Re: [Paddlewise] FW: Coaster? What Coaster?

From: K. Whilden <kwhilden_at_u.washington.edu>
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1998 15:29:54 -0700 (PDT)
On Thu, 15 Oct 1998, Dan Hagen wrote:
> 
> You might also want to check out the adds in the back of just about any
> issue of Sea Kayaker magazine. The photo in the add for George
> Gronseth's kayak academy is of a Coaster.  (BTW, does anyone else think
> that the woman in the ad has her arm in a classic shoulder-dislocation
> position?  What happened to doing braces with the elbows tucked in?  I
> guess I am behind the times.)

 Hi Dan,
 As a whitewater instructor for the Kayak Academy, I can tell you that
the position of the woman in the ad has no chance of causing a shoulder
dislocation. George teaches this to all of his students, and believe me,
he would not do this if it was dangerous.

 Look closely at the picture, and notice that the woman's outboard hand is
close to her chin. The outboard hand is the one furthest away from the
paddle blade which is in the water. The physiology of this position makes
it impossible to dislocate the shoulder, according to George. 

 It seems very few people are aware of the importance of keeping the
outboard hand near the chin. Don't try the brace pictured in the ad while
pushing the outboard hand forward and away from the chin, because this is
exactly the position that will likely result in a dislocation. Holding the
hand near the chin also helps in the final stages of completing a roll.
Some good paddlers do this naturally, or at least I did it before I met
George.

 I personally would love to trade a little work on the Broze's website for
blemmed Coaster...
Cheers,
Kevin

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************
Received on Fri Oct 16 1998 - 15:30:55 PDT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:30:00 PDT