Spreading the word from the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium

From the GLSKS site ( http://downwindsports.com/glsks/ )

"Over the years we’ve been amazed by the love and support we’ve had for GLSKS We’ve made countless new friends and watched the growth of so many paddlers. It’s been a great decade for us and we really hope you’ve enjoyed it too.

"Unfortunately, dwindling participation and rising costs are putting a tremendous strain on this symposium. Every year it gets harder and harder keep above water. After weeks of heartfelt deliberation, we came to the conclusion that there are really only two ways to meet the financial needs of the symposium: increased cost or increased participation.
Raising the entry cost seems unfair to you. We understand that sea kayaking can be an expensive sport and we want to do our best not to make it excessive. Keeping the cost of the symposium as low as possible has always been a priority for us. Instruction is important but it shouldn’t break the bank.

"That leaves us with increasing participation. Having more people helps us spread out the cost without decreasing any of the great events and instruction you’ve come to expect. Plus, having more people improves the quality of the socials and makes more fun for everyone.

"So here’s the big news. For GLSKS 2017 we have to have 50 participants to hold the event. If we can’t get 50 participants to sign up we are going to be forced to cancel. If you love this event as much as we do please help us out. Sign up. Tell your friends to sign up. Share the event on Facebook, twitter, your website, or any other outlets you may have. We really want to keep this symposium going. If there was ever a year to sign up, this is it.

"We’ve set a deadline of June 1st to make it to 50 participants. Hopefully this will give you plenty of time and this will be no problem at all.

"We don’t see it happening, but if disaster strikes and we don’t reach 50 participants we will work with you to make the best of it. If you have already registered, we will offer you a full refund.

“Registration is online at: https://form.jotformpro.com/downwin…/glsks-2017-registration

Hope it continues,

My memories of past symposiums:
1st one I went to:
'87 (held in Traverse City), bought a Nordkapp HM (from Stan).
my last one
'92 I arrived to the symposium by kayak, having started there 21 days previous (paddled around the ‘big lake’).

@raisins
As you paddled Superior to get to the symposium, am guessing you were one of the coaches. That’s pretty awesome.

TC in 1987 was a pretty neat small town and a great place to hold a symposium. Now it’s crowded, gridlock and very expensive.

Good news: The Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium (which apparently is the longest running sea kayak symposium in the country) will go forward this year - but with a different organizer:

http://downwindsports.com/glsks/?p=2520

Course listing not available until June 10.