New Phys Ed Feature: Kayaking the Hommocks

by Syl Morrone

(September 18, 2008) This year, middle and high school students will be able to experience the Hommocks pool as they never could before: sitting above the water, paddling a kayak. An innovative new program, funded by a grant from the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation, is adding kayaking to the district’s physical education curriculum.

Students practice their newly-developed kayaking skills in the Hommocks pool. Mamaroneck is one of very few districts in Westchester offering a kayaking program.

According to phys ed teacher Cathleen Ferguson, she and several colleagues began thinking about kayaks after attending presentations at a statewide meeting. “We really responded to this because it was a program that blended perfectly with our Project Adventure curriculum.” Another factor is the district already possessed a perfect resource: the Hommocks pool.

An especially strong third factor for Ms. Ferguson was that the program would be available to adaptive phys ed students, too. “The depth of the Hommocks pool enables instructors to work individually in the water with those who require a more direct one-on-one instructional situation,” she explained.

Overall, the kayaking program is very comprehensive, with several clearly stated goals. Students start with an obvious, basic instruction - how to enter and exit the kayak properly and safely. “This,” she adds, “is not as simple as it sounds. It takes some students a few ‘dunks before they acquire the balance and coordination to get in and out…dry!”

Other skills to master include developing proper paddling techniques, learning to safely change directions, and being able to recover when the kayak rolls. As one student pointed out, “Once you settle into the kayak, you’re like only inches from the water and you get this incredible feeling of excitement!”

This excitement matches that of the entire physical education staff. Ms. Ferguson noted that kayaking is one of the fastest growing activities in the country. And with all the resources Mamaroneck’s coastal location offers, students will be able to expand their kayaking skills beyond the boundaries of their school pool.

Additionally, Ms. Ferguson emphasized that kayaking is a life-long activity. “And promoting such activities, especially with their cardiovascular benefits, is a core feature of a modern physical education curriculum.”

Or, reduced to simplest, student-expressed terms: “Kayaking is so much fun. It is a great, exhilarating thing to do!”

Syl Morrone volunteers with the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation, a non-profit volunteer community organization that provides public schools in the Larchmont/Mamaroneck district with supplemental funds for innovative programs, materials, equipment, and enhanced facilities not provided for in the regular school budget. For more information, call 914-698-9079 or visit mamaroneckschoolsfoundation.org.

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