Jed got it right. It's fairly simple: Do we want to take the time and effort to learn what it takes to be skillful and safe [roll, hip and edge control, flexibility, braces, properly outfitted boat], or do we want risk? We all had to be taught to drive a car but how many of us has taken a lesson or learned a new skill since those Driver's Ed days? The most risky thing most of us do is get into an automobile. But we think the risks are all under control and we have that healthy sense of denial without which we would never drive. That same denial makes less sense in the water because most of us are so cut off from nature that we have little appreciation for what it can do. When I first started paddling whitewater I thought helmets and pfds were for those duffers who actually tipped over. My first time in a thunderstorm in Lake Michigan taught me that waves are not always those friendly surfables I played in so often. Maybe we should acknowledge our denial and just admit if we ever drown it probably be for lack of preparation and sound judgement. And quit making excuses for why we are too lazy to learn. End of sermon. Bless you all. Jim Tibensky _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Apr 03 2001 - 07:53:45 PDT
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