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MADAWASKA KANU CENTRE MARKS 30^TH SEASON

Story by Clayton Spangler

For Americans, the best reason to attend the Madawaska Kanu Centre (MKC) may be economic. Located on the Madawaska River near Barry’s Bay Canada, less than four hours from Toronto, MKC is one of the premier paddling schools in North America. Novice and Intermediate canoeists and kayakers alike flock there to learn and tweak their paddling techniques. Within an hour’s drive from the Centre are four other top-notch rivers that the school uses for instruction, the Ottawa, the Petawawa, Upper, Lower and Palmer Sections of the Madawaska River.

Great location aside, the power of the US dollar may ultimately tip the scales in favour of the Canadian School. Considering the courses start out at $485 up to $750 (Cdn) the cost in US dollars would be $350 to $535 (all lodging, meals and instruction are included), a hard deal to beat, especially considering what you get.

Madawaska marks its 30^th season as one of the oldest whitewater schools in North America. Started in 1972 by Hermann and Christa Kerchoff, the school has been run by their daughter Claudia van Wijk and her husband Dirk, since 1981.

Claudia started paddling at the tender age of 11, and by age 13, became the Canadian Women’s Slalom Champion, a title she held for 10 years.

She took over at MKC when, as she says, “training for racing became more of a job than fun.” The rewards of owning a kayak and canoe school soon became apparent. “I just loved the challenge of running the school and introducing other people to the sport.”

Claudia’s husband Dirk (whom she met in an eddy on the Gull River) is also a paddler, and runs Madawaska’s sister company, OWL Rafting, on the Ottawa River.

The stretch of the Madawaska River that the school adjoins is dam controlled, and negotiations have ensured a constant flow all summer long. The dam is also top release, assuring warm (70 degree) water temperatures.

MKC offers courses for both beginner and intermediate paddlers. Weekend clinics offer an introduction to whitewater, while the five day clinics divide students into different groups according to skill level. Beginners start out learning the same basic things as in the weekend clinics and add on to these skills during the week.

Intermediate and advanced students will be challenged by learning river-reading skills, boating safety and basic self-rescue techniques, as well as video analysis of paddling strokes and boat handling. All of this would be pointless unless you have competent teachers, and the list of past luminaries reads like a who’s who of paddling: Ken Whiting, Davey Hearn, Kent Ford, Dana Chladek and numerous others.

One way that MKC ensures instructors are at their peak performance is to make sure that teaching doesn’t become monotonous. “Our instructors are unique - none are hired full time,” Claudia says. “Everyone comes in and teaches up to three weeks max – then they leave and do other things.” Instructors may return later, but everyone rotates out after three weeks.

Good technique and good attitude go hand in hand for instructors. Each instructor has to go through an ‘assistant instructorship’ for at least five days. This allows the resident instructors to evaluate and train the newcomers and make sure they fit into the program, ensuring consistency in teaching where none of the basics are taken for granted. Student to teacher ratios are kept low, insuring personal attention to students’ individual needs and skills to help them learn at the best possible pace for the student.

Growth isn’t in Madawaska Kanu Centre’s future plans right now. “About six or seven years ago, we reached capacity,” says Claudia. “We tried adding more instructors and more classes and it became obvious that we were getting too busy. Our facility, the river, the personal touch was starting to get lost.” This produced some soul searching for MKC. “I looked at the bottom line and went, ‘OK, do we make more money with more students?’” she says. “’Was it as enjoyable running a business that was popping at the seams?’”

The answer was no. “We looked at what was a comfortable class size and came up with about 45 students,” says Claudia. “That way, the classes never bump into one another on the river, I get to know everyone by name every week.”

The accommodations at MKC are designed to promote an enjoyable experience as well. The main lodge has grown from a two-story chalet that could be used as a house (as Claudia put it “In case things didn’t work out at first” into the main social Centre of the School. This includes an outfitter shop, and main office, a library and living room, as well as the kitchen and main dining hall are located in the lodge. Next to the lodge are volleyball courts that stay busy till night fall.

There is also a sauna located next to the bathhouses for relaxation after a hard day o n the river, and fixed campsites for those who wish to enjoy the rustic outdoors setting of MKC as well.

Madawaska Kanu Centre employs close to 25 people at any one time, ranging from 10 to 12 instructors, kitchen staff, business office, drivers and maintenance people. Add the friendly personality of each, and you have an atmosphere for learning that is both positive and fun.

The equipment that the Centre uses is as varied as the backgrounds of its employees, but the school stays away from the high end rodeo boats. Claudia says, “The people that rent equipment are normally at the introduction level of the sport and the rodeo boats are not as forgiving in a learning environment.”

Warm water in the summer, great instruction from great instructors, and friendly people from all over the world to paddle with, is sure to keep the Madawaska Kanu Centre a popular destination for years to come.