[Paddlewise] Chicken Kayak Surf Safety

From: Kirk Olsen <kolsen_at_imagelan.com>
Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 17:28:02 -0700
After a quick dejanews search:
Someone advocating leaning back versus tucking forward.  FWIW, Corran
Addison is
a whitewater rodeo paddler.

----------------------------
Author:   Corran Addison   
Email: ripint_at_total.net 
Date: 1997/07/16 
Forums: rec.boats.paddle  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----

Paul Skoczylas wrote:
> 
> RJD9999 wrote:
> > This is why lying back toward the rear deck
> > makes rolling easier
> 
> It also exposes your face to the rocks.  Leaning forward is much safer
> in shallow/rocky water.  (Also, you're in a better position to resume
> paddling when you come up.)

OK, lets look at this. Lean back exposes your face. Hummm. A smack in 
the teeth, maybe a few scars, broken nose. Not much fun. Whats the 
alternative. Leaning forward. Expose the spint between the top of the 
life jacket and the helmet - C1 through L5. Can you say Christofer 
Reeve? Not nearly as appealing as losing a few teeth is it.

IHO, the last thing you want to do is lean forward in a flip in shallow 
=water. Leaning back accomplisheds three things. Firstly, it exposes 
your face rather than your spine to any impacts. Secondly, as you 
set up to roll from this position, your forearms and paddle shaft 
natrally get between you and any offensive rocks, and almost always 
take the blow. Lastly, with your eyes open in this position, you can see 
the rocks comming, and if necessary, let go of the paddle and fend them 
off. From the forward lean, your only option is to take what is dealt 
like a man. That's not so cool.
> 
> I learned to roll leaning back, but have since trained myself to come up
> forward. (And I'm horribly inflexible--on a good day I can maybe reach
> -with straight legs- a couple of inches past my knees, nowhere near my
> toes.)

I role from the back deck to the front deck on a reverse sweep (what 
people here call the Addison which means about as much as calling a 
front sweep role the Spellius, but I guess some people do... so 
anyway...). This is very effective, super fast because ther is no setup 
- you role from whever you landed - and when you are up, your paddle is 
natrally in the position to right into a forward stroke, which most of 
the time is the necessary thing to do.

Just my 2c worth.

corran


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Received on Mon Sep 21 1998 - 14:33:21 PDT

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