Re: [Paddlewise] Group Paddling

    I am new to this list. I have read as much of it as I have time for and I do
think I miss things that would be very helpful so when there is a repeat of
something like this that I have missed I'm glad folks want to rehash it. I have
learned from this part of the ongoing discussion and I appreciate the time and
thought people seem to have put into it.
    Being one who has little experience with groups of paddlers I would expect
that my input might give the leaders some idea of how I am  seeing things and
how best to include my needs/understanding of the situation into their
leadership. If I give you my view then you can tell me where I may be right on
or off target. It might also bring the "experienced" paddlers a reminder of the
way they saw things when they were Inexperienced in group paddling. Of course
then, some people are experts out of intelectual rather than experiential
knowledge.

Joan Spinner

  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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