Events!!

This club needs or can I say deserves a proper Events schedule. Check out this page from the Ohio Keelhaulers, trips arranged almost every weekend during the year. Why can't we aim for something like that? I believe we should! I'm not suggesting every weekend throughout the year (although that would be great!), clearly they have a much larger membership base that we do and are 2hrs from awesome whitewater, but come on, at least a trip every other weekend? Personally I think it is great to lead a trip and encourage other people to go kayaking. Certainly it entails some responsibility but that's what boating is all about, no?

So let's hear your opinions? I say let's ask every experienced boater to commit to one trip per year, a river you know well, you can lead on and a weekend you can spare. The job of the float trip coordinator could then be to arrange the ACA waivers as necessary. As far as I'm concenred it can just be the St Francis, but there can be multiple trips in the same weekend. All that matters is that there are enough of us in the club that it shouldn't be a problem. 3-4 people per vehicle & campsite can reduce the cost and carbon impact of a trip substantially, we should all be working toward this, right JohnK?. Thanks to the great teaching opportunities through our club we have significant numbers of new people interested in boating whitewater. We should want to see their possibilities for that encouraged and developed, and that requires trips.

I know this is a great club with many great whitewater boaters, all I hear at meetings is about the 'good ol' days' when we would descend on GAF or the St in huge numbers and party like no one else. Well, let's do it! I will commit to trips, so come on the rest of you, let's go boating!!

I don't mind leading trips to the Gauley, Upper Yough, Ocoee, Big South Fork of the Cumberland, Chattooga 4 ( after I finally run it ), WV rivers like the Cheat and Tygart Gorge. I can also do an open boat trip once a year to places like the Lower Yough or class 3 rivers on the Plateau. A playboating trip wouldn't be out of the question either ( how about an Ocoee trip on Memorial Day Weekend in a few weeks? Any takers?) An Upper Yough trip on the 4th of July weekend is also doable. Let's have some feedback. I too would like to see more trips scheduled. Jonathan has a good point and I am glad he brought it up.

While I fully agree, I have garnered quite a bit of frustration attempting to get paddlers out and interested in Paddling events and opportunities. I post about paddling and going paddling---- sometimes folks come at the last minute (the nature of the game !) I will commit to leading a Trip or 3 to the Ocoee this Summer. The level of difficulty is not so severe that newer paddlers can't participate, and the Upper is a great run and can give you all the fear factor you need. So, I will put together some dates --- and post them in the events forum. Are we looking for this to be MWA Sanctioned events, or more laid back --- paddle at your own risk sort of thang ? Also, I am more than likely headed to the Teva Games the first weekend in June in Vail, Colorado. I spoke with Eli H. last night, and he is competeing and we are gonna hang out, paddle some, and enjoy the festivities (Concert by Julian Marley) Freddie