Reaching Canoeing Nirvana

[FullGnarlzOC]

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?

Yeah Pat you are right there - definite barriers - another barrier....lack of rain

[cheajack]

With respect to the cross forward stroke as part of rising up the pyramid, I was amazed at watching Canoe Movie 2 at how few cross strokes Dooley and Matt threw in the video. They seemed to get the job done quite well with mostly short onside corrections. Quite a contrast was watching the Olympic Team Trials this past weekend in Charlotte where the C-1 Slalom athletes threw cross strokes as easily and evenly as onside forward strokes on quite chaotic water. I guess practiced familiarity with the race course as opposed to the read and respond on the fly of creekin' is a large part of the difference, but the slalom athletes that will be representing the USA in London certainly are at the top of the pyramid in my book. Hats off to all those that excel in our sport.

[busterblue]

With respect to the cross forward stroke as part of rising up the pyramid, I was amazed at watching Canoe Movie 2 at how few cross strokes Dooley and Matt threw in the video. They seemed to get the job done quite well with mostly short onside corrections. Quite a contrast was watching the Olympic Team Trials this past weekend in Charlotte where the C-1 Slalom athletes threw cross strokes as easily and evenly as onside forward strokes on quite chaotic water. I guess practiced familiarity with the race course as opposed to the read and respond on the fly of creekin' is a large part of the difference, but the slalom athletes that will be representing the USA in London certainly are at the top of the pyramid in my book. Hats off to all those that excel in our sport.

That's really interesting. Maybe it's because they don't have to worry about shallow water/surprise rocks? Or do they?

[FullGnarlzOC]

Slalom is about speed - Creeking is about staying upright.

Cross-strokes play a more important roll in river boating vs creek boating... with that being said - cross strokes while creeking add 'sick nastyness' - see Eric Deguil and Wes Gentry on Gorilla

I think you are right tho - when you reach 'the dooley' - an offside isn't necessary

[Bill M]

Tommy,
this is the most thought provoking post ,to me, you've done. Thanks it's very interesting.
Bill

[ezwater]

Nirvana has headed its ugly rear !

The monks and devotees of Nirvana sit on their butts, and do not kneel. The lotus floats low, bracing on both sides at once.

I rest my case. Staropramen. Czech it out.

[truckeeboater]

As a relative noob, hopefully I'm not the only one who picks upon this. But at the risk of SERIOUS backlash from the community:

I don't really think ego has a lot to do with it. Skillz, of course. Confidence, yes. Balls? Absolutely! But ego, not so much. I've never met Dooley (or Buddha, yet) but neither strike me as even slightly egotistical. Quite the contrary, actually.

Furthermore, I've personally had the unfortunate experience of losing some friends due to ego getting in the way. My take is this: to reach one-bladed one-ness, one must know much, but understand that there is still much more to know. And it is impossible to know it all.

My $.02...

[FullGnarlzOC]

Confidence and Ego - aren't exactly one in the same - but they can be close. You're right tho, Ego doesn't really help you much on the water....

However - I find it interesting - that most great paddlers tend to have an ego - Now, what came first... the chicken or the egg? That is the question

[FullGnarlzOC]

w/ regards to it being impossible to know it all... I think it's very close to possible in our sport... I mean - it's just comprised of reading water/rocks, stroke selection, and balance

I would imagine - you get to a certain point where what else is there to know? Cross J stroke? Off-side stern pry?

Once you get down the Skillz, Gnarlyness, and Sicknastyness....

[cheajack]

I agree with Truckeeboater. There is no room for ego. Confidence, yes. Ego will just get your hurt or at best embarrassed. Wayne Dickert is one of the best boaters I know and also one of the most humble people I have ever met. It is always a pleasure being around him. I'm quite sure that even after his Olympic successes with Horace Holden, Wayner felt there was still much to learn.

[ian123]

There's lots of ego out there.

It probably doesn't come down to individual strokes but just putting it together. When I ve seen Andrew Westwood paddle, it sometimes looks like he's doing a different sport than everyone else.

Yeah, staying upright would be nice.

[Bob Wiggins]

When you reach nirvana, you can always learn your cross-stern strokes..…....

[FullGnarlzOC]

Ability to stay dry - often seperates the "skilled"


Time it takes to bounce back from a chundering/beatdown/hard hit - Gnarlyness



Big difference betweeen Skills and Gnarlyness - physical vs mental.

[FullGnarlzOC]

Where does power and finesse fall in the pyramid? I was thinking it falls under sicknastyness. As they are usually both acquired and fully harnessed after you get the skills

[Rand C1]

Ego is just one of the things that make us do the things we do(such as running a big scary drop). Its not good or bad, its just there. There are so many different kinds of paddlers with different things motivate them, its very cool sport. Looking at our own boating and coaching other C boaters is what we're talking about here,right