Top Kayaking Expert to Lead Workshop for Kent State’s Recreational Services Staff

Staff members from Kent State’s Department of Recreational Services will take part in a two-day kayaking safety and instruction workshop April 30 and May 1 at Franklin Mills River Edge Park in Kent.

The workshop will focus on providing river-kayaking training and is classified under the American Canoe Association (ACA) as Level 2: Essentials of River Kayaking Instructor Certification Workshop.

The Instructor Certification Workshop will take advantage of one of the area’s greatest natural resources, the Cuyahoga River. Participants will learn the ACA model of effective instruction as well as paddling, rescue, group management, leadership and other various aspects of paddlesport and the river environment.  



Mike Aronoff, owner of Canoe, Kayak and Paddle Company, will conduct the training as the lead instructor. Aronoff is one of the top trainer educators in the United States and is a current and past member of several national committees, including Introduction to Paddling Committee and the River Kayaking Committee.

"We are excited to be bringing in one of the top kayaking educators in the United States to conduct training right here on the Cuyahoga River,” said Dave Herpy, outdoor adventure coordinator at Kent State’s Department of Recreational Services. “I am really looking forward to working with Mike during our course."



The workshop will begin on Monday, April 30 at 8:30 a.m. at the boathouse at the Mogadore Reservoir before moving to the Cuyahoga River in Kent. 



According to Herpy, part of his department’s funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources was allocated to provide river kayaking instructor certification for staff. “Rather than sending two of our staff to Washington, D.C., we decided to pay for the instructor to come to Kent State to conduct training for a much larger group,” Herpy said.

For more information, contact Herpy at 330-221-4514.

Media Contacts:
Dave Herpy, dherpy@kent.edu, 330-221-4514
Bob Burford, rburford@kent.edu, 330-672-8516