DCIM\100GOPRO\GOPR0390. DCIM\100GOPRO\G0060182. Since getting my Permanent Residency I have been hard at work again at Ottawa Kayak School/Wilderness Tours, Mostly teaching kayaking at various different ability levels and various different age groups.  The one thing all these groups have had in common, they have all had a blast. 

One of the highlights of the season for me so far (although probably one of my hardest work weeks for sure) was our Kids Camp week, which is a week long program for kids aged 7-11.  I have been teaching this program since my first year, and every year it seems to get a little more popular, lots of returning kidZ (because thats how cool kids spell it) from previous years as well as lots of new faces.  This year we had our biggest session ever with nine kids out on the river having lots of fun.  My ethos on this program has always been that as long as they are having fun and doing some kayaking that is the most important thing, so when they grow up and think about kayaking they are automatically associating it with having lots of fun. In previous years this has meant I have spent mornings playing board games indoors waiting out the cold rainy mornings and spent sweltering hot days playing games which involved swimming and being wet.  They still learn about eddys, current, edging and even T-rescues but the focus is on having fun. We also do a little fun extra curricular activities like making tie-dye shirts that they each sign at the end of the week.  Although it is a tiring week it is absolutely one of my favourites. 

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One of the other projects I have been working on lately is coaching Canadian Freestyle Kayak Team member Katie Kowalski for the up coming ICF Freestyle World Championships, which are being held on the Garburator Wave, here in the Ottawa river at the end of August.  At first I was unsure if this was a good idea, I have known Katie for a while and I know that although she has a lot of talent in a kayak, she also lacks motivation to actually go kayaking which could be a problematic part of training.  However after some initial teething troubles I am pleased to report her training is now going quite well, more on that to follow another time.  

Until next time.  

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