I wanted to provide some feedback to this past weekend's Lumpy Waters Kayak Symposium which was its 9th annual event. This was my 4th time participating and it was the first time that there was sunshine all three days! Even one day would make it great but all three days? Wow!
There were quite a few WKC members attending this year -- Skip Haverly, Barry Walstead and his wife Kyra, Romuald a Thorn, Pam Powell, and myself. Did I miss anyone? Like previous events, this is an international affair with coaches coming from as far as South Africa and Scotland. I met paddlers who drove from Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Two very avid paddlers flew in from New York.
From the responses from all participants, the classes and coaching provided were top notch. They were all satisfied with everything -- from the accommodations, food, classes and, of course, the beautiful Oregon coast as a venue. I've enjoyed every year I attended and this one especially moreso because of the weather. Sadly, Paul Kuthe who has spear-headed this successful program for almost a decade is leaving after being a member of Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe for 14 years. His replacement is Andrew Romanelli who's been with the company for eight years. I'm confident the program will continue to be high caliber.
For anyone interested, next year's schedule is planned for Oct 12-14, 2018. Hope to see you there!
