C-Forum

Greetings,

C-boaters and slalom racing enthusiasts of any ilk will likely find items of interest in our latest project. We are putting the world renowned William T. Endicott books on top level paddlesports into eBook form.

The Ultimate Run: Canoe Slalom at the Highest Levels is complete. Within this work are champions case studies making for interesting reading for all of us who dream in slalom:

Kayak specialists might enjoy reading Norbert Sattler: "I like to paddle when the water is brown", Richard Fox, 5x World Champion kayak technician, Jean-Yves Prigent, and Lubos Hilgert .

C-boaters, note that there are many mentions of learning the best technique from the C1 paddlers!

K1Ws may enjoy the stories about Ulrike Deppe, Cathy Hearn, and Liz Sharman.

C-Boaters, check out: Strive Together, Thrive Together: The Story of Jon Lugbill and Davey Hearn and The Garvi: The Story of Stephen and Michael Garvis

Two Trips To The Top details the stories of World Champions and Olympic medalists Rebecca Giddens and Oliver Fix.

To Win The Worlds: A Textbook for Elite Slalomists and Their Coaches chapters 1-8 are complete.

From Chapter 5, C1 technique:

"There's a lot to be learned from C1 technique and boat control that is helpful to all classes. Because the C1 has a blade on only one side, he must use it more efficiently. But if you can learn to use both of your blades more efficiently, you'll be a lot better off.

Cathy Hearn, K1W World Champion

A gripping Biography of Greg Barton (double gold medalist in sprint kayak at the 1988 Olympics) kicks off The Barton Mold, A Study in Sprint Kayaking. Norm Bellingham,1988 Olympic gold medalist in sprint kayak and formerly a slalom racer is also featured.

All are pdfs, so you'll need to Get AdobeReader if you don't have it yet.

Enjoy!

Davey Hearn
Maximum Whitewater Performance
American Slalom Excellence Program
on the web at www.daveyhearn.com

Great job, I have really enjoyed reading through these old training logs. Speaking of slalom and training, as I sit here beginning to start training hard again, with shoulders beginning to heal, I thought I would reflect on some realizations I have come to recently.

I had the great luck to make two brief trips this past month, and was actually lucky enough to have two other c-1ers join me. The first trip was to the Green Narrows in NC with our own "Good" Will Lyons, and the second trip was to the creeks of Vermont (Middlebury, Big Branch, New Haven, ect ect) with the short-torsoed rodeo and creeking god Joe Stumpfel, among others.

While I enjoyed both trips immensely -- first learning a new river, the Green, in the middle of a beautiful day, and then showing my DC friends down my former home rivers -- I was struck by how I felt like something was missing.

I see a lot of parallels between slalom training and the teaching that I do every day for students in a classroom. I can see how every day they limp into the classroom, tired, bored, frustrated, in the middle of growing up and dealing with many confusing things, not wanting to be there. Yet I can see the gains that they get by simply "checking in" every day, punching their time card as it were, and grinding out the work that keeps their minds sharp and their focus strong. I can see them getting smarter and more capable of finding the words they want.

It is the same with slalom, and that's what I felt missing on those creeking trips. While I at once felt the thrill of mastering the Big Branch and finally being able to sketch out on paper later that day the exact locations of all the rapids, I still felt that a certain sense of achievement was missing. There is something about setting long-term goals, about "checking in" every day at the slalom course and keeping oneself "close to the flame" -- probing for weaknesses, being hard on oneself, that makes one feel quite powerful at the start line of a major race after intense training, and satisfied at the end of the race course, knowing that he has spent his time, like one who builds his own house, giving himself something lasting to stand by.

I'm not sure, but there is something about this sort of pursuit. I saw it reflected this winter when I was in the depths of a physical therapy program that was disheartening in its length and difficultly. Something about checking in every day and showing up despite the weather. I am not sure what it is, but every time I read through those Bill Endicott books, especially his article on Oliver Fix, I am reminded of the bond between teacher and student, or athlete and coach. And fellow athletes -- in fact all people who are striving together toward the same goal. I think there is worse you can do.

Just some rambling thoughts from one returning from injury to the land of the healthy.

Alden Bird

KUDOS to Daveyhearn.com for getting these great books and articles in electronic format!

If you're a C-boater (and I'm assuming you are if you're here!) there is no excuse for not reading the C-1 chapters in "To Win the Worlds" and "The Ultimate Run." This is C-1 technique from the greatest C-1 paddlers there have ever been, and the guys who (as far as I'm concerned) invented our sport!

If you think slalom technique is irrelevant, or "old school," then you will never improve as a C-boater. I'm this emphatic not to be a jerk, but because these books are a goldmine of information, and it's a rare opportunity in this day and age to be able to get this kind of information for free.

Of course, you won't find chapters on doing aerial moves in 6-foot boats. And you won't find info on how to effectively squeeze your boat through class 6 death slots. But if you want to know more about how to go fast (and all the possibilities that opens for C-boaters), this is the stuff!

5 stars. Period. Download and read 'em.
Scott

There is some AMAZINGLY HELPFUL information up there, really applicable to ANY type of canoeing, and it's FREE. Doesn't get any better than that!

Thank you for sharing it freely with the community Davey Hearn!