Basic Canoeing Syllabus-May Term

Northland College Outdoor Education Home Course Descriptions

Outer Island, East Shore Waves, Apostle Islands, Lake Superior

From a Ryan Brady Photo

Basic Canoeing Syllabus- May Term

Oed-035-01

Read: Using Guided Problem Solving in Teaching Canoeing Strokes

Read: Tandem Canoe Stroke Technique Summary

Read: Lightning Safety in the Field

A Simple Rope System for Tying Down Canoes and Pre-Rigging a Stirrup Rescue

Location: Off campus

Lab: Monday/Wednesday 12:30-5:20

Instructor: J. Grant White

Office: 312 Wheeler

Phone: Ext. 1350

E-mail: mailto:gwhite@northland.edu

Text: Paddling Basics-Canoeing: An Illustrated Guide to Equipmennt,Technique, and Safety, By Cecil Kuhne

“The canoe is the royalty of watercraft, and even the most fat and fatuous of them is infinitely exalted in my mind above the power pig. A canoe is something from which humanity fairly oozes. It’s a wing that’s flown on the pleasurable fuels of perspiration, perception and intelligence. To paddle even a poor one is to partake of broadened perceptual universe; to become immersed in paddling a good one is to partake of some kind of godhood.”

Harry Roberts

Page 13, Wilderness Camping, Vol. 6, No. 6, 1977

Introduction:

This course is designed to introduce you to the knowledge and skills needed to safely enjoy canoeing for recreation, relaxation, lifetime physical fitness, or work.

As an activity, canoeing is often viewed as being about as common as dirt: totally uncomplicated, and absolutely without risk. That the exact opposite is, in fact, the case means that many people know so little about the activity that they have no grasp of the variety of skills or magnitude of skill level possible, nor do they appreciate the potential risks, or possess the means of avoiding them. If this course goes as planned, none of these statements will apply to you when it is completed.

Unique to North America, the lightweight open canoe was absolutely essential to both the Native North Americans and the early Europeans for subsistence, work, exploration, commerce, and general transportation. In the early days, the waterways were often the paths of least resistance through the wilderness, particularly when heavy loads were involved. This remained true even when the direction of travel happened to be upstream. Local waterways such as the Boise Brule, St. Croix, Bad, White, and Namekagon rivers were used in this way long before they were used for recreation.

While other types of boats can out-perform the canoe in specific categories of performance, no other boat is, at the same time, as fast, as maneuverable, as seaworthy, or can carry as great a load for its size as the canoe, and still be lifted and carried over land to the next body of water.

Modern canoeing includes the disciplines of tripping, flat water cruising, white water paddling, freestyle paddling, poling, lining, tracking, portaging, sailing, and various categories of competition in nearly all of these areas.

Course Goals:

To help students to appreciate the potential for skill development and diversity within this activity
To inform students regarding care of equipment
To provide a solid foundation of both flat water and moving water paddling techniques, and the means for students to self-critique and continue to learn on their own
To promote an understanding of the potential hazards associated with canoeing and provide the knowledge and skills necessary to recognize and avoid them
Acting upon the assumption that students are enrolling in the course out of a genuine interest in the activity: to provide students with information that will enable them to make informed purchases of canoes and canoeing equipment

Outcomes:

Upon completing the course, students will have developed a functional understanding of the interactions among boat, paddle, and water, and an ability to apply same, to produce efficient, effective canoeing strokes.

Included will be the concepts of:

Paddle power face
Law of action-reaction
Law of inertia
Effective force transfer
Effective paddling biomechanics
Functional ability to use basic rescue techniques
Functional understanding of water hydraulogy and river/lake safety
Functional understanding of canoe design and construction
Functional ability to paddle either bow or stern on either the right or left side, in both quiet and moving water

“ If the wind blows when docking, if the lake becomes rough, if the river drops through rapids, the ordinary canoeist grows uneasy, is easily dislodged from his seat, and is often in danger. The skilled canoeist merely becomes more interested and he can put himself in a position of safety whenever he wishes.”

Deforest Eveland

Mankato State University graduate student, Dept. of Experiential Education (and “skilled canoeist”), spring 1977

Class Schedule:

Week 1

Monday:

Introduction to the class

Safety talk, paperwork, etc.

Basic concepts, fit paddles and P.F.D.s, learn to load the trailers, canoe lifts, portage techniques, etc.

Read Chaps. 1 & 2

Wednesday:

Basic flat-water instruction and rescue--Twin Lakes/Birch Grove or Long Lake

Read Chap. 3

Week 2

Monday:

Canoe orienteering/practice straight-line travel--Mineral Lake

Read Chap. 4

Wednesday:

Classroom (T.B.A.); water hydraulogy, theory of paddling moving water, river safety

Read Chap. 5

Week 3

Monday:

Strokes and maneuvers for moving water—White River Flowage

Read Chap. 6

Wednesday:

Moving water on the White River from Pike River Road to Sutherland Landing

Read Chap. 7

Week 4

Monday:

Moving water on the White River from the reservoir to Hwy. 13 or T.B.A. based on conditions

Read Chap. 8

Wednesday:

Classroom (T.B.A.) presentation on canoe design, construction, and materials; a ‘canoe buyer’s guide’

Equipment Requirements:

In order to safely participate in this class, you will need to come prepared for cold, wet conditions with extra layers of warm clothing with properties that will allow them to keep you warm when wet (this includes wool, synthetic fleece and pile, polypropylene, Thermax, Thinsulate, Capilene, et.al.—the list does not include cotton and acrylic), good rain gear (bring it every time!), a warm hat, waterproof boots (i.e.- “barn boots”) or shoes that can take repeated wetting without damage, a day pack with a garbage bag (two—doubled—are better) or dry bag in which to keep your clothing dry, and a water bottle along with high energy snacks.

Grades:

Students in this class will receive a letter grade for their work. Grades in this class will be calculated on a straight percentage basis. This is accomplished by dividing the number of points earned by the total number of points possible. I do not grade on improvement except to the extent that improved scores will bolster the student’s overall point total. Full and enthusiastic class participation is expected of all students and should not be viewed as something extra that can be counted on to compensate for poor performance on written assignments.

In addition to attending every session, each student will write a research paper, which will be due at the end of the session. The papers should represent thorough research of a specific and focused topic. Papers should be concise while providing thorough coverage of the topic in question.

The grading scale is as follows: 93-100 A; 90-92 A-; 87-89 B+; 83-86 B; 80-82 B-; 77-79 C+; 73-76 C; 70-72 C-; 67-69 D+; 60-66 D; 0-59 F.

Attendance:

Students must understand that attendance is of paramount importance in any activity class. It is more important than, and cannot be made up by the written assignment. This class meets 8 times. Therefore, if classes are missed, each class will be considered to be worth 13% of the class, and 13% per session missed will be deducted from the final percentage total.

Students in the class will be expected to attend each session and participate to the fullest. Excused absences include illness, school sponsored activities, and selected family obligations. Missing a class to study for another class is not excused on the basis of it being a school sponsored activity.

Experience has shown this professor that it is impossible to anticipate all possible situations which may affect a student’s final grade. If, and when such situations arise, a decision will be made by the course instructor, based on the norms of the profession and his best judgment. The professor may consult with departmental colleagues, the Division Head, and/or the Dean of the College.

Canoeing Internet Resources:

Organizations/Information

American Canoe Association

http://www.americancanoe.org/

Minnesota Canoe Association

http://www.canoe-kayak.org/

Outdoor Play

http://www.outdoorplay.com/

Salty Dog

http://www.seakayaker.com/

Preservation

American Rivers