Pine Barrens Functional Canoe Workshop

At our recent Canoe Symposium, in Ohio, several folks raised questions as to how the Pine Barrens Workshop would be different from all the others.
• First off, the focus is on FUNCTIONAL use of the techniques, in real world situations.  Exhibition or interpretive freestyle will be downplayed.
• At other symposiums, most students concentrate on one quadrant, participating in 3, three hour classes on a lake..  At the Pine Barrens Functional Freestyle Workshop, most students will  work, the first morning, on specific forward and cross forward maneuvers that will later be used on a Pine Barrens stream. That afternoon, there will be coaching sessions, tailored to each, individual student's needs. The second day, most students will spend on a beautiful, Pine Barrens River, putting their new found skills to use.  River groups will be small, with adequate instructors and assistants to help each student further develop their technique.
• Friday evening, there will be a "Chalk Talk" that all participants are highly encouraged to attend. We will use various visual aids and demonstrations to introduce this unique paddling discipline and to foster an understanding of why we do, what we do.
Please, come to the Pine Barrens Functional Freestyle Workshop and learn what a world of paddling pleasure you've been missing.
Below is a link to a short video, put together by John Powell, showing paddling in the Pine Barrens and featuring some of the instructors who will be at the workshop.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILZwqq5dF1g&feature=youtu.be

Full information and registration materials are available at www.freestylecanoeing.com

There is still time to register for the Pine Barrens Functional Freestyle Workshop (Oct. 14-16). The workshop will be held in Medford Lakes New Jersey, in the heart of the Pine Lands National Reserve. Instruction will be offered for all canoeists, from novice to expert. The goal is to present or refine precision canoeing techniques in a real world setting. Friday evening, we will discuss the whys and hows of what we do, in a comfortable, indoor setting. On Saturday morning, we'll learn and practice the techniques on beautiful Lake Stockwell . Saturday afternoon will be devoted to personalized coaching sessions. On Sunday, most participants will spend the day traversing a Pine Barrens stream, putting their new found skills to use, under the watchful eyes of our instructors and coaches. For those wishing to extend their paddling opportunities, there are typically impromptu trips, arranged by the participants, in the days following the workshop.

Below is a brief taste of Functional Freestyle Paddling in the Pine Barrens. The video was put together by John Powell.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILZwqq5dF1g&feature=youtu.be

Registration materials and full information about the event are available at www.freestylecanoeing.com