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Club Rules & Guidelines

The task of writing down rules is unpleasant; the pressure to enforce rules becomes greater, and kayakers as a group appear to make poor recruiting material for a police force. Nevertheless, as the number of club members increases with many complete novices joining, the need for explicit rules and safety instruction grows.

The organizational structure, rules, and operating procedures of the University Kayak Club are described in the Club Constitution and two bylaw documents, Rules and Customs, and Safety Guidelines. All three documents are included in the Club Officer Edition of the Guide Book and are posted on the club bulletin board at the WAC boathouse. Just the bylaws are included in the Membership Edition of the Guide Book.

Drafts of all three documents were written in the spring and summer of 1985 by George Sheldon. Final 1986 versions reflected suggestions made by personnel at the Student Activities office, John and Ellen Hokanson, Clive Lister, Mark Redland, Mollie Bigger, Tommy Swearingen, Ed Mulligan, Kirk Weller, Brad Bell, Dan Dailey, and many other club members. Steve Fox had important suggestions concerning ocean touring that were incorporated into the 1987 Safety Guidelines. All three of these documents change as new club members arrive on the scene with new experience and viewpoints.

These documents provide a good starting point for subsequent revisions, as does the following advice: (1) for a rule to be a good rule, it must necessarily be practically enforceable; (2) precedent concerning which rules are enforced and how over-rides all written rules; (3) rules that continually vary constrain no one; and, (4) most important, trust growing from friendships is really what makes or breaks any club like the University Kayak Club.

Thanks to all those who have helped in the preparation of the Constitution, Bylaws, and Safety Guidelines.

Safety Guidelines

Safety on UKC trips does not just happen. It is the result of awareness and understanding by all members of the trip acting as a team. We enjoy paddling because it takes us out into nature. Whitewater and ocean kayaking, like any outdoor sport, will always have some risk involved. Each paddler needs to consider for themselves what level of risk they are willing to take, and what they can do to minimize that risk.

We have divided up safety measures based on the type of padding you choose to do:

Safety committee and Trip coordinators

Safety Committee

The club has a safety committee composed of at least seven members as follows: the president, vice-president, treasurer, and equipment manager and no less than three expert paddlers.

The functions of the safety committee are (this is taken from the club constitution):

To make decisions concerning the classification of the difficulty of various river runs not currently listed on the "permitted rivers list" that are to be added (see club rivers list).
To make additions or deletions of names to the Class I, II, III, and IV River and Sea Trip Coordinator Lists at least each autumn quarter, preferably each quarter.
To determine penalties for members violating club rules and safety procedures.
To suggest to the club executive board various safety education activities that should be undertaken.
To periodically edit and update this document.

Ocean Touring Trip Coordinator Requirements

For a trip coordinator at the SK-IV level:

Whitewater boating skill at the Class III level or greater is suggested, or equivalent boat handling skills in a sea kayak. Knowledge of reading whitewater is not a necessary skill for sea kayakers, but the boat handling skills required to paddle class III whitewater are a good indication of the general level of proficiency expected of an ocean touring trip coordinator.
A proficient, "combat" (as opposed to pool) roll is suggested. An alternate backup reentry method is required. A trip coordinator must be able to reenter a boat after a wet exit without assistance using the paddle float outrigger method or something similar.
Chart reading experience and knowledge of tides and tide currents is mandatory. The club occasionally holds training sessions to introduce club members to these and other aspects of ocean touring seamanship.
Knowledge of marine weather conditions and their effects on paddling are essential. The trip coordinator must be able to obtain marine forecasts, and know how to interpret them. An ability to interpret weather signs in the absence of a forecast is also desirable. Since this is a subjective area, it is difficult to establish an objective test of this ability. What is expected is familiarity with the signs of imminent bad weather and knowledge of appropriate tactics when faced with bad weather.
Good judgment is mandatory. In choosing names for the Sea Kayaking Trip Coordinator List, the Safety Committee will rank this criterion above all others.

Whitewater Trip Coordinator Requirements

For whitewater trips, we have a posted list of approved trip coordinators. The coordinators are explicitly ranked by the difficulty, or class, of river for a designated trip. The coordinators are chosen considering a variety of leadership qualities and paddling skills. A qualified coordinator has a balance of these abilities. At least one member of the Safety Committee will have paddled with the candidate several times in order to make an informed decision on the capabilities of the candidate.

It is expected that the person be comfortable paddling at the level above the class of whitewater on which they would be coordinating trips. Important whitewater skills are boat handling, rescue techniques, water reading and river scouting. A coordinator needs to be a responsible person who will make good decisions concerning the safety of a trip. The coordinator should be sensitive to the abilities and comfort levels of less-experienced paddlers. A trip coordinator who is also a good paddling instructor is beneficial to the club.