Most of us are probably in the process of buying gifts for the upcoming holidays in our families.  As you make your purchase decisions, I would ask you to strongly consider supporting local, independent businesses in your area.  (As paddlers, you probably have spent some money in at least one of these small, local paddle [...]

**There was a mistake on the times of the pool sessions when originally posted on the Badger State Boating Society website.  Several of us arrived at 7:30pm for the pool session on November 28th and were told by a custodian that the building was closing up and the session had been in the morning.  I [...]

Arguably the most important stroke in kayaking is probably the most difficult to master.  Luckily, just about any forward stroke, regardless of how poorly executed, will move your kayak forward.  However, most of us are interested in being able to paddle farther with less effort and fatigue.
I just got back from teaching at the Door [...]

I’d like to applaud some paddlers I know, who shall remain nameless just in case this embarrasses them.
One former and future student of mine is taking a refresher course this summer wanting to especially learn his rescue and recovery skills.  He was already signed up before a recent unexpected capsize reinforced the need to be [...]

The paddling season has definitely arrived in the upper midwest.  People are buying boats, signing up for lessons and trips, and looking for people to go paddling with.  Here are just a few local events coming up in the next few weeks that may be of interest, especially to new or aspiring paddlers.  I know [...]

Over the years, I’ve had a lot of female paddling students and customers ask about ways to find other women to paddle with.  This seemed to be an especially difficult problem for recreational kayakers since the recreational paddlers are less likely to be organized into clubs, and they just seem to lurk in the weeds [...]

Many clubs have begun their winter pool sessions for paddling and rolling practice.  Although our local club does not sponsor formal lessons as part of the pool sessions, there is much that novice kayakers can gain from attending these events.  If you’ve never tried a wet exit from any kayak or practiced re-entering a sea [...]