# White Water Rowing Clinic wanted



## [email protected] (Aug 17, 2018)

what would be the place place to watch for white water rowing clinics? Kayak clinics are all over the place but i haven't seen much for WW rowing clinics. any help or direction would be appreciated!

Katie


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## seantana (Mar 5, 2015)

I think a lot of people are self-taught or learned from friends/family, I can't really think of ever hearing of any rowing clinics, although it's an interesting idea. 

Basic rules I tell anyone on their first time rowing whitewater are:

-Know your line, stop and scout if you can't see your line
-Face your danger, but be ready to back up fast
-Keep your oars wet, flapping your arms won't make you fly and flapping your oars won't make you go anywhere other than where the water sends you
-Rig to flip, dress to swim, try to avoid both unless you want to for fun, but know what you're doing if you do
-Have fun


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## VandyIn541 (Jun 16, 2013)

This might be what you’re looking for:

https://www.nwrafting.com/training/rowing-school


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## JPG87 (Nov 10, 2014)

I looked for something similar when I first started rafting. I ended up just taking a 7-day guide school with a company that used stern rigs, in order to learn rowing basics. I was upfront and clear that I had no intention of working as a guide, and the company was cool with it as long as I paid.


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

In case you can't find nearby instruction, the book "The Complete Whitewater Rafter" by Jeff Bennett has a good sections on reading water, hydraulics, and rowing. You should be able to find it on Amazon for $10 or less.

Good luck!

-AH


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Self-taught here...started with kayaking Class II, moved up to III/IV, bought a raft, bought another raft, kayaked up to IV, then started rafting IV and multidays.




...and when I have acquaintances who want to learn to raft?
I recommend this book as well:




Andy H. said:


> In case you can't find nearby instruction, the book "The Complete Whitewater Rafter" by Jeff Bennett has a good sections on reading water, hydraulics, and rowing. You should be able to find it on Amazon for $10 or less.


Even if you mentor someone, this book is invaluable to give them a jump start on the basics. It still helps to have someone helping the beginning oarsman learn to read water and how to maneuver their boat, but having a mental image of the concepts really helps when you get them onto real water.


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## lncoop (Sep 10, 2010)

Katie, there are some folks in the ACC who'd be happy to teach you. They're veterans of many trips on any kind of water and length and difficulty of outing you can imagine. Lemme know if you'd like contact info.


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## Roguelawyer (Apr 2, 2015)

While you are looking for someone to teach you, I would suggest buying the Bennett book and getting out on some flat water. If you have a raft, take it out on a lake. If you don't own a raft, rent a rowboat. This will get you accustomed to the motion. Row forwards, backwards and spin around. Then try some class I - II stuff.

When teaching my children I would take them out on a really slow part of the river and have them row against the current just fast enough to hold us steady. I would then have them move the boat back and forth (ferry) across the river holding us at the same spot on the bank all the while. That seemed to help them learn to control the boat fairly well.

After getting the feel of basic rowing you could go to a boat shop, raft guide shop, etc and ask around for someone who would be willing to go out on the water and give you some coaching tips on rowing.


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## qweniden (Aug 13, 2018)

https://www.oars.com/adventures/rogue-river-rowing-clinic/
https://www.arta.org/training/id_rowing.htm


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## SixPek (Jul 19, 2016)

[email protected] said:


> what would be the place place to watch for white water rowing clinics? Kayak clinics are all over the place but i haven't seen much for WW rowing clinics. any help or direction would be appreciated!
> 
> Katie


Katie,
I did a clinic at my wife's behest since we started rowing bigger water with our family of 6. Mine was through OARS on the south fork of the american in early May 2 years ago - big water (!). They used to have 2 clinics that I know of, one on the Rogue and one on the South Fork (out of Coloma). The one on the American might have been taken off their program guide.

The one I did only had 4 clients, and a bunch of guides that were looking for experience on the 'sticks' as most of them were younger guide school grads looking to possibly row gear boats on multi-day trips.

Needless to say, we were running C to G (the 21 mile stretch) every day for 4 straight days in bigger runoff and it was definitely a great experience - pretty much one-on-one with a 2 to 3 people per rig.

https://www.oars.com/before-you-go/rogue-river-rowing-clinic/

ARTA offers them as well in Idaho and Oregon I think.

https://www.arta.org/training/id_rowing.htm

I'll echo other people's thoughts as well, that once you have some experience under your belt, just keep getting out on the water more often.


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## NoCo (Jul 21, 2009)

Can't believe no one has said. Watch your down stream oar!!!! 

Face your problems and pull away from them,
Keep your angle
Don't leave your downstream oar in the water cause the handle might take a dental print of your jaw
Always strap your cooler even in class I. The people in your boat are the greatest hazard to you beers.
Always blame your paddlers for any mistakes(if you are using paddle assist)
Always make time for a safety meeting.&#55357;&#56841;
Secretly cuss the kayakers who just put there boat in, in about 60 seconds.
Secretly make fun of the kayakers who don't have any beer.
Learn when the commercials launch and avoid them
Take pride when Noah's ark treats you as a heethen 
Cute girls go up front
Drunk fishing uncles go in back with his bottle of Jack
Become an expert in logistics and cat herding and maybe, just maybe your people won't screw up the shuttle. 
No safety meeting before the shuttle some times 
And don't let go of your oars no matter how many times you've seen someone do it on YouTube.


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## denali1322 (Jun 3, 2013)

JPG87 said:


> I looked for something similar when I first started rafting. I ended up just taking a 7-day guide school with a company that used stern rigs, in order to learn rowing basics. I was upfront and clear that I had no intention of working as a guide, and the company was cool with it as long as I paid.


I used this approach as well back in 2011. Several companies in BV/Salida that will let you participate in their guide training class in the spring and the cost is usually nominal. I paid only $400 for 2 weeks of training (although its probably more now). I would caution against just learning to row. See if a Company will let you both paddle raft and oar. I thought I would only want to oar. I still do multi-day trips and love to oar, but am glad I spend several days paddle rafting. I have started finding in last 2 years that I really like paddle rafting as my kids have gotten older and want to participate. I can bring more people as well. It's also better for lower water to know paddle rafting. I do both and I would say learning to paddle raft is more difficult as you have to anticipate more and call out commands, learn what to do with a weak paddler, etc. Oaring (unless the water is really low) is easier. My two cents having been in your shows 7 years ago.


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## okieboater (Oct 19, 2004)

Katie,

I want to second what Incoop said. Please give Incoop a call.

The ACC has a bunch of raft captains that can hold their own any where. They are a friendly bunch of folks as well. 

After kayaking and canoeing for many years I caught the rafting bug. One of the excellent ACC rowers took me under his wing, helped me spec out a raft, took me on the Big Piney river for training and the next week I was rowing the Middle Fork. Being able to row a raft opened up a bunch of river trips for me. And it all began with ACC members helping me get started and coaching me along the way.

After that fun experience on the Middle Fork, I took guide training at Far Flung Adventures in Taos NM guide school. Well worth the time and money. You start out on Rio Chama overnight, spend a couple days on the Pilar Run then finish up with a couple days on the lower box run. I took the class many years ago and it was great fun and learning. Going from class 2 to class 3/4 runs in a week is one heck of a fun time. I do not know if Far Flung still does guide training. Later on I took Guide School training from Destination Wilderness in Oregon. Excellent training. One of my bucket list rivers was the Rogue and Destination Wilderness ends up their training with several days on the Rogue. Another fine company.

Bottom line is just like Incoop said. Join the ACC, let them know you want to row and I bet you will be invited on local Arkansas runs. Like my experience, my first rowing lesson was on the Big Piney. That river is one heck of a good raft rowing training river. You would be surprised at how many area raft captains learned on Big Piney.

I always wanted to be a river guide. In retirement from business I thought that would be a lot of fun... I found out it is a lot of fun but commercial river guides work their you know whats off. I am super impressed with the skill sets commercial river guides have. River guiding is a super job for young folks, way too much work for us old farts.

Never the less, taking the commercial river guide schools advanced my raft rowing skills really fast. I was surprised at what a person can learn in a week. A person might have the basics down but a commercial guide school will help you hone your on and off river skill sets. For me I got the dutch oven cooking bug from a commercial Main Salmon float so guide school is more than rowing. Commercial raft captains figure out the easy lines and most efficient strokes on the river because of all the work they do for clients off the river. And, for me at least, I got to row several NW rivers I was having trouble getting a permit for. Actually guide schools were so much fun I repeated with both companies just for the fun of it.

Hot Springs has a stretch of river that is just right to work on rowing skills. Join the ACC, ask for help, watch the ACC message board as there will be used raft gear for sale there on a regular basis.

Good luck. For me learning to row rafts opened up rivers and friendships that I still enjoy. I bet you can do the same. Arkansas Canoe Club is the place to be if you want to advance your canoe, kayak, rafting skill set and make life long boating buds!!


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## LSB (Mar 23, 2004)

Find an experienced oarsman on the forums that you can coordinate a few multi day trips with. Then follow their lines and moves for a few consecutive days. You should figure it out pretty quick if you can focus on it for a few days in a row. May be easier if you have something to trade, beer, weed full time groover duty etc. Then take a swiftwater rescue class.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Roguelawyer said:


> While you are looking for someone to teach you, I would suggest buying the Bennett book and getting out on some flat water. If you have a raft, take it out on a lake. If you don't own a raft, rent a rowboat. This will get you accustomed to the motion. Row forwards, backwards and spin around. Then try some class I - II stuff.



This is stellar advice. I forgot that I learned to row at about age 8 at my grandma's cabin. Didn't really think about it when I was an adult and jumped in a raft, because it was already instinctive. It's not immediately intuitive, and knowing how a boat moves in response to oar strokes really helps once you hit the river.

That said, get your kids in a rowboat NOW. Some day they may want to row a raft!





NoCo said:


> Can't believe no one has said. Watch your down stream oar!!!!
> 
> Face your problems and pull away from them,
> Keep your angle
> ...


Awesome and very comprehensive.


But don't secretly make fun of those among us kayakers who don't bring beer. Be open about that shit!






LSB said:


> Find an experienced oarsman on the forums that you can coordinate a few multi day trips with.


Or find an experienced oarsman who would be willing to let you row their raft; or jump in yours to talk you through the river.

Following them (with less conversation) would be a good 2nd step.


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## debruins22 (Nov 25, 2015)

If you're in Colorado I'd highly recommend Canyon River Instruction on the Arkansas. They were able to customize a weekend clinic for our group with some SWR we wanted and some rowing skills. We had all learned some from friends that were guides, but still learned a ton.


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## thinksnow (Aug 21, 2013)

debruins22 said:


> If you're in Colorado I'd highly recommend Canyon River Instruction on the Arkansas. They were able to customize a weekend clinic for our group with some SWR we wanted and some rowing skills. We had all learned some from friends that were guides, but still learned a ton.


2nd CRI
https://www.canyonriverinstruction.com/
Awesome folks, super fun, Swift water certified, live on the banks of the Arkansas River. What else is there to say but BOOK IT!


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## RiverMamma (May 3, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> what would be the place place to watch for white water rowing clinics? Kayak clinics are all over the place but i haven't seen much for WW rowing clinics. any help or direction would be appreciated!
> 
> Katie


Hi Katie, My husband and I actually saw a missing gap in the whitewater industry with this very question a few years ago, so we started Canyon River Instruction. We are based on the Arkansas River outside of Salida, CO, but also operate on the Chama River in Northern NM. We teach all disciplines of whitewater paddling, but specialize in rowing and swiftwater rescue/ river safety. We also teach a lot of women's specific clinics, and kids clinics, so yeah, we are really trying to fill that gap where it's hard to find that right kind of personalized instruction in the whitewater world! Feel free to reach out to me personally with any questions, I would love to help you get confident on the oars!

Cheers, Elisha


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## Raftnc (Jul 2, 2013)

*Rowing instruction*

Check out NorthWest Rafting, based out of Hood River, OR. Hands down the best whitewater rowing instruction programs, IMHO. Both class 3/4 rivers available. Every participant rows their own boat, either brought in by the student or provided by NWRC. Check out the 5 day Rogue river program. Daniel


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