Take Care of What Brings Us Together
Community isn't only about the people. The rivers are part of it too.
Being a paddler means developing a relationship with the places where we paddle—and accepting some responsibility for them. Pick up the trash someone else left behind. Respect access points and the people who live around them. Learn about the river. Speak up for it. Leave it a little better when you can.
And do the same for the paddling community itself. Share what you've learned. Help the next person. Volunteer. Give something back when you have something to give.
Take care of the river. Take care of each other. Leave both better than you found them.
MORE THAN A CLASS
Community & Culture
You don't earn your place in this community by being the best paddler.
You earn it by being someone others want on the river with them. Show up. Help out. Encourage the person having a rough day. Carry the other end of a boat. Be willing to learn and willing to share what you know. Bring a good attitude and contribute something to the people around you.
Being a good paddler is nice. Being a good person to paddle with matters more.
Find Your Crew
You may arrive at WW101 without knowing another paddler. That changes quickly. Six weeks means a lot of time together—on the water, in eddies, carrying boats, running shuttle, laughing about swims, and figuring things out together.
Those connections don't have to end when the class does. This is your introduction to a paddling community much larger than WW101. Find the people you trust. Paddle with people who challenge you, look out for you, and make a day on the river more fun simply because they're there.
Somewhere in that process, you stop looking for people to go paddling with.
You have a crew.
