Re: [Paddlewise] Pool Sessions

In a message dated 1/27/99 1:08:23 PM Eastern Standard Time,
Clyde.Sisler_at_wang.com writes:

<< 
 I'll bet the one legged and no legged skiers, the paralayzed marathoners and
 triathletes and those in other sports are glad no one forbade them from
 participating.  Didn't I hear of a guy with paralyzed legs being a ww rodeo
 kayaker? >>

I was watching a paddler in a squirt boat doing really elegant work on Sock'em
Dog, a beautiful piece of whitewater on the Chatooga River, one afternoon,
Clyde.  The guy was in a group, but his grace in some nasty water was
particularly fascinating within a gaggle of particularly good players.  It got
more fascinating as he got closer, 'cause I got to see that his non-control
hand was really a stainless steel "oarlock" --- for want of a more PC term.  A
ring-shaped prosthetic device.  One-arm endos, hell, one-arm everything!

Having said that, let me side with "the bad guy" --- sorry, lost the post so I
don't have a name --- for a minute, too.  Therapeutic values exist in a lot of
activities, and kayaking, under some logical restrictions, can certainly be
one of them.  But your points are taken: this isn't a fashion-statement sport.
People need to be physically capable of being able to take care of themselves,
or they really don't belong out there in the first place.  Maybe the swimming
and the pool conditioning in these attempts can result in better overall
condition, and maybe the idea of paddling can serve as an incentive for these
folks to become more fit and self-reliant, at the same time,

Just a thought --- there's gotta be some balance in there.

Jack Martin
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