But visitors to Coates Creek Reservoir this summer will see hundreds of these young, terrestrial creatures happily paddling about, as they learn the basics of canoeing, and having fun. And if a canoe is not their thing, they'll build a raft.
"It's really about teamwork and leadership, and making sure they have a good time as well," says senior canoeing instructor Captain Susan Lusk of Bradford. "They learn to enjoy canoeing. It should be fun."
Two types of canoes are used, the traditional two-person tandem version, which emphasizes skill and stroke, and the much larger voyageur model, which is more stable, but requires teamwork.
"I loved it!" exclaimed Barrie cadet Jeremy Deboer, after returning from his first canoe tour of the reservoir. As a member of India Company, a basic training course for new cadets, he had been out in one of the larger voyageurs. "I've been out in a boat before, with my grandpa, but cadets has taught me a lot about safety, about always wearing a lifejacket and never standing up in an open boat."
"We use the voyageurs for the basic courses because they are much more stable, and also because the cadets crew them as a team, under the leadership of their own section commanders," says Captain Phil Hintzen, a reserve Canadian Forces officer who teaches part-time at the reservoir site. "We also tell them about the history of this type of canoe, and the role it played in the development of Canada."
The voyageur is styled after the large cargo canoes used by fur traders and trappers in the heyday of exploration. Once the cadets, many of whom are only 12 years old, get the hang of paddling as a team, Hintzen lines the canoes up for an impromptu race down the reservoir, to the delight of watchers on shore.
The cadets are spending part of the summer at Blackdown Cadet Training Centre, at Base Borden. As well as the basic courses, there is also training in leadership, music and drill. A special introductory survival course for air cadets was added this year.
Nearby the canoe site, other cadets are engaged in building rafts from oil drums and rope, competing against the clock as they try to produce a sturdy craft.
"They're using the field engineering skills they learn as army cadets at their home corps," explains Bob Dhillon, a former cadet and now a civilian instructor. "They have 45 minutes, under the leadership of their own section commanders, to apply the principles they have learned."
But the real proof comes after launch, when some rafts easily bear the weight of all ten cadets in the section. Some don't, and break apart, dumping shrieking and laughing teens into the water.
The Blackdown centre trains more than 1,500 cadets from all over Ontario, over a six-week period. Staff are reserve officers of the Canadian Forces, qualified civilians, and senior cadets who are hired to fill a variety of leadership and administrative jobs. As well as these paid positions, the cadets on the courses are paid a "training bonus" based on how many weeks they are there.
