For students who love water and the outdoors but can’t figure out what to do with themselves during the long dark of winter, kayaking in the Hart Pool every Tuesday is held at 8:30 p.m. 

The purpose of the kayaking workshops is to teach students some of the basics of kayaking and to improve skills students might already have.

Lydia Hill, a sophomore studying health science, is one of the instructors for the class.

“Most people that come have never been kayaking, or they want to learn how to roll,” Hill said.

Rolling is a technique that kayakers use when kayaking through white water rapids in rivers. This technique is just what it sounds like: rolling the kayak over into the water and back out so the kayaker is again on top, safely out of the water.

“Some people have been sea-kayaking or out on a lake, so it’s a really unique experience to learn how to roll and do it in white water rapids,” Hill said.

This skill is useful in rapids in case the kayak capsizes. 

“It’s a really neat skill to have,” Hill said. “It’s kind of a jump-off point to do white water.”

Once students master the skills of rolling and kayaking, they can have the opportunity to help teach the class.

McKenna Seamons, a freshman studying biology, helps Hill with the class. “I learned in a pool,” Seamons said. “I’m so happy I knew how to roll when I got into a river for the first time.”

Learning to roll is not only a useful skill, but a valuable one for those who wish to white water kayak. “It would be really scary, even dangerous [not to know],” Seamons said. 

However, it takes some time to learn to roll. Many students come to the class more than once. “Some people pick it up on their first time, and others it takes a lot of practice,” Hill said.

But the skill is beneficial. “I was afraid to go underwater, but now I’m not,” said Cara Haywood, a junior studying accounting. Haywood had never been kayaking before attending the class at
the pool.

“I definitely recommend getting in a boat in a pool before you get in a river,” Seamons said, which is precisely why this class in the Hart Pool is provided.

Students can purchase tickets for kayaking at the Hart Pool at the ticket office or the ticket office online under “Student Activities.” Tickets cost $3.