Re: [Paddlewise] Greenland skills

In a message dated 12/9/98 3:36:55 AM Eastern Standard Time,
kwhilden_at_u.washington.edu writes:

<< I would say that if you don't emphasize teaching the roll, then your
 course has completely missed the boat!! (so to speak :)  What good
 Greenland kayaker cannot roll?? And rolling with a proper Greenland paddle
 is so easy! Your course sounds too good to settle for mediocrity in this
 way. >>

Of course rolling should and will be emphasized.  I always encourage people to
learn to roll.  Unfortunately some people can't, won't or don't want to learn
but there's nothing I can do about that.  Many people who will sign up are not
'Good Greenland kayakers' yet but are interested enough to find out what it's
all about.  Anyway in an 8 hour class there is so much to cover and if you get
the maximum ratio of 1 instructor to 5 students, it is almost impossible to
cover a lot about rolling.

As I said in my previous statement "For those students with a solid roll, a
different Greenland roll can be taught depending on time and what the make-up
of each class is."  At least the rolling demonstration should get them
interested enough to learn to roll and also to want to learn more advanced
rolls.  I would love to get an advanced rolling class approved but
realistically it probably wouldn't sell.  It is hard to get enough people
interested in signing up so that there is a reasonable number of students to
make the class worthwhile.
 
<< This brings up another point. Is the ability to roll expected in the five
 classes above? (except for the rolling one of course)!  In my mind,
 rolling is a fundamental skill, and any advanced level of instruction
 should expect eager kayakers to roll. There are very few reasonable
 physical reasons why someone cannot learn to roll, and again, we should
 not settle for mediocrity in this way.  >>

The other courses are not requiring one to know how to roll but are
recommending the rolling class as a prerequisite. We are not settling for
mediocrity.  Not everyone thinks as we do.  In the surf clinic, picture
someone getting trashed and swimming to shore a dozen times.  They will
quickly see the value of a good roll after watching others go down then pop
up.

The classes are not for the elite but for the masses.  After all very few
people with good skills rarely take classes.

I think this is a big step for the ACA and they have opened up to new ideas
after getting an earful from instructors.  Probably mainly from me.

Ray
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