Seniors in kayaks....why not??

One of the things I enjoy the most about my job as Adult Kayak teacher is the child-like joy of those who are paddling for the first time in the 60's or above. It speaks to the fact that no matter what age we have acquired, there is still joy in learning something new.

Having taught folks from ages 8 to 80, I can honestly say that there are more similarities than there are differences.  I remember Mr Church, who took the class I believe 2 years ago. He was 73, and at one time had been a "real athlete" and had actually competed here at one time in the Tour De Georgia, a bike race across the state. It took a good chunk of time to get Mr Church into his big green rec kayak, because he had
one knee replacement and one that needed it, and he couldn't bend that leg at all. The boats that many of the seniors use are big and bulky; many of them have not been in the lake for 50 years, and they just feel better in the "barge-like" boats. One evening Mr Church tried to lift his leg up to put in into the cockpit, but he kicked the boat inside and stopped off of the dock into the lake. Panic ensued!!  Took us a couple of moments to calm him down and get him up onto the dock. But, he got right back in the boat and pushed off, and before I knew it the baptism jokes started.

I knew he would be okay.

Another session I really love with the "older kids" is when we get the opportunity to put them in  a k-4 with the high-performance guys. My student always sits third seat; this works best for balance reasons, but the athlete in fourth seat is able to coach them throughout the ride, and he is able to mirror what the two ahead of him is doing. It's a great recruitment tool, honestly. But more than that, it provides my seniors an experience unlike they've had in their long lives. There is always a little nervousness, but always big smiles afterwards. When I ask if they enjoyed it, the response is a resounding "yes!" When I ask if they want to do it again, the response is always "no!" Lol..

My current class have several senior ladies in it. I am really looking forward to Tuesday's class, the team boat class. We've already made arrangements to do the 10-man dragon boat and take out the Kirton k-4. This is a pretty gutsy group, so I'm hoping I can talk everyone into the k-4. They all took trainers out last night, and even with a good amount of wash, we only had one flip.

Wish me luck!!
TKM