RE: [Paddlewise] Group Paddling

 Ralph wrote:
> It's different.  While some aspects of group dynamics can apply to group
> paddling, I think unique things happen on the water that make the
> experience not analogous to other group situations.  It has to do with
> movement of the water, differences in boats, skills, etc.  That is why I
> think one who does not paddle with groups is probably not in a good
> position to comment.

Interesting perspective Ralph. I can see (and agree) that advice/comments
not based on first hand experience be taken with a grain of salt. I'm not
certain that I would agree that they should be excluded from commenting. For
me, every person's input is an additional data point for me to consider.
Ultimately the decision to paddle in a group or not is mine.

Maybe I give people too much credit. If I state up front I'm a novice and
have never paddled in a group, I would expect the reader to not apply much
(if any) weight to my comments. But are they better left unsaid, or is it
better to speak up to give the experienced paddlers the opportunity to point
out the errors in my thinking? By keeping my comments to myself I think I
could become my own worst enemy. However, if people treat my comments with
the same weight as someone with a vast amount of group experience such as
yourself, that is absolutely a bad thing. So where is the medium?

My thinking on this goes far beyond the group paddle thread, since it should
equally apply to almost every other subject I've seen discussed here. What
say you all? No previous experience required to comment 8^)


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