ISKA 2017 Symposium

[Jose]

Looking forward to it

[mcnamado]

Starting the big drive soon

[Chris McDaid]

All,

A fantastic Symposium. Huge thanx to John Dempsey and his helpers, all the providers for their time and expertise, the staff at Uisce for the excellent hospitality, all of the people/businesses who donated raffle prizes, Emma Glanville & Margaret Farrell for the table quiz, Robin Kavanagh for the Iniskeas presentation and last but not least, everyone who attended and helped us to raise €1364 for the Ballyglass RNLI (a sizeable contribution was provided by Peter Hennessen & Dave Glasgow from the Streamstown meet). Thanx to all of you, roll on 2018!!!!

Cheers,
Chris

[Lucyb]

Brian and myself had a great weekend.

Many thanks everybody who made the weekend happen.

Cheers L & B

[Chancer]

Great weekend, Enjoyed all of it. Great paddles and great social event too. The weather was not an issue to paddling enjoyment as predicted.

[brianmacmahon]

What a wonderful weekend.

Great company Great Food Great Paddling.

Thanks a million to John Robin and Margaret.

Thanks also to everyone who attended and to your immense generosity.
As a result we raised more money this year for the RNLI then in previous years.
Thanks also to Peter and Dave who's huge contribution brought us over the line.

Looking forward to an even better 2018.

Brian Mac
Meets Officer

[conorsmith]

Thanks especially to John D, with support from Robin and Margaret and of course all the service providers and other help, this was another excellent symposium. Some fantastic paddling and workshops to end out our calendar for another year. Thank you also to the committee for all the work they do on our behalf throughout 2017.

[colinfrancis]

So in a nutshell.Thanks guys. From the Friday afternoon paddle to the Sunday morning surf session. I had a blast ,Great to see you all, stay safe on and off the water .

[Hynser]

Yes, to echo my gratitude for those that worked hard to organise a great event. Well done John D, Chris, Margaret, Robin, Emma etc
Yes we all would have liked more favourable conditions but there were many enjoyable aspects to the weekend.
Glad I got the Friday paddle in! That north section of coast is amazing.
Compliments to Sue Honan to TnaD looked great.

The fundraising was great, memorial very nice to show our support and respect. Well done to all.

The quiz was a good addition. although we might need a phone signal blocker in the future!

As usual the prizes were excellent. Thanks to all the kind sponsors.

I brought 6 "newbies" with me from Cork, their 1st Symposium. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves but did feel that they are none the wiser as to who ISKA are and what they offer. They did comment that nobody from the ISKA committee welcomed them or engaged with them. Now, don't get me wrong, they don't need for red carpets etc

Numbers were down this year with some notable absences.
Some of that could be attributed to some folk not travelling due to the poor weather forecast.
I sometimes worry that in recent years due to the high numbers, it really restricts where the event can go. And perhaps we expect a high level of service in terms of food etc.

I was at another bigger symposium across the pond lately based out of a bunkouse / campsite. 20 stayed in the bunkhouse and well over 120 camped in the field. Communal BBQ on the Sat eve, no frills but everyone happy with the workshops, talks, slide shows and basic bar.


My only concern is this and its one I have raised before and being brutally honest its one of the main reasons I stepped down at the time, is the opposition to change and growth.

If you look at the age demographic at recent symposiums, we have hardly any young people coming to ISKA events. Now I am not being ageist but in fairness, the sport does suffer from the "beardy old guy" reputation but the fact remains there are SOOOO many Outdoor courses offering Sea Kayaking and there is zero engagement with them from ISKA.
There is a sizeable bank balance there and it should be used developmentally.

Currently there are:
Approx 25 trainee's Sea Kayaking in Cappanalea on a 1 year Training course, 1 at the symposium.
Approx 30 trainee's Sea Kayaking in Kinsale OEC on a 2 year training course, none at the symposium.
4 Separate years of trainnee's in GMIT, all Sea Kayaking, 1 at the symposium.
and approximately 5 other PLC courses around the country with students involved in Paddlesports and Sea Kayaking.

Look how much more vibrant our sport would be if we had new young paddlers coming through every season.

I don't think we do a very good job of bringing Youth along at ISKA events. I propose that the Committee should explore a "Youth Initiative" for Sea Kayaking. The Mountaineering Council have had some great success with similar initiatives.

The current symposium format is cost prohibitive to students. Yes, it works for us because we can afford it and we have a good time but it does not cater for students or youth development. Perhaps a subsidised rate for students in exchange for some work at the symposium? This happens at many many other symposiums.

The future of our sport developing in Ireland relies on this area of development.

Otherwise the Irish Sea Kayaking Association is in dange of becoming the Irish Sea Kayaking Club.

Just for clarity.
I am not personally criticising any committee member here.
I am well aware there may be opposing views to mine.
Just a suggestion lads, we need to freshen things up.
Finally, Cork would love to host 2018!!!!!

[iskacommittee]

Jon, thank you for your comments. We will consider what we can do going forward.