Youths learn kayak skills at special academy

A Michigan transplant to Northwest Montana, Paul Moffatt said it was “trial by fire” when he first started learning to kayak.

“Very few of us had the right instruction when we learned,” he said, referring to the other volunteer instructors preparing to lead a free kayaking clinic along the South Fork of the Flathead River. “Once you go through an instruction course, you learn the importance of the right progression.”

Last year, Moffatt teamed up with several friends to found the Montana Kayak Academy in an effort to give youths a chance to learn the basics of river kayaking under the tutelage of experienced, certified kayak instructors. The free, two-week classes for children ages 8 to 18 kicked off this summer, and the academy’s word-of-mouth popularity already led to a waiting list on some classes.

“It’s pretty cool — I wish I had learned to do it when I was their age,” said Shawn Baker, one of the academy’s volunteer instructors.

The course starts with the basics of kayak use and safety, teaching balance and paddling skills, as well as how to deal with an overturned vessel. On Saturday, a group of excited youths took to a 3-mile section of the South Fork below Hungry Horse Dam for their final class.

Fellow instructors Jair Cruikchank, a whitewater guide with Great Northern Raft Co., and Steve Spanogle helped the boys navigate the eddies and beginner rapids along the winding waterway.

“Rapids approaching, get our rapid faces on!” Cruikchank yelled, prompting a range of stern expressions from the students.

C.J. Donaldson, a 14-year-old from Columbia Falls, was all about it.

“I’d have to say, the rapids are my favorite part,” Donaldson said, adding that he plans to kayak the North Fork next.

“It’s the thrill that you’re going to tip over, but you don’t,” said John Pierce, 12, of Whitefish. “It was awesome.”

As the procession of kayaks approached the take-out spot just south of Hungry Horse, a dozen parents lined the shore, snapping photos of their children crashing through the final expanse of beginner rapids.

“This is as much for the parents as it is for the kids. They can test out the sport without having to pay to learn,” Moffatt said after the kayaks were all safely beached. “For where we are, with all the mountains and rivers here, the only reasons kids aren’t doing this is because the opportunity isn’t there or the parents can’t afford it.”

Moffatt has been taken aback by the rapid success of the kayak academy this summer, but like most nonprofits, the limiting factor is funding. The organization currently operates on volunteer labor and donated kayaks and gear, along with several fundraisers that helped cover gas and other incidental costs.

“If I can raise enough money, I can pay [the instructors] while still keeping it free for the kids,” he said.

This Saturday’s Deadication Festival in Columbia Falls will provide a boost as Moffatt starts readying the academy for its 2017 season. All proceeds from the music festival are being donated to the Montana Kayak Academy.

The event runs from 1 to 9 p.m. in Marantette Park and features the bands Fruition, Cure for the Common, Gipsy Moon, The Watters and Brad Parsons. Admission costs $15 in advance and $20 the day of the show.

For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.facebook.com/thedeadication.

For more information on the kayak academy, visit http://montanakayakacademy.com.

Reporter Sam Wilson can be reached at 758-4407 or by email at swilson@dailyinterlake.com.