Volunteer Spotlight: Not Your Average School Teacher

Name: Pat Frock 
Age: 72
Hometown: Shepherd, Michigan
Sierra Club chapter: Ohio (Miami Group)
Sierra Club volunteer position: Chair, Paddlesports School
Day job: Project management consultant


“I grew up in Michigan as a farm kid who liked going to the woods that was near the farm,” said Pat Frock, a member of the Miami Group and Ohio Chapter of the Sierra Club.

But since moving to Cincinnati for graduate school, she has called Ohio home. 

A project management consultant by profession, Pat still enjoys spending her free time getting outdoors and observing nature.

In fact, for the past decade, Pat has been the chair of her local Sierra Club group’s Paddlesports School, a volunteer position that allows Pat to take care of administrative duties while the paddlesports instructors teach adults -- often beginners -- proper kayak and canoe skills.

See, while Pat has a passion for paddlesports, she doesn’t often paddle. 

“I am afraid of water over my head,” Pat explained.

Years ago, Pat was canoeing on a river when all of a sudden, other canoes were tipping over and being carried into a downed tree. Pat’s fear struck her, caused her to freeze up, and hindered her from being able to ferry over and help the other canoers.

“That was when I decided to be realistic about my fears and not place me or others in a difficult situation,” she said, “so I stopped.”

The Paddlesports School itself has a rich history. 

A man named Ray McClain and a few others who loved canoeing wanted to share their passion with people, so they started the school 47 years ago. 

“He was a dynamic leader and created a wonderful program that has been sustained by more volunteers in the 47 years than I could ever possibly name,” Pat said.

Pat got involved in the school about 40 years ago when she attended “Canoe School,” a two-day weekend trip in March with about 100 adults, a campsite, and even a square dance.

In the beginning, folks made their own kayaks from a mold, Pat explained.

But things have changed in 47 years, as they often do.

Now, the Paddlesports School offers a variety of smaller schools such as touring kayaking, stand-up paddling, river kayaking, canoeing, and more. You won’t catch schools of paddlers in the Ohio waters in March anymore though -- warm water is (not surprisingly) more desired. And the school now also has its own website and marketing team.

Whenever the Paddlesports School welcomes a new student, that student must face a situation similar to the one that led Pat to set aside her paddle and take a behind-the-scenes role. New students are asked to get into their kayak, take it out with an instructor, and purposely flip it over so their first underwater kayak experience is in a controlled, safe environment.

“To see their hesitation -- and then their relief that they did it -- is wonderful,” Pat said. “Once they are wet, they will do it again, and then it is okay to push their limits while learning a stroke.”

Pat loves to watch students and instructors alike celebrate and be happy after a successful school.

In addition to her paddlesports work, Pat also leads local Sierra Club hikes as an outings leader and is slowly hiking the 1,400-mile Buckeye Trail around the state of Ohio. But paddlesports will always remain a passion for Pat. She particularly likes to canoe in swamps and quiet backwaters to see wildlife and birds.

“In my opinion," Pat said, "there is nothing more graceful than a paddler in a solo canoe."

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