Turkey Bash Training Clinic

Saturday and Sunday
August 1 & 2, 2008

The thirtieth second Turkey Bash, which is the social event of the year, will be held the weekend of August 1 & 2. There will be two days of paddling instruction provided by experienced TRPC volunteer paddlers as well as food and other fun events. The highlight of the weekend is the turkey dinner on Saturday night. We would like to encourage all TRPC members to participate in the dinner, even if you do not participate in the Clinic. We would like your company and we could use your help in preparing dinner, set-up and clean up.  In order to participate in this great event you need to satisfy several requirements; you must be alive, you must be a member of TRPC, you must have filled out the appropriate forms and gotten them to Dave Greenwald by the July 18 deadline.  If you want your children in the youth clinic there is a fifth requirement, which is contacting Sue Knechtel and getting youth clinic forms to her by the same deadline.  Youth Clinic participants must be AT LEAST six years old.

The instructional clinic will start Saturday at 9:00 a.m. in the Ferncliff parking area of Ohiopyle State Park (unless your instructor has called with prior arrangements for an alternative meeting time/place). Students and instructors will check in here and groups will organize for Saturday’s paddling. Some of the advanced groups may be meeting earlier in order to utilize 8 A.M. and 9 A.M. launch permits. Students in these groups will be contacted by their instructors to arrange an alternate meeting time and place. The Ferncliff parking lot entrance is located on Route 381 by the railroad tracks (across the bridge over the Yough from Ohiopyle).

Instructors will select a paddling venue based on the experience level of the group and water levels.  Arrangements have been made with the park to get a number of free put-on slots for the Lower Yough for both days. Each student paddling the entire Lower Yough is responsible for $4.00 shuttle bus fee.  In addition to the Lower Yough, the Middle Yough, several sections of the Casselman, the Cheat Narrows, the Cheat Gorge and Meadow run have all been used in prior clinics depending on water levels and group skills.

Registration deadline is July 18, 2009!

(Forms must be in the hands of the clinic organizer on this date)

This will allow adequate time to set up instructional groups and mail student information to the

Volunteers:

In order to run the clinic we need instructors, assistant instructors and safety boaters.  In addition Jeanie Bailey needs help cooking (including prior to the event) and the youth clinic needs some extra help moving kids and equipment.

Equipment Needed:

Each student must provide their own equipment, including their own boat. Many local paddling stores rent as well as sell equipment.  Try Outdoor Rec. Equipment in Ohio, Riversport, Rocky Mountain Kayak, or Wind and Water Boatworks. Used equipment can be found in the Boater’s Marketplace at www.threeriverspaddlingclub.com/classifieds

Each participant must have a proper whitewater boat, paddle, helmet, life jacket, and spray skirt (kayaks, decked canoes). The following list will give you an idea of what you need:

1. Canoes must be equipped with flotation foam or bags and painters on both ends of the boat
2. Kayaks must be equipped with properly attached grab loops in good repair on both ends of the boat, full floatation bags
3. Helmet that fits bicycle helmets are not acceptable
4. Spray skirt - that fits both you and the boat (only for closed boats)
5. PFD (Life jacket) that fits and is US Coast Guard approved- must be worn by all participants
6. Paddle
7. Clothes - for paddling that suit the weather (cotton is bad)
8. Shoes - that will stay on in swift water
9. Lunch - for each day in a waterproof container
10. Water bottle - with plenty of fluids
11. Strap for eyeglasses - if needed
12. Sunscreen
13. A method to tie items in your boat - many use carabineers.

Turkey Dinner:

The Saturday evening turkey dinner will be served at Benner’s Meadow Run and will once again be cooked by Tom Irwin and his trusty crew of helpers. Serving will start at approximately 6:00 p.m. and will continue in stages thereafter for paddlers who arrive later. Even if you are in a later group, dinner will be hot and ready for you. Bring a lawn chair or blanket to sit on. We need assistant cooks and people to help clean up after dinner. Please volunteer for these activities so that we don’t have to come around and twist your arm. There are places on your participation form to indicate that you wish to help with these items.

Dessert Bakeoff Competition:

The All-Male River Rat Bake-Off will once again provide dessert. Men get to demonstrate their cooking abilities by providing a dessert to be judged by the women. Ladies, a few of you will be called upon to sample these tasty treats. We know it’s tough, but someone has to do it! Remember guys, without you, we have no desserts. If that is not enough incentive, we will give out prizes.

Camping:

Camping is available at a group rate from Benner’s Meadow Run http://www.bennersmeadowrun.com/. Camping will be $9.75 per adult , $4.00 per child (4-16) per night and  under 4 is free. You will pay for your own camping upon entering Benner’s. The campground personnel will have a list of all clinic participants. You must identify yourself on the list to receive the group rate.

If you are NOT camping but just coming for dinner, you must still sign in at the gate. Non-campers MUST ALSO sign out when leaving for the evening. If you haven’t signed out before the next morning, it will be assumed you spent the night and you will be charged for camping. For non-campers registered for the dinner, there is no admission charge into the campground unless you choose to use the various facilities like the swimming pool, showers, etc. The charge would then be $3.25 per adult and $2.75 ages 4 to 12.

Directions:

Google Map to campground

Google map to Ferncliff parking area

Forms:

The forms are grouped into packages, which must be printed and mailed in.  The adult student package contains all the forms for one person to sign up as a student.  An additional person from the same household who is an adult student can be added by printing the additional adult student package.  All participants in the clinic must be TRPC members, so the new member adult student package includes a membership form in addition to the adult student package.  Similarly the Instructor package includes all the forms for one person to sign up as an instructor, assistant instructor or safety boater.  The additional instructor package is used to add an additional person from the household as an instructor, assistant instructor or safety boater.   The youth student package has all the forms to add a youth student from the household.

·  New Member Adult Student Kit

·  Adult Student Kit
·  Additional Instructor Kit
·  Instructor Kit
·  Additional Adult Student Kit
·  Youth Student Kit

Jun 18th by admin