On Saturday the 11th July 2009 Cadets and Staff from 2028 (Southam) Squadron, enjoyed a second day at Edgbaston Reservoir in Birmingham. The Squadron had had a similar day out in July 2008 and wanted to re-live the experience! The day had been organised by C.I. Steve Rogers from 2028 Squadron to introduce the Cadets to Kayaking. C.I. Rogers, accompanied by WO Storer-Rogers and CI Halford was assisted throughout the day by Coaches from Birmingham Canoe Club, one of the UK’s top Clubs.

The weather on the day was mixed with sunny spells and some heavy downpours but it didn’t seem to dampen the Cadets spirits. The d ay was packed with structured tuition and fun games, resulting in all the cadets and one of the staff obtaining the new Kayak 1 Star Award.

The cadets were split into 3 groups of 4 with a club coach and 2 Birmingham Canoe Club ‘helpers’ per group. This provided nearly a 1:1 ratio for the best possible learning experience. The day was tailored around what the Cadets wanted to do, and if they wanted to get wet, then they would! Most of the skills were covered in the morning session before returning to the reservoir after more rain for some games.

Following the games the Cadets were split into their previous morning session groups in order to finish covering the entire 1 Star Kayak syllabus, which involved demonstrating to the Coach a ‘capsize and swim to shore drill’-most of whom had done this already during the games in the afternoon. The day concluded at about 1530hrs by getting off the water and returning home totally exhausted after spending an hour chatting and ‘buzzing' from the day while getting changed. The whole day was a great experience for everyone and hopefully it can be repeated in the future, with more Cadets and Squadrons becoming involved like last year.

A Birmingham Canoe Club Coach said "the Cadets were a joy to coach and so respectful to others, they are always keen to learn new skills."

C.I. Rogers commented, “I have always tried to get the Cadets involved in something different and challenging, hopefully today has certainly achieved that objective. As with last year my Squadron Commander has given his full support but I must give special thanks to the Birmingham Canoe Club and their coaches without whom this would not have been possible. The Cadets have not only had great fun but also gained a Kayak 1 Star Award as well.”