us most with their technique tend to paddle more than one craft. Geneva Kayak Center is poised to transform paddling in the Chicago area by being located at this great venue and offering all sorts of training opportunities in canoe, whitewater kayak and sea kayak for students and instructors. They brought Kent Ford to Yorkville! We’re grateful for the opportunities they’ve provided and look forward to the ones to...

Panoramic shot of the whitewater park and the new Geneva Kayak Outdoor Center. Most of the time, we drive east to paddle on Lake Michigan. But yesterday, we went west to Yorkville, Ill. to check out Geneva Kayak Center’s new Yorkville Outdoor Center on the also-new Glen D. Palmer Whitewater Canoe/Kayak Chute. It’s a nice location: the whitewater course is right outside the door of the outdoor center, and a concrete walkway allows paddlers to easily carry their boats from the bottom of the run back up to the top. The landscaping isn’t yet done, and Geneva Kayak is still putting finishing touches on the shop, but both are ready enough for action. Sharon and Bill Burton putting in at the top of the chute. Mounds of debris and cement blocks testify to the recent completion of the chute and the work yet to come on the landscaping. The river was high and the current was fast — about 3,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) — so we felt comfortable running it once in a fiberglass boat. From there, we headed down the Fox River.One of the appeals of Geneva’s Yorkville Location is the easy access to a lovely section of the Fox. You can paddle various distances to a number of easy take-outs. At one point, we heard rapids and saw a horizon line ahead of us–the tell-tale signs of what could be a low-head dam. We knew that there was a broken-out dam at this point on the river and that it was runnable, but we decided to get out and scout anyway. Getting out to scout ahead. It turned out to be a broken-out dam of no significance, which we happily paddled through. All that sound didn’t signify much. With air temperatures in the lower 50s, water in the upper 30s and a 90 percent chance of rain, we knew it was going to be an interesting weather day. And it was. At various times, we enjoyed rain… and fog… and even encountered a few small ice bergs floating along. But mostly, we enjoyed a very quiet trip down a pretty section of the fox. When we returned to Geneva Kayak Center, it was getting cooler and starting to rain more heavily, but we hopped in our whitewater boats and spent some time playing in the features. The view at 3,000 CFS There were plenty of nice surf waves along with wave trains and squirrelly eddy lines. A serious play boater might find the offerings limited, but we appreciated the opportunity to paddle hard and tune up our rusty whitewater skills in our newer shorter boats. We drove home in the dark and the rain, reflecting...