A Trip to Never Forget: The Freshman Kayaking Trip
by Juniper Estopinan, Freshman, iPreparatory Academy
by Juniper Estopinan, Freshman, iPreparatory Academy
Recently in October, a group from the freshman class had the opportunity to go Kayaking on the 5th. We were separated into groups of 15 based on the amount of Kayaks available. Over the course of the year there will be 5 groups who will attend this field trip. My group went to the Coconut Grove Sailing Club and other groups went to the Miami Yacht Club.
When we arrived we took the kayaks off the rack and lined them up, so we could stand with our partners at our kayak as we were instructed on how to set them up. Then, the instructor reviewed safety procedures and appropriate behavior on the water. To set up our kayaks and our paddles, we attached our seats to the clips on the kayak and clicked the two pieces of our paddles together making sure they were facing the right direction. The instructor then began going through different strokes and showing us how to be in sync with our partners, which is shown above. We learned that the person in the back was the driver and gives the person in the front verbal instructions of which side to paddle, and if done properly, this was how the person in the front and the back stayed in sync.
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We were taught 4 different strokes: a forward stroke, a backwards stroke, a sweep stroke, and a stop stroke. The forward stroke is the classic left then right then left again repeatedly, the backwards stroke doing the opposite, the sweep and stop strokes are new however. The sweep stroke is used to make sharp and quick turns. The stop stroke is self explanatory, but we simply switched our paddles from left to right to left quickly dipping into the water on each side without moving the paddles forward or backwards to stop.
Once we went through all of this and we had all more or less gotten the hang of it, we took our kayaks to the docks and one by one set off. We were first instructed to kayak to a yellow buoy, go around it, and head back towards the dock. We each did this about two times. Then after everyone was in one spot we just went circles for a bit to practice only paddling on one side.
Once we went through all of this and we had all more or less gotten the hang of it, we took our kayaks to the docks and one by one set off. We were first instructed to kayak to a yellow buoy, go around it, and head back towards the dock. We each did this about two times. Then after everyone was in one spot we just went circles for a bit to practice only paddling on one side.
Once we headed out of the dock area, we kayaked around an island that would eventually lead us back. It took about an hour and this is where my arms started to hurt. Mr. Arrsion made sure to splash almost everyone, but my partner and I were the few exceptions despite being right next to him almost the whole time.
All in all it was an amazing experience and I, along with the other freshmen, had a wonderful time. The sweep stroke, which we learned that day, was the most useful because my partner had an extremely bad sense of direction, which made me have to save the both of us from crashing into something, multiple times.
Despite the fact that my arms were very tired, I had a lot of fun participating in this wonderful iPrep tradition, and I would do it again if given the chance. I’m now even more excited for the signature events to come as I continue my years at iPrep.
All in all it was an amazing experience and I, along with the other freshmen, had a wonderful time. The sweep stroke, which we learned that day, was the most useful because my partner had an extremely bad sense of direction, which made me have to save the both of us from crashing into something, multiple times.
Despite the fact that my arms were very tired, I had a lot of fun participating in this wonderful iPrep tradition, and I would do it again if given the chance. I’m now even more excited for the signature events to come as I continue my years at iPrep.