I finally got around to taking rolling lessons! That was my biggest priority this summer but every time I signed up for lessons, they had to be canceled for some reason or another (car problems that needed to be fixed at the Rossport Symposium, bad weather at the North of Superior Symposium, etc).

I took a pool lesson with Joe O’Blenis and was able to roll within the two hour lesson. It’s definitely not smooth or bomb-proof (yet) as you can see in the video below but I was able to pull off 6 rolls on my own before getting too tired and bailing on the seventh attempt so I’m pretty happy. Joe’s a great teacher with a lot of knowledge and patience which is the main reason I was able to do a roll my first time.

We started with practicing hip snaps by holding the edge of the pool and honestly, after 20 minutes of this, I was doubting that I would pull off a roll that night. It’s harder and more tiring than it looks (and my beer belly doesn’t offer very much flexibility). After that we did a few assisted rolls with Joe making sure everything was in proper position and going through all the motions slowly. Joe spotted me on a couple more rolls and realized that I could pull one off on my own so I took a quick break and attached the camera to the bow of my kayak.

The first roll is a little sloppy but knowing that I pulled it off on my own was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had (notice the ear to ear grin on my face in the video). The last few seemed fairly easy at the time but looking at the video, I can see that I didn’t have the greatest form and was putting my paddle too deep. I think the sixth roll was my best. On my seventh attempt, I brought my head up too soon, could sweep myself up and went back under. I was too tired so I didn’t even make a second attempt at it and bailed. I was still happy with the overall progress so bailing didn’t bother me at all.


If you’re in Thunder Bay or going to be in the area and would like to take a one-on-one rolling lesson, you can contact Joe through his website: http://www.geocities.com/outrageous_outdoors

We have a few different options for this weeks paddle at Hazelwood Lake.

Routes and distance are outlined below.
From the boat launch:

1. paddle around the entire lake – 10 km
2. paddle around the islands - 6.5 km
3. paddle around the islands then cross under Hazelwood Drive to the dam and back – 8 km

We can paddle from the boat launch to the first island and decide from there if we would like to continue around the lake or circle the islands.

Getting There:
Hazelwood Lake Conservation Area is approximately a 20 minute drive from Thunder Bay.

Follow Dawson Road (Highway 102) past County Fair Plaza to Hazelwood Drive. Turn right on Hazelwood Drive and follow it to the end at Hazelwood Lake Conservation Area. You’ll see the boat launch on your left.

Time:
6:30 - Meet at the Hazelwood Drive boat launch (red star on the map)

For anyone who hasn’t been to Hazelwood before we can meet in the County Fair Plaza parking lot (by the TD Bank) at 6:00 and drive out together.

Weather Forecast:
High: 20°C, Low 10°C
Scattered showers
Wind: NW 5 km/h

The water is still pretty chilly so make sure you bring a sprayskirt and all your safety gear.

Superior Kayak Club
If you would like to join the club, please bring the application and waiver forms along with your membership fees to our next paddle.

You can print the forms the links below:
Application
Waiver

Membership fees are $15/individual or $20/family.

Non-members are more than welcome to join us to see what the club has to offer.

Click below for more information about the club and previous paddles:
http://www.geocities.com/outrageous_outdoors/ThunderBaySKClub.html

** Event postponed until August 30th **

The Grand Kam Canoe and Kayak Tour has been postponed until August 30th. New forms will be posted on their website soon.

http://www.childrenscentre.ca/grandkam2008/index.html