Doug Lloyd wrote: > The first issue deals with *when* the combat roll occurs. I will preface > this by saying that conventional wisdom (and Derek Hutchinson) says that to > be able to roll is a sign of success, but to have to roll is a sign of > failure. Hogwash! A boat/paddler combination finds its greatest stability > in the inverted position. Kayakers capsize - ship happens. The Inuit had a > host of rolls, and they USED them. Were they a bunch of loosers - I don't > think so! Just a correction for the record from a distinguished authority on such matters, John Heath. Around the time that Maligiaq Padilla's visit to the Big Apple about two months ago, I got into extensive phone conversations with John (he had brought the Greenland kayaking champion over from Greenland and was his principal host in the US). Somewhere along the line, I mentioned that while I certainly admire Maligiaq and was enjoying his enthusiasism, good cheer and phenomenal abilities in kayaking and rolling, I don't roll. John chimmed in "Oh, don't worry about that, Ralph. At the height of the Greenlandic kayaking culture, a third or more of the kayakers could not roll at all." I don't think John was advocating not learning to roll. To the contrary. I have also heard him say something to the effect that x number of things happen to you in a capsize if you wind up out of your boat, all of them _bad_. But I just think it is worthwhile shedding more light on the historical perspective. ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Nov 27 1999 - 07:27:27 PST
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