by Sam Dunning
I arrived at the Midwest Canoe Symposium after breakfast on Friday, meeting my fellow paddlers and instructors down by the water, surrounded by beautiful canoes and nature. Being entirely new to Freestyle Canoeing and solo canoes I was nervous as to what to expect from my first experience with both, but this was quickly put to rest as I met my instructor Bruce for my first class “Obedience Training Your Canoe”. Bruce was kind and patient and put myself and the rest of the class at ease as he demonstrated basic Freestyle movements and then had us practice on our own. It was an excellent introduction and opportunity to get comfortable with both canoe and paddle.
After this was a delicious home-cooked buffet lunch where I was able to chat with my classmates and instructors about our morning classes, what we learned, and were free to ask any questions that may have arisen.
After lunch, it was back to the boats for my afternoon lessons in “Beyond the Basics”, again with Bruce. Here we built on the introductory lessons of the prior classes and began adding slightly more complex movements to our repertoire and combining them to stronger and more efficient effect. J-strokes, posts, wedges, and jams were all taught and practiced until wrapping up at 4pm. After this my ankles were in need of some rest so I returned to my hotel to do a little work before coming back for another delicious dinner and lively conversation with my teachers and peers.
That evening was the “Candlelight Paddle”, which was open to all, but I opted to rest my ankles for tomorrow’s class and so watched as the groups pushed off into the nighttime paddle with soft, relaxing music wafting over the dark water, only illuminated by candles at the bow and stern of each canoe and a smattering of glow-stick lit buoys scattered about. It was relaxing and lovely to watch.
Saturday began with another “Beyond Basics” class taught by Manon, where more moves were added to my growing toolkit including side slips, cross posts, sweeps, and more. I can’t recommend the three “Beyond Basics” classes enough to a beginner as the teachers do a wonderful job feeling out where you are excelling and where you need work and so build their curriculum for you as they observe all while not overwhelming you!
After another great lunch and conversation session back at the mess hall, I went back to my hotel to rest and get some work done before returning for supper and the Interpretive Freestyle set at dusk. It was a beautiful and touching show as at least half of the sets were dedicated to the honor of the late Elaine Mravetz, one of the pillars of the Freestyling community and especially the MCS itself. Having now learned a handful of the moves employed in the presentation made it all the more impressive as I watched the expert paddlers employ them with such ease and finesse and in time with the music no less!
That evening was finished with dessert, more conversation and live music from the instructors and those with the ability and inclination to jump in.
Sunday, while a little wet and rainy was a perfect finish to my first weekend experiencing freestyle as Greg taught my final class of “Beyond the Basics”. Greg delved much deeper into the thought process of freestyle and into watching us closely to point out where we needed the most work after two days of practice and learning. It was extremely informative and an excellent way to finish the weekend.
After lunch we all parted ways with handshakes and hugs and I was thoroughly enamored, not only with what I’d learned, but with the kind and welcoming people I had met over the weekend.
Attending the MCS was far more than simply a series of classes, it is to join in with a close-knit community, to learn from their decades of experience, and to have just one of the best working vacations you can! I am excited to stay in touch with everyone I met and to continue to learn and practice from them for years to come!
