Swirling rapids and churning waves provide natural playgrounds for members of the ISU Canoe and Kayak Club.

Though most river runs are just paddling and riding the river, opportunities for play-boating abound, said Whitney Sanford, club adviser and associate professor of religious studies.

“Most of us are into white-water boating,” Sanford said.

Play boating, or rodeo boating, is a form of kayaking the club practices that involves tricks.

When riding a section of a river, a rider will hit play spots, which are holes in the waves, said Peter Ragias, club president and junior in communication studies. Riders can sit and surf the holes, throw cartwheels or ride with the kayak tilted vertically. Some riders can jump out of the water and flip end-over-end before landing.

The kayaks that the members use are built for this style of kayaking.

“The trend is to have a tiny boat — mine is only six feet tall,” Sanford said.

The club has traveled around the country on kayaking trips, Sanford said. They frequently visit Minnesota and Wisconsin and have gone paddling in North Carolina and Colorado.

“Colorado is like a playground,” Sanford said. “You can go out into the water and have a lot of fun [playboating]. After you have boated awhile, you get used to crazy rivers.”

A large part of kayaking is developing a comfort level, Sanford said. “Our club focuses on safety,” Sanford said.

Club members carry helmets and always pay attention to where other people are on the river, she said.

“Some places have risk factors,” Sanford said. “We don’t do a lot of rivers that look big and scary. If you can develop a solid roll, you will be fine.”

Rolling a kayak takes place when the rider is upside down in the water and flips around so that he or she is right-side up. If the rider is unable to right the kayak, he or she ejects from the boat and “swims.” If someone falls out of his or her kayak, or swims, the other riders help him or her get to shore, Sanford said.

“You can swim through a lot more than you would think,” Sanford said. “Everyone will swim at some time.”

Six of the club members and four non-members plan to travel to Costa Rica over Thanksgiving break.

“The Costa Rica trip will be primarily a paddling trip,” said Sanford.

Ragias said boaters planning to go on the trip should be members of the club.

“The team would want to know your skill level because if you can’t handle big water, you shouldn’t be going,” he said.

The club is also planning a trip to Chile for spring break. Sanford said the club decided to go to Chile because “the rivers are beautiful; they are crystal clear. The landscape is beautiful.”

So far there are five or six confirmed club members who will be going to Chile, Sanford said. The club members will be staying with Chilean families. They will take a three-day paddling trip during which they will camp. The club will probably go to Tennessee this winter to prepare for the trip to Chile, Sanford said.

The club has around 30 members, 20 of whom consistently show up for practice and events, said Mark Jacobson, club treasurer and junior in zoology.

“[Experienced members] teach the basics and are more than happy to take [beginners] on the river,” Jacobson said. “We are just trying to get people interested in learning. Kayaking is a nice break from classes and work and is a healthy activity.”

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