Rescue Training in YWCA Pool

The South Dakota Canoe Association sponsored a pool training event today at the YWCA swimming pool in Sioux Falls. The focus of this activity was to practice self- and assisted kayak rescue techniques. The event was planned and organized by Jarett Bies, SDCA Board member, and follows a similar activity last winter. With temperatures rising above 30 for the second day in a row, hints of actual on-water activity are in the air. Most of the area paddlers expect to be able to get out on the rivers and lakes within seven or eight more weeks.


There were eight kayaks in the YWCA pool on this morning before the big Super Bowl parties planned around the area. While some of us were satisfied with practicing a “wet exit,” others used the opportunity to experiment with re-entry or rescue techniques. Jarett had a paddle float, which several paddlers used to assist with reentry moves. For me, just going through a wet exit is enough. It is so much better to practice flipping over in a pool with colleagues available to watch over the capsize rather than having a first experience alone far from shore on a big lake. One of the participants in the pool training exercise last year learned techniques that helped him manage a rescue operation that occurred during the SDCA water monitoring event last spring on Grass Lake.

This was also a networking and social event as paddlers made new friendships and discussed cruises ahead for the spring and summer.

For those who have not yet joined the South Dakota Canoe Association, I suggest going to the club website, getting the address, and mailing in the $10 membership fee. You can check the club website for future pool or cruise information: http://sdcka.blogspot.com.