810-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 22, 1991
Kayaking Is Fun Water Sport For Kids
GAY N. BROWNLEE
Somerset Co. Correspondent
CONFLUENCE (Somerset
County) Hey, kids! Did you
ever think about learning to paddle
a boat called a kayak? Some excel
lent teachers are waiting to show
you just how it’s done at a pad
dling school near Confluence, held
annually at Kid’s Camp, the last
week in June.
Let me explain what a kayak is,
just in case you’ve never heard the
name before. It is a long flat boat,
wide enough at the middle for one
person to sit in it with his legs
stretched straight ahead. It tapers
to pointed ends, similarly to a
canoe only a kayak isn’t open or
deep like a canoe. It is closed and
flat with an opening for you to
slide into its seat.
Using an oar with a broad pad
dle on each end, you propel and
control your kayak in the water.
Some persons can do this so well
that they are going to compete dur
ing the Summer Olympics next
year in Seo, Spain. They steer their
kayak through gushing whitewater
rapids and very difficult gates at
the same time.
At a place called Riversport
Base Camp in Confluence, Kid’s
Camp is held for one week each
year. Everybody stays in a tent.
The Ruppels, who own Riversport
and conduct paddling school say
that you can bring your own tent or
they will furnish one for you.
Besides learning to paddle a
kayak, they take you biking down
woodsy trails and on one called
the Appalachian Trail. They take
you hiking, swimming and rafting.
You will do some sightseeing,
have free time and play games
around the campfire at night. You
will be introduced to a river called
the Youghiogheny (Yah ka gay
Winter Feathers and Erica Ruppel stand among tents
such as those used during Kid’s Camp when kids are taught
kayaking.
Readers Write
Hello,
My name is Lizzie King. My
birthday is August 3, 1981. My
father’s and mother’s names are
Christ and Anna King, i have six
sisters and four brothers. Their
names are Rebecca, 15; Benuel,
13; Barbara, 12; Sol, 11; me, 9;
Christ 8; Abram, 6; Anna 3; and
from the camp.
There’s also volleyball and soc
cer says instructor, Erica Ruppel,
who is 14 years old, and very ex
pert at paddling. She is the current
Pennsylvania Cup champion in the
women’s kayak slalom. Her par
ents are Bob and Karen Ruppel.
She has a sister named Kara,
who is 22 years old. Right now,
Kara is traveling around North
America and Europe as a member
of the United States Canoe and
Kayak Team to compete for the
World Cup. You have to be really
good and fast to make the team. If
you read sports news in your local
newspaper, you may see her name
if she wins a race.
Erica says the food served at
Kid’s Camp is just the kind all kids
love, like pizza. She says when
you have free time you can read or
sleep or just please yourself.
Campfires at night are fun. She
says, “We made up songs and
danced around the campfire.”
You are never left by yourself at
Kid’s Camp. Erica says you al
ways wear life preservers when in
the water. The worst injury in 10
years of the camp has been a minor
bee sting.
Not far from the camp are inter
esting places like Ohiopyle and a
famous tourist attraction called
Falling Water, Here, a brilliant
architect named Frank Lloyd
Wright built an unusual house
right over the water, which can be
seen beneath it. Maybe the River
sport folks will take you there.
Erica says she has been pad
dling since she was three years
old. Her goal is to be in the 1996
Summer Olympics. She and Kara
want to participate together in the
1996 event.
Two friendly Labrador Re
tgriever dogs belonging to the
twins Mary and Malinda, 1
We have four cats. We have 31
cows. We have five horses. We
have one puppy.
Our Family,
Rachel, 7, July 22; Esther, 6,
black one is Sarge and the golden
haired one is Brutus. Sarge is so
smart that Erica has taught him
tricks. She can get him to sit in a
kayak which is really funny to see.
Then she tells him to carry the hel
met. After he gets it between his
teeth he goes everywhere with it
and doesn’t want to let it go. These
dogs hardly bark at all. Instead
they just sort of trot around the
place wagging their tails happily.
You can get more information
about Kid’s Camp by calling this
telephone number: 814 395-5744.
It is the number of the Riversport
canoe and kayak shop the Ruppels
operate in town. A woman named
Betty will probably answer your
call. She can give you all the infor
mation you need.
With Sarge, the dog In the kayak, Erica Ruppel, right, shows Winter Feathers how
Sarge was taught the trick.
W
Sarge, the dog, Is having trouble sitting stilt on the porch wl
September 17; Ivan, 5, February
13; Daniel, 3, October 20; and
Samuel, 1; March 14.
Dad milks the cows, cultipacks
the field, plants com. Mom sweeps
the kitchen and makes dresses.
I wipe the dishes. Samuel goes
out sometimes. Sometimes our
whole family goes away on
Sunday.
With love,
Lizzie
SAND TARTS
1 cup sugar
f;
0
Young Winter Feathers, shown in the kayak, gets some
paddling Instructions from her expert friend, Erica Ruppel.
< <**
'A cup butter
1 egg, well beaten
2 cups flour, sifted
l'/i teaspoon baking powder
1 egg white, slightly beaten
'A teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup almonds, split
1 teaspoon lemon flavoring
/ Rachel King
ORANGE JULIUS
'A of bounce can frozen orange
juice
Erica and Winter.
'A cup milk
'/i cup water
'/« cup sugar
'/i teaspoon vanilla
5 or 6 ice cubes
Combine all ingredients in a
blender. Cover and blend until
smooth. Serves 4.
This is my favorite drink
because it has my daddy’s cow's
milk in it. And it tasted good.
Steven Werley