Re: [Paddlewise] Sculling Brace

In a message dated 2/21/00 11:03:40 PM Pacific Standard Time, 
dlloyd_at_bc.sympatico.ca writes:

<<  What I find difficult to understand is those on
 this list who do get out into some more difficult conditions, usually
 pull-back before the going gets really rough (which is good on them), yet
 give others a hard time and call the need to use some of these skills like
 sculling and rolling as a sign of some kind of failure. >>

   Doug,

   I feel I need to respond to this as I believe you are still smarting from 
my remarks on an earlier post calling the need to do a rescue the result of 
failure. This comment was certainly not directed at you. I tend to be in the 
same group as you and Duane in that I too enjoy pushing the envelope and will 
consequently capsize on a regular basis. I still consider this to be a type 
of failure, in that I was testing my limits and I found them. But in this 
case failure is not necessarily a bad thing. If I am testing the breaking 
point of an object by stressing it, do we not refer to the point of breaking 
as a failure?
   But this is all besides the point. In the context of this, and other 
newsgroups, when I respond to a question I try to take into consideration who 
I am talking to. I do not want to give beginners the impression that what 
they need to do to learn this sport is throw their boat into some hairy 
situation and try to survive it. What MOST paddlers need to do is to practice 
NOT capsizing. They need to learn how to walk before they run. The perfect 
example of this is the recent discussion about not being able to roll at the 
end of the day because the folks are too tired. I cannot ever remember being 
too tired to perform a roll. Obviously these folks need to work on their 
roll. I do not, for the most part, direct my responses to the likes of you. 
Once someone reaches your level they certainly do not need my help. But 
please try to understand that the less experienced paddlers still need to 
work on the basics, and for them, under normal circumstances, needing to be 
rescued is the result of a failure on their part.
   I said it, I believe it, and if this offends somebody - too bad.

Scott
So.Cal.
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