Re: [Paddlewise] bombproof roll

On Thu, Oct 05, 2000 at 06:10:10PM -0700, Tina wrote:
> The expression "bombproof" implies that a roll is absolutely failproof. In
> my experience, there ain't no such thing as a failproof roll, and that the
> more one doesn't want to swim in a particular river, the better the chances
> are of it happening!  :>)

Do I swim?  Sometimes, yes: got ripped out of my boat on the Deschutes
two years ago despite trying very hard to stay in it.  Sploosh.  Splutter.
Thud.  Thud thud.  Cough.  Oops!

But I have enough confidence in my roll (mostly because I practice it
under varied circumstances) to put myself in situations where a
swim could mean loss of equipment and/or serious injury.  I believe...
I *have* to believe that I (a) I will not flip and (b) if I flip,
I will roll because if I stop believing those two things, I will
hesitate -- and that is definitely not a good thing.

To put it another way: I do my hesitating before I get to the river
("Do I really want to run this?") and before I enter the rapid ("Do I
want to walk around this one?").  Once I'm in it, I can't afford
to hesitate, and in order to do that, I need to believe in my roll...
and in order to do that *that*, I have to practice it thousands
of times.

Which is exactly what I've done, and will probably continue to do
as long as I paddle.

I'm *not* claiming that I or anyone else should believe they'll
never ever miss.  But I suppose what I'm advocating is that a
Saturday morning spent doing 100 rolls may be a better investment
than a piece of gear.  Or, more generally, that OVER-reliance on gear
to either help make the roll or compensate when it's blown is not
as good an idea as a heck of a lot of practice.

---Rsk
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