A few days ago, I decided to do the unthinkable; I signed up for a kayaking class offered by Milligan Campus Activities. Before this class, I had only thought about what could go wrong in a kayak: What if I flipped over, got trapped inside by the skirt and drowned?
But, I am happy to report that I survived my first session at the Beginner’s Kayaking Class led by Jason Onks. The class took place at the fieldhouse pool and consisted of current students, professors and graduate students.
To be completely honest, going into the first class I was a little nervous. I had never been in a kayak, and I did not know anyone else in the class. And I certainly did not expect to be doing rolls and escaping from the kayak underwater on the first day.
We all took turns getting in the kayak and getting flipped over in the water. We did two different types of rolls: one where you turn the kayak around 360 degrees and one where you only turn it halfway to let the kayaker get out. I had to place a lot of trust in people I had just met. I had to trust a complete stranger to turn me over quickly to see what actually getting turned over in the river would be like.
On the first roll, I had to hold on like a koala to a eucalyptus tree. Onks wanted us to keep as close to the kayak as possible, because in the river there could be rocks or hard things at the bottom, and you do not want to hit your head. So he taught us that the closer you are to the kayak the faster you can flip over. On the second roll, I had to fight down a little panic to get out of the kayak.
It was nerve-racking, because I had never willingly allowed myself to be tipped over. I did get some water up my nose, and I came up coughing every single time. But, the first time we had to get out of the kayak, I was able to get out pretty fast. However, that was without the kayak skirt on.
I was a little apprehensive of putting on the skirt — a piece of material that kayakers wear around their waist that stretches out over the opening in the kayak and helps keep water out — because I was afraid of not being able to get out. However, Onks showed the class that it is not really hard to get out of. The material just goes over the lip of the kayak, so the inside of the kayak should stay dry.
“By the end of this course you should be able to get out of the kayak — skirt and all — in under two seconds,” Onks said.
The biggest thing I had to learn was not to let my mind rule me. Some of the things we did, like the rolls, go completely against what I would normally want to do when in a pool or a river. There is a sort of mental block that I had to get over before I could really start to have fun.
I could get out of the kayak pretty quickly the first time, but then again it was in a controlled situation in a pool. The real test will be when I get out in a rushing river; we’ll see what really happens if I get flipped over. When we did the rolls with the skirt on, it took me a little bit longer to get out, because I had to really think through the steps of what I needed to do.
Step one: Get as close to the kayak as possible.
Step two: Pull the tab off the lip of the kayak.
Step three: Bring your knees up to your chest.
Step four: Push the kayak as far away from you as you can and come up.
The last thing we did was something fun.
“Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to try and get back in the kayak under the water and wrap yourself up like you did at the beginning,” Onks said. “Then tap out the bottom of the kayak, and then we will bring you back up.”
I was able to do this on my second try. It takes a lot of thought to go backwards through the motions of getting into the kayak. I had to be sure that I had the right end of the kayak, so I could stick my legs inside the right way. This was difficult, because I was holding my breath and trying to figure out if I was facing the right way underwater. But it was a lot of fun when I could actually do it.
This has been a really interesting class, and I am glad that I am taking it. I am looking forward to learning more about the different rolls and strokes. The class will be taking a trip down the lower Nolichucky River in April. As one could imagine, I am really looking forward to it.