We are coming to the end of another paddlling year. What new thing have you learned or what skills have you improved on in 2005.
I will start out by saying that I have learned the importance of staying over the boat and being connected with the boat at the three points: the seat and knees. I was told that this is a common instruction to all slalom boaters from their coaches, especially the French ones.
THe other thing that I have revisited in that the hip snap is something that I need to focus on when rolling.
In 2005 I got three boats:
Vahja Nova
Noah Atlantis (I think??)
Cream Sickle Atom
Total price for all was $975, wow!!! This does not have to be an expensive sport at all.
You would do well to learn that a "hip snap" is nothng to do with a canoe roll!!! My appologies if you are a kayaker!
I learned that if you write your name in your boat you may get it back if you get stuffed on a river in flood. I was also reminded that specialist white water open boating is still a small discipline in the UK. Pitty............
I learned that on many UK canoeing web sites coaches are not valued at all. I will continue to coach and make paddlers better, they will always be bitter and have shoulder chips.
Hang on though; it is only the beginning of our paddling season. Sorry USA paddling dudes, we are about to rock.
Ken
British rivers may be small, but they are perfectly formed!
Well this year i have learnt that if a kayaker gets in the way go over them. And that a skeeter cant do pop outs if your light like the spanish fly can. But i have managed to kinda surf this lil wave in the skeeter which ios fun for king of the waves. And that T grips are great for cathcin a ride from a kayak.
Never seen any coaches around my area for OC's but i do go on this course on the white water with a coach but its not expenisve. He teaches you how to do it then when you get good at it he stands at the side and tells you how to improve or just stand there with a throw line ready for you to fall out. Bit hard though because he doesnt really do OC but he did use to i think.
I seem to be writing alot of things in my posts. Strange
paddling a flooded canoe is easy. stopping is easy as long as you have some kayaks to help you stop.
Congrats on learning the value of writing your name on your equipment. We always cover that in our beginner class at canoe school. I have gotten several paddles back over the years.
Hang in there with your students. I am sure you are doing the best you can.
Enjoy the Winter paddling. We are starting to get water back in these Tennessee rivers to.
THanks for the heads up about the canoe roll also.
ken, when you said [quote]You would do well to learn that a "hip snap" is nothng to do with a canoe roll!!![/quote] ,
I have never found this to be true. maybe we roll completely differently, but i find my hip snap quite important to the roll.
this year i learned alot,
how to race,
how to paddle c-1,
hot to roll,
and loads about stability, and eddy lines.
i gues i learned alot about current forces.
cheers
-isaac
race boats are so fast, i bet its in the speed wing.
That paddling my OC1 just makes me sooooooooo Happy
That I just keep learning more each year about water currents,boat control and blade placement. I also met and paddled with new people this year who are incredible OC1 paddlers. I look forward to expanding my ww OC1 horizons as I set my new goals for 2006 paddling season!!! Plus I get to read interesting things on this forum - thanks to all.
Dale
Having paddled a weekend together with Mark Scriver and Paul Mason I realized how badly my paddling still sucks... ...
But overall I progressed pretty well this year, going from getting thrashed and swimming on class 3 rapids to running the Upper Yough and Upper Gauley this fall and actually looking half decent and feeling pretty comfortable doing so... ...
martin a.k.a. The Great Gonzo!
Everyone must believe in something. I believe I'll go canoeing - Henry David Thoreau
We know you are a very accomplished paddler. What were the situations of your swims? Just interested so I can compare notes on my own swims with usually occur after I flip and hit rocks on low volume rivers and then some intentional swims after getting into stuff that I can get out of otherwise.
This does not have to be an expensive sport at all.
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