How I got my daugter into Kayaking

[possumturd]

This post is part informational and part opportunity for me to brag on my pride and joy.

I got my 9 year old daughter Katherine into kayaking this past summer and it went pretty well. I thought she might take to it as she is a water dog to begin with. First we took a couple pool sessions with Confluence in Denver. She was spooked at first but having swim goggles made her more comfortable doing wet exits. The pool sessions went well and she was very exited. She never got her roll but had the paddling strokes down decent. They had her in a Jackson fun 1.5 I think.

Next I moved here to boulder creek and it started off badly . She totally freaked when the current grabbed her boat. I think boulder creek was running about 70 CFS It was barely deep enough for my boat. I had to be standing next to her for about 30 minutes as she attempted her first ferry's. Soon she got a little more comfortable and her confidence begin to build. After about an hour she was successfully ferring below a small drop by the library and then she started having fun . After that I sat on the bank and watched her play. Here is a video of her first day on moving water

http://home.comcast.net/~joebuhl/DSCN1429.MOV


After that I got her a lesson with Josh at Confluence in Denver. He started working on her roll immediately. They spent alot of time but never quite got it. Then they progressed to peel outs and ferry's. It was a great experience for her and Josh did a great job. Kudos to Josh and Confluence. Here is Katherine and Josh at Confluence on her second day on moving water:

http://home.comcast.net/~joebuhl/DSCN1444.MOV

Since then we spent the last of the summer making runs down the Boulder Creek Kayak course and practicing her roll which she finally got. She even made a run through October hole in Lyons near the end of the summer.

I would like to get her hooked up with other young lady boaters next summer. :mrgreen

[EP]

That is awesome that you are getting you daughter into kayaking and that she is excited about it. It is always good to hear about more young girls joining the sport.
My parents taught me how to paddle as I was going into high school. Today I am so thankful for it and appreciate it so much. So kudos to you as a father! Good luck and enjoy the time on the water with your daughter. Hopefully we will see you on the river somewhere.
-Eleanor Perry

[WW Lush]

She looks great! I wish I had started kayaking at her age! Once she learns to roll consistantly I am sure her confidence will increase tremendously. Very exciting to look forward to her first combat roll!

[JJH]

That is great.
Maybe bring her up to Fort Collins and she could give kayak polo a whirl. There are lots of youngsters playing now. Mostly boys, but there are several teen age girls and about 15 women playing.
It is amazing to see the skills of all these kids increase so much while playing polo. It has really increased their confidence for the river too.

[brokenpaddlejon]

I took my 7 year old daughter over to Meyers Pool a couple of time last year just to mess around. She kind of liked even though she got a little hurt each time. She saw the video of your daughter and I think she may go for it a little more this winter. I hope she takes to it the way your daughter did. Maybe we will see you at the pool.
BPJ

[Strider]

Congratulations on your daughter's enthusiasm for kayaking. I wanted to pass on some ACA information for the two of you. I totally recommend the Outdoor Divas instructional staff. They are a combination of many years of personal paddling and professional instruction geared toward teaching women.
Please drop me an email if you have any questions.
Kim Allen, ACA Whitewater Instructor

[kentboater]

You should check out the racing team I'm on, the Front Range Paddle Association. We're getting more and more kids every year and there tons of younger girls who are getting into paddling through slalom. the website is a mess right now but check it out, www.whitewaterracing.org, most of the team is in china right now for a training camp and race with the Chinese olympic team. But they'll be back in early december so if you have questions you can talk to chris, our coach/director.

Fuzzy