Learn to roll your touring kayak
Winter Courses at the Rodale Aquatic Center
The Lehigh Valley Kayak and Canoe Club is offering training on how to roll a touring kayak as part of the 2024 winter pool program.
These one-on-one courses are open to anyone who has a touring or sea kayak and wants to learn to perform the basic layback roll. This is also known as the standard roll in Greenland kayak terminology.
Students will sign up for two 45-minute sessions with a trainer. The sessions will take place in a separate, shallow pool that will be set aside for the course at the Rodale Aquatic Center in Allentown. The pool facility is on the Cedar Crest College campus.
Students do not need any prior experience, but they must be club members and have the following equipment:
- A touring kayak with least two bulkheads, one at each end of the cockpit. The kayak needs to be 14’ or longer and have a seat that allows the paddler to lean back so the head touches or almost touches the rear deck. The deep cockpits and high seatbacks on some hybrid or transitional rec/touring boats prevent this and are not appropriate for this course.
- Life jacket
- Spray skirt
- Paddle – euro or Greenland style are fine
We recommend wearing a nose clip and goggles. If you have a kayaking helmet, bring it. If not, the club has loaner helmets in various sizes.
INSTRUCTORS
Cie Stroud – ACA Level 3 paddler, ACA Rolling Endorsed Instructor, and head of Cie Kayaks Instruction
Dave Dawson – ACA Level 1 paddler and kayak and paddle builder
Sheldon Linn – ACA Level 1 paddler
Ping Kuo – Highly skilled roller
THE INSTRUCTION
The training will be entirely in-water, hands-on exercises. We will start with making sure the student is comfortable in the water in an inverted boat. If they are not proficient with the wet exit, that will be taught first. The course will then proceed to learning the basic dynamics of the layback roll and running through a series of exercises to acclimate the body to the mechanics and feel of the roll. This will include bracing and sculling maneuvers. The final stage will be to take on the roll itself. Success is not guaranteed, but anyone who completes the two sessions will have a solid grasp of the technique and will be able to continue working by themselves until they perfect the maneuver.
CLASS TIMES
Four two-week sessions will be held, starting Jan.13 and 27 and Feb. 10 and 24. Classes will be held at 9 a.m. and 10 p.m. each Saturday.
COST
The class fee is $60 for the two sessions. This includes the daily $15 pool use fee. Students will be invoiced via PayPal after they have been assigned class times. Email Dave at dl-dawson@rcn.com to request a spot, and list your first and second preferences for start date and time.