Youth Clinics

Lock 32 Whitewater park summer clinics teach kids and teens to excel in one of the fastest growing water sports in the country. Participants will learn the basic elements of whitewater kayaking and water safety, including wet-exits, forward and reverse sweep strokes, peel outs, eddy turns, ferries and river reading skills. All of the skills taught build a strong foundation for white water slalom racing, freestyle kayaking and recreational river running. The program involves lots of fun activities, including games and swimming to build a strong kayaking and safety skill set. All kayaks, helmets, paddles and life jackets are provided. 

The minimum age for participants is ten years old and all participants must be able to swim.

Please note: A late fee of $25 will apply for registrations received between the Wednesday (at noon) and Friday prior to the start of the class.  Registration for all Youth Clinics closes at noon the Friday prior to the start of the camp.  

This four-day program will get you into kayaking in the Lock 32 Whitewater Park. On Day One we head over to the pond and work on flatwater skills. We’ll teach you how to get out of the boat when you flip over, how to paddle and how to steer your kayak. On Day Two we’ll head down to the whitewater course where we’ll work on paddling around in the moving water. On Day Three you can run the whole whitewater course (if you want to)—crash through waves and small holes. On Day Four we work on some more advanced skills (like surfing), play lots of games and paddle down the rapids.

This class helps you to learn good kayaking skills right from the get go. Once you get the basics you can take a more advanced class (like a Level Two camp) or come back on Monday night and join the Lock 32 youth kayaking club, which includes members who have just started out like you and kids who have been featured in national magazines and competitions.

The same program as above, just in the afternoon. 

Level Two is all about learning the Eskimo Roll.  We work one on one with each student to teach the fundamentals of the roll and to practice and perfect the technique.  Once you get the roll we’ll challenge you with advanced playboating moves like the stern squirt and bow stall.  We’ll also work on surfing the waves, side-surfing in the holes and perfecting boat control.  You must have taken the Level I program or had equivalent whitewater experience prior to taking Level II.

Level Three is the perfect way to polish up your skills and become a complete boater.  On Day One we learn the family of draw strokes (a draw stroke moves your boat sideways) in order to get better at controlling our boat in the current.  Day Two is cartwheel day: we’ll learn the skills in flatwater and practice them on eddy lines and in the holes.  Day Three is devoted to Swiftwater Rescue.  We’ll give you the skills to keep yourself safe on the river and some skills to help other people too.  On Day Four we’ll review draws and cartwheels and use the miracle of video to analyze our technique.  We’ll obviously play a whole lot, too. You must have reliable Eskimo roll prior to taking Level III.