Friday

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm at The Waterhorse Irish Pub

• Welcome Happy Hour, meet and greet with featured athletes, guest speakers, and industry professionals in downtown Franklin. There will be exclusive film showings and lots of fun!

Saturday

All of these seminars have been thoughtfully curated to enhance your skills, connection to the paddling community, and help you advance your performance. There are multiple options of seminars to choose from per time slot. There are a variety of educational and interactive seminars and events with our amazing guest speakers to choose from.

Each seminar will be hosted inside one of our local, downtown breweries, pubs, and shops - an opportunity to explore and support local businesses!

10:00 am - 10:45 am

• WELLNESS FOR PADDLERS with Dr. Celeste Gabai sponsored by NRS
  • The low-impact nature of paddling makes it a sport we can continue to enjoy as we age. But to maximize performance as an aging athlete, we need to become more proactive in taking care of our bodies, helping to avoid injury and lessen their effects when they do.  Join NRS Ambassador, and medical professional, Celeste Gabai DCATC, as she leads an interactive class on ‘Wellness for Paddlers.’  Be sure to bring a means to take notes, as she will be sending you home with a lot of new ideas on how to better take care of your body and enjoy your time on the water. 
    
• DISSECTING WHITEWATER PADDLE DESIGN with Rob Yager and Dane Jackson sponsored by Werner Paddles
  • From the early paddles being built in the family shop back in the early 60’s, to the Athlete inspired ‘Stealth’ and ‘Covert’ of the modern era… ‘Werner Paddles’ has been the leader in whitewater designs. Take some time to visit with whitewater kayaker and ‘Werner Paddles’ sales and marketing representative Rob Yager as he gives you some of the history as well as the ideology behind designs like river running or play boating blades and the benefit of a neutral bent shaft. A paddler who needs no introduction, Rob will be joined by Dane Jackson for his insights on the design thought behind the ‘Stealth’ and ‘Covert.’ 
    
    
• PRIDE COFFEE & TRIVIA with Ann Gillard sponsored by NRS
  • Join NRS LEAD Ambassador, Ann Gillard, for ‘Pride Coffee and Trivia.’  Learn about the work Ann is doing to promote paddle sports and the outdoors within the LGBTQ+ communities in a light hearted seminar welcoming everybody.  Coffee and prizes sponsored by NRS.  And… be sure to join Ann and friends for a Pride paddle on the Winni later in the day. 

11:00 am - 11:45 am

• UNDERSTANDING THE VAST OPTIONS IN PADDLING CLOTHING with Danny Mongno sponsored by NRS
  • Cold feet... cold hands... just plain cold.  Sweaty...sun burnt.  Neoprene vs. dry suit?  Is it really a ladies fit, or is it just purple?  This splash jacket looks a lot like my rain jacket? Wow... it's a lot to digest.  Take some time to relax, and hang out with Danny Mongno from NRS to answer all of your questions.  In this open discussion, we will address everything above and then some and make sure we answer all your questions, even the weird ones.  In the end we assure you, you will walk away with a better understanding of what to wear paddling, for any season.
    
• WHITEWATER KAYAK DESIGN with Dane Jackson sponsored by Jackson Kayak
  • A LOT goes into paddling at the level of Dane Jackson, and a big part of that is how the kayak performs.  So, as he has elevated his paddling skill over his lifetime, he has become more and more involved in the design process at ‘Jackson Kayaks.’  Spend some time with Dane taking a deep dive into whitewater kayak design.  And sure, he knows ‘JK’ intimately, but is here to help YOU understand any kayak brand you are interested in.  
    
    
• OUTFITTING YOUR WHITEWATER KAYAK with Rob Yager and Cashion Porter-Shirley sponsored by Jackson Kayak
  • Feet falling asleep, back getting stiff, are you sitting so low in your kayak that performing your roll is challenging?  There are far more body shapes than there are kayak designs, so it is almost impossible to expect you are going to jump into your new kayak and have it fit perfectly.  More importantly, fit well enough to foster comfort, confidence and performance. Join Rob Yager of ‘Jakson Kayaks’ to elevate your outfitting game.  Sure, he will REALLY be able to help you with your ‘JK,’ with intimate knowledge of their ‘Uni-Shock Bulkhead System’ and ‘Sure-Lock Backband System.’  But… Rob has been paddling whitewater kayaks for over 20 years, so he has the experience to help improve the outfitting in your favorite kayak, no matter what logo it wears. 

12:00 pm - 3:00 pm

• ON WATER FUN!!!!
  • JK Fun Tour Paddle with Dane Jackson, Mason Hargrove and Cashion Porter Shirley
  • NRS - Pride Paddle with Ann Gillard
  • NRS dry suit demos in the river (in the eddy, for folks who have never worn a dry suit or want to try something new.)
  • Kayak Demos
  • Paddle Demos

• DRY WEAR REPAIRS with Outdoor New England experts sponsored by Outdoor New England
  • Having the knowledge to do repairs on your dry top or dry suit will not only assure you will be ready for when the rivers are running but help save you some valuable gas and beer money as well. Take some time with the staff of ‘ONE’ as they share their knowledge of dry wear repair with you.

3:00 pm - 3:45 pm

• THE FORWARD STROKE with Donny Mongno sponsored by NRS 
  • To enjoy the sport of paddling we need an efficient Forward Stroke.  We want to use less energy, have more confidence in rapids, maybe go faster or boof higher, not be sore.  So, it makes sense that the Forward Stroke gets so much attention from students and coaches a like.  Join Danny Mongno of NRS, with 30+ years of paddle sports coaching experience, as he breaks things down in a very easy to follow, step-by-step process.  This is an interactive class, so be ready to participate and have fun.  To wrap things up, Danny will send you off with exercises to do at home, to help develop your new techniques.  (In this class we will focus on skills for kayakers but also address how that crosses over to stand up paddlers and canoeists.)  
    
    
• AMERICAN WHITEWATER - AN UPDATE ON THE NORTHEAST with Bob Nasdor sponsored by American Whitewater Association
  • Join American Whitewater’s ‘Northeast Stewardship Director,’ Bob Nasdor, as he gives ‘Nor'Easter’ attendees an overview of 2024 successes and 2025 planning, in river advocacy in the Northeast.  This will end with a Q&A session, so please bring your questions as well as positive vibes for the amazing work ‘AW’ does for us.

4:00 pm - 4:45 pm

• BASIC FIRST AID FOR PADDLERS with Kaitlyn Fowle sponsored by NRS
  • Join Wilderness First Aid instructor and NRS Athlete, Kaitlyn Fowle, in better understanding the basics of first aid for the whitewater paddler.  Kaitlyn will look at the most common injuries we face in paddle sports.  Dissecting how to one, try to avoid it, two, how to deal with it when it occurs and lastly, what tools you should be carrying in your boat to be prepared. Be sure to bring a means to take notes, as she will be sending you home with a lot of new ideas on how to better take care of yourself and your paddling crew. 
    
    
• PADDLEWAYS - YOUR POCKET GUIDE TO PADDLING with Danny Mongno sponsored by NRS
  • PaddleWays was developed by NRS to be your all-in-one APP for knowing how, where, and when to go paddling. From points of interest to real-time conditions updates.  In the spirit of our founder Bill Parks, the majority of the in APP tools are free to use.  Join this seminar to better understand how Paddleways has everything you need to plan and enjoy every trip.
    
    
• TRIP REPORTS with Chuck Joy sponsored by Astral
  • ROAD TRIP!  Two words that always create excitement amongst paddlers.  Take a break from all of the learning at ‘Nor’Easter’ and spend some time with paddling legend, Chuck Joy of ‘Astral Buoyancy.’  In this lighthearted seminar, Chuck will share trip reports of some of his most memorable paddling adventures.  The Grand Canyon, Columbia, the Upper Yough?  Nobody knows what’s going to inspire Chuck, so be ready for tales of adventure. 

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm (Evening Social)

• Hang out with your new friends, recap the good times of the weekend, last chance for raffle tickets and find out if your won!!!