Re: [Paddlewise] Dictatorship of the Timid (was Slow Paddlers (was Group Dynamics (was Gender Defender (was KP))))

From: John Fereira <jaf30_at_cornell.edu>
Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 08:17:33 -0400
At 12:20 AM 7/14/00 -0700, Matt Broze wrote:
>I don't think I can do that, unless, of course, Doug tows me ;-)
>
>This "weakest member decides" approach is fine on land. The timid or nervous
>can just refuse to paddle and stay put. The group can then either split or
>wait depending on the situation and available transportation, etc. Although,
>a slower paddler should never be left behind, once on the water they should
>not be in charge either. On the water this "weakest member decides" approach
>runs into serious trouble unless the weakest member also happens to be the
>most experienced and prudent. Rarely the case. 

I'm glad that Matt mentioned this because this was something that was
bothering me with the "let the slowest paddler lead the trip" suggestions.
 More often than not the "weaker paddler" is the least experienced paddlers
and there is the possibility that any decisions made by that person might
be made out of ignorance of all the possible scenarios of their decision.
Letting the "weaker paddller" set the pace is one thing, but paddlers with
more knowledge and experience should always have veto power over decisions
made.


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Received on Fri Jul 14 2000 - 08:25:20 PDT

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