On the weekend of September 2-4, the Adaptive Outdoor Education Center partnered with Pine Tree Camp to put on the first Water Sports Weekend. It was a two day event held at Pine Tree Camp and there were a total of 17 participants and 20 volunteers. The participants had the chance to try kayaking, paddle boarding, rowing, sailing and adaptive cycling. The weekend events also included pontoon boat rides, fishing, swimming and a campfire both nights. It was a great chance to try out new activities in a supportive environment. There were plenty of volunteers around to make all of the activities accessible to each participant’s ability level.

This was the first time paddle boarding and rowing have ever been offered as activities at Pine Tree Camp. The rowing team had participants start out doing training in technique on land first, using a rowing machine and then progressing to a boat with an instructor with them. It was amazing to see how quickly people were able to improve their skills!

Pine Tree Camp Director, Dawn Willard-Robinson said, “Paddle boarding was such a huge hit that we are going to offer it as an activity during our camp sessions next summer. We were able to adapt the boards by adding a seat to them. This allows people to be able to use them in a variety of different ways depending on their comfort level, sitting, kneeling or standing.”

She adds, “The big highlights of the weekend were seeing participants try new activities even if they were hesitant or even nervous being in the water! They all made new friends and we had a beautiful sunset cruise on the last night. We are already starting to plan for next year. The group is committed to adding more participants and also to add water skiing to the list of activities.”

To see more photos, go to https://www.facebook.com/pinetreecamp/

Skip to content