If You Don’t Try It, You Missed the Boat

Alan Batey, who has been giving lessons on how to canoe for more than a decade, can identify three types of people who are interested in learning the sport.

“There’s the crowd called Yuppies, who want to be able to say that they’ve done that and once they learn you never see them again,” said Batey, an instructor certified by the American Canoe Assn.

“Then there’s the die-hards, who want to learn no matter what and they are serious about it.”

Then, Batey said, there are young people who are enthusiastic and competitive about the whole experience.

“They’re usually outstanding and they learn quick,” Batey said.

Regardless of their motivation, Batey treats all his students the same. For 12 years he has taught flat-water tandem, solo flat-water and moving-water canoeing.

In 1994, he started a program sponsored by the city of Los Angeles at Lake Balboa, which is part of the Sepulveda Dam Recreation Center in Van Nuys.

Each year about 200 students go through the program, which has 12 instructors. The cost for beginners is $35. The advanced moving-water courses are $65.

A beginner’s package includes three sessions. The first is an introduction to fundamentals, which includes a lengthy safety video, at a pool in Pacoima.

The second session is on an aluminum canoe at Lake Balboa and the third is on the Kern River.

“By then we use plastic boats because the problem with aluminum in the river is that it snags and tips the boat,” Batey said. “The plastic slides and doesn’t tip over.”

The next beginner’s session starts July 3 and runs through July 27. Information: 818-765-0284.

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The Oxnard-Ventura Bike Club will sponsor the Cool Breeze Century ride Aug. 11. The $20 entry deadline is July 15.

The race is limited to 500 riders and there are three routes to choose from--the 63-mile Metric Century, 100-mile Full Century and 125-mile Double Metric.

All of them begin and end in Ventura and share portions of the Pacific Coast bicycle route.

Each course follows the coast to a point just below Carpinteria, turns inland and goes through the scenic orchards and flower ranches of eastern Santa Barbara County.

The Metric Century loops through Montecito, and the Full Century continues up the coast, through Hope Ranch to the UC Santa Barbara campus in Goleta.

Double Metric riders go farther into the back country around Lake Casitas and the Casitas Pass.

Rest stops with restrooms, water and snacks will be provided every 14-16 miles. A pasta lunch will be served at the Harbortown Marina Resort where all of the races end.

Information: 805-983-3412.

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A five-on-five flag football tournament is scheduled for June 29-30 at the Chapman Sports Complex in Garden Grove.

Teams of players 18 and older are eligible.

The finals will be played at the Arrowhead Pond on July 4.

Information: 714-963-9499.