Kayak dash at Deception Pass

Outdoor Adventure Center announces the annual Deception Pass Dash, a 5-mile kayak race through Deception Pass between Whidbey and Fidalgo islands, is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 7, beginning at 10 a.m.

The race starts and finishes at Bowman Bay in Deception Pass State Park.

This event is open to all kayakers who are confident in their rough water paddling abilities. Safety is provided by Outdoor Adventures staff and volunteers, as well as local police and sheriff’s departments.

Race founders Will Robens and Donald Kiesling created the event in 2006 as an opportunity for any kayaker with decent open-water paddling skills to challenge themselves in tidal currents. Now sponsored by the Outdoor Adventure Center, the Deception Pass Dash is becoming a highlight event of the winter paddling scene.

Slack before ebb at the pass is at 10:25 a.m., so the paddlers will have to “dash through the Pass” before its famous currents create an obstacle.

Following the race, Outdoor Adventures will host a barbecue for the participants, volunteers and guests.

For more information, contact Bill or Blair Corson, info@OutdoorAdventureCen

ter.com, call 425-883-9039, or visit www.outdooradven

turecenter.com/2869/articles/Deception-Pass-Dash-08.html.

Hoopin’ Holiday Camp at OHHS

Area basketball players in first through eighth-grades are invited to attend the Hoopin’ Holiday Camp Dec. 22 through 24 at Oak Harbor High School.

This is a chance to come out and work on your basketball skills under the guidance of Oak Harbor High School girls basketball coaches and players.

Camp times for players in first through fifth-grades will be from 9 to 10 a.m., and the sixth through eighth-graders camp is scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m.

The cost of the camp is $35 per athlete and guarantees a T-shirt if applications are postmarked by Monday, Dec. 15.

This camp is for boys and girls of all skill levels, and is a great way to have fun and stay active during the holiday break. Sign up now and reserve your space for this great opportunity to work on your game.

For more information, boys should call Justin Ronning at 279-5672, and the girls should call Fred Burleson at 720-1202.

Free basketball clinics offered

Oak Harbor youth basketball players, both boys and girls, are invited to attend free clinics on Saturdays at the high school beginning Dec. 6 and continuing through February.

These clinics are for players in grades first through eighth, and will be conducted under the guidance of Oak Harbor High School players and coaches.

The clinics for players in first through fifth-grades will be from 9 to 10 a.m., and the clinics for grades six through eight will be from 10 to 11 a.m.

The primary focus of the clinics is on skill, development and basic basketball terminology, and are designed for boys and girls of all skill levels and will serve as a great way to have some fun while working on their games.

The theme of our clinics is to put the “fun” in fundamentals.

For more information on the boys program email jronning@ohsd.net, or call 279-5672.

Girls should email fredbur

leson@comcast.net, or call 720-1202.

Calling skiers and snowboarders

South Whidbey Parks and Recreation’s Snowrider program is now taking registrations for the youth Saturday program and adult Tuesday program — your ride to the mountains this winter. Pickups will be made in Coupeville and South Whidbey, plus an Everett pickup on the Tuesday bus.

Never skied or boarded? Come out and learn something new. Programs are available for youth and adults to get you to the mountain and onto the slopes.

For more information, call 360-221-5484, or visit www.swparks.org.