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Thursday, 08 May 2008 11:51 |
Art Miller sure has a lot of paddles in the water.
The 64-year-old
retired Kodak engineer and founder of Kayak Adventures teaches people
of all ages and abilities how to whitewater kayak at three locations in
the region: the Monroe Community College pool, Rock Park in the lower
Genesee River and Cascade Falls at the Keuka Outlet in Penn Yan, Yates
County.
Art Miller sure has a lot of oars in the water.
The
64-year-old retired Kodak engineer and founder of Kayak Adventures
teaches people of all ages and abilities how to whitewater kayak at
three locations in the region: the Monroe Community College pool, Rock
Park in the lower Genesee River and Cascade Falls at the Keuka Outlet
in Penn Yan, Yates County.
Scouts, underprivileged children in
the city and students at Rochester School for the Deaf are among those
that have learned their strokes under the gentle stroking of Art Miller.
"No,
I don't rest," he says. "Over the years, we've developed a really nice
bunch of people. Everything is about safety, values and doing it right.
The message seems to really work."
So much so that Miller has
been asked to speak at the Paddlesport Association of America national
conference next spring and to prepare a DVD of his skill development
program that other instructors around the country can use.
"The
main reason I was asked is that we're unique - the only place in the
country that is doing such extensive workshops in the pool for all
ages, including up to 60- and 70-year-olds," Miller says. "They know
we've built this program up and there's a market for this if it's done
right."
Miller began his winter instructional program in the MCC
pool 14 years ago with four students and 20 hours of pool use. This
past winter saw Miller use more than 300 hours of pool time and every
program was near capacity.
Students generally graduate from the
pool, where they learn basic strokes and safety maneuvers, to Rock
Park, where there is steady Class I to III water. From there, those
with the necessary skills can compete at the competition course at the
more challenging Keuka Outlet.
Miller witnessed firsthand again
how well his instructional program is working at a recent whitewater
slalom race he organized on the Canandaigua Outlet during the annual
Wild Water Derby.
Of the 60 competitors, 90 percent were Miller's
former students and he proudly states that they handled the Class III
water "without much trouble at all."
Working in conjunction with
the Shortsville Manchester Area Chamber of Commerce, Miller plans to
develop that stretch of water in Ontario County that was used for the
race into a permanent whitewater facility.
"We're not looking for
money, just volunteer help to clean it up and get it going, just like
we did in Penn Yan," says the junior Olympics development coach for the
USA Canoe and Kayak Association. "There are ways to develop areas and
get good recreational paddling without $25 million whitewater parks.
Around here, we don't have that kind of money, but we can use our
natural resources."
Miller will begin shooting his instructional
DVD next week with Video Propulsion of Scottsville and sound engineer
Mark Webster donating their services.
For information on Miller's many programs, call (585) 704-2372, e-mail
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
or go to www.kayak-adventures.org.
Article Source: democratandchronicle.com
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