Team JK’s Heather Herbeck sends in this great update from the Women’s Clinic she just did

By Heather Herbeck

Hey Clay/EJ –
Well the women’s clinic at the University of Pudget Sounds (UPS) was amazing. Michael Gordon and his girlfriend Kate put on a very successful event. We had about 25 girls – some brand new to kayaking and others who had been in a boat once or twice before. It was a very inspiring event for me, in that we had almost 30 women in one area, laughing, working on skills and telling stories.
We started the evening with a preview of our film, "Toxic Waters", which will be released February 16th (see www.liquidkayak.com). The women all pointed out how ‘good-looking’ the boys were in the film. I told them, "That was yet another benefit of kayaking!"
This was followed by some Q & A by the gals. Some of the questions included, "Have you ever gotten hurt kayaking?" My answer was a BIG "yes", as I won the carnage section of the Big Gun Show in 2005. We talked about that and how it affected my paddling. We talked about the differences I see with teaching men vs. women, which raised the questions, "Who do you like teaching the BEST?" I followed this question up with giving reasons why I enjoy teaching both.
Next, we outfitted boats (as best we could with 25 women) and jumped into the water with wet exits, hip snaps – the "normal" pool progression. We ended the 3-hour pool clinic with a raffle of Chaco sandals.
The time flew by . . . everyone who participated and planned this event were amazing. I really hope to work with Michael and Kate again, and look forward to seeing these women on the river or in the pool again!
I wanted to make a special mention to Wet Planet Whitewater (whom I work for), for helping in this event. Wet Planet has some amazing clinics coming up this Spring and Summer . . . check us out www.wetplanetwhitewater.com
Hope you are both well.
Heather Herbeck
Team JK