C-Forum

Within the last year - there has been an insane amount of new OC1ers coming into the sport. And due to how the sport has progressed within the 5 years - new paddlers are stepping it up everyday, pushing the limits of their skills - paddling what their friends talk them into.

So what separates paddlers from one another? Obviously experience is a big one...What other factors play into progression? It's quite simple - Skills, Gnarlyness, and Sick-nastyness

If canoeing progression was visualized as a pyramid it would look like this...



As you see 'the dooley" is the last level of canoe progression. It is the nirvana of white-water canoeing. Some may never reach canoeing nirvana - some may never want to - But the goal of this thread is to at least lay it out there - what are the major differences in skill levels - so that if you desire - you know what to overcome to get to the next level - A road map


As an awareness thread (so those new and old can learn) - with many different perspectives and opinions...

1) What major factors separate 'the skilled' from the 'kind-of skilled'?

2) What separates the gnarly from the 'sometimes' gnarly?

3) the 'sick nasty' from the "not so sick nasty'?

3) and lastly the "Dooley" and the "not quite Dooley"?

I will start by saying that I think the major difference between the 'skilled' and 'kind-of skilled' - is a solid cross-stroke. It's pretty easy to assess someones skill level purely from watching them do an off-side move a couple times. Most of the time, those with less than solid cross stroke just back off of off-side moves all together - or just stay on their onside and stern pry their way out into the current...

this is something that can go uncorrected for a long time too - due to habit, and not knowing/caring about fixing it

Surfing!

And catching eddies mid-rapid, instead of just flushing out.

I'm not sure where rolling fits into this. On one hand, it's a skill, but on the other hand you only use it when something has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

Confidence!
Having the skill in say class 2 but not the confidence to use it as the moves get harder. A lot of this is simple experience but the confidence has to be there.
Bill

I think rolling would be a skill that bleeds into gnarlyness. Once you have the skill - you can use it to your advantage in becoming 'gnarly'

Confidence - or the ability to convince your self that 'you can do it' plays a big part in progression - actually one of the biggest i think, also fits into gnarlyness - as Bill said - you can have decent skill but never move past class II because of the lack thereof - thus not very gnarly. This can be worked on through going for the 'gnarlyest' moves you can find on class II - and hitting them well. This can help grow the confidence.

I don't know but I love the graphic

Skillz should be higher up.

Ok, so narlyness is say... hanging on for a tough roll and getting it (having GUTs). Then sick nastiness is running horrific, scarry drops, do I have this right. Rand

The difference between having some skills and getting into the gnarly is will & time.

Having a good offside stroke is one thing, what you use it for is another. And if you want to use it to run sicknasty stuff, you need the time/commitment to be on the rivers a lot.

To me, that seems like the biggest barrier between those levels of the pyramid - How much time can you find to be on the water? What kind of rivers do you have around? What type of paddlers can you find to get out there with?

To step up the pyramid, you need all those ingredients and need to be in a position to make it happen. "10,000 hours" and all that.

Not-so-gnarly Pat.

gnarlyness would be firing up a class 3+-4 drop, even if you know youre probably going to swim.
it could also be defined as running those same drops and styling them repeatedly.

Looks like ego has alot to do with it...

So, the Gnarly boater presses the envelope of his current skills(just enough hopefully)and thus advances his paddling skills. Helped along by his ego and peer pressure(and coaching, hopefully) from his paddling friends. There hows that, close right.
Rand

Then a good combat roll is key to developing Gnarlyness.
Rand

FullGnarlzOC wrote:Reaching Canoeing Nirvana

Canuddha ???


BTW, you need to go back to kindergarten... and let someone there do your illustrations for you

Rand - SickNastyness - is overall ability to style what you are paddling. Making it look 'sick nasty'. When you combine skills + gnarlyness = sicknasty....


If if you can be sicknasty all the time - well then u are that much closer to Canoeing Nirvana... aka 'the Dooley"......the ability to paddle pretty much anything you dam well please...and make it look good.