Just have to get this off my chest... Last week a new member joined our club, subscribed for a tour on flat water and asked for a private instruction in rolling. When asked about her experience, she stated she had been seakayakking for two years. I thought: OK, an experienced sea kayakker, more then ready for a small trip on a sunny day, and making a wise decision in wanting to learn to roll. Wrong. During the trip is was quite obvious she didn't know how to enter and exit a boat, was not able to paddle a straight course (in a kayett, which is a fast, well-tracking flat water boat), couldn't turn, brace, steer... And couldn't keep up with a group, on a leasury paddle of 8 kilometers, paddling the fastest boat in the group. I asked her what she meant by "seakayakking" for 2 years. It turned out she had been paddling playboats in the soupzone, not even in actual surf. I told her what I call seakayakking and asked her not to misuse that word again, without succes. I suggested that she would cancel her rolling lesson, and instead ask for a beginners course on kayakking. Not an option, in her opinion, since she had signed up for a one week white-water camping trip in the Alps, this June, and having a roll was the only skill she had to have to join the trip. I told her that in my opinion, rolling is a safety measure, not a skill to rely on in every rapid you encounter. First things to learn, before paddling white water, is paddling straight, steering, leaning, bracing, entering and exiting eddies... Basically, I told her that in June she would NOT be ready to paddle white water. She looked at me like I was a lover dumping her. I really felt like being a jerk for ruining her dreams. Another member of the club told her the same story, also without luck. The girl seems really determined to just learn to roll, and then roll down the river instead of paddling. She is convinced that once she can roll in a swimming pool, she can also roll in white water, while scraping her head along the rocks. Am I such a jerk? I thought I was trying to save her life. I am not the one teaching her to roll, but if I was, I would flat out refuse and make an enemy for life. Maybe I can't blaim her for being ignorant. Probably the blame is with the trip leader, that sets very dangerous standards in paddling skills, in my opinion. It's like putting someone in a car, and telling him "It's no problem if you can't drive, if you just wear your seatbelt." Well, I have tried, there is not much more I can do. I can only hope she will have time to learn what paddling is about. If not, she will probably get a nomination for a Darwin-award. Thanks for listening to my frustrations, paddlewisers. Niels. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
You did your best, Niels, and you did exactly what needed to be done. Some people just won't be told. Steve "Blaauw, Niels" wrote: > > Just have to get this off my chest... > > Last week a new member joined our club, ...... > I suggested that she would cancel her rolling lesson, and instead ask for a > beginners course on kayakking. Not an option, in her opinion, since she had > signed up for a one week white-water camping trip in the Alps, this June, > and having a roll was the only skill she had to have to join the trip. I > told her that in my opinion, rolling is a safety measure, not a skill to > rely on in every rapid you encounter. First things to learn, before paddling > white water, is paddling straight, steering, leaning, bracing, entering and > exiting eddies... Basically, I told her that in June she would NOT be ready > to paddle white water. > > Am I such a jerk? I thought I was trying to save her life. ...... > Well, I have tried, there is not much more I can do. I can only hope she > will have time to learn what paddling is about. If not, she will probably > get a nomination for a Darwin-award. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Neils, It's obvious she had her mind set on one thing (her trip). Which probably means she has already paid, etc. You can only hope the trip coordinator on her whitewater trip checks her proficiency first. It sounds like you were blunt with her which is good (and that doesn't make you a jerk), but considering that she is going to do it regardless makes me want to say, give her options that she will at least try. She "considers" herself more than a beginner so she probably thinks of beginning classes as demeaning. I personally think roll sessions may have been good, especially if she wasn't able to get it right, then she may have seen that she was in over her head. I'm not defending her by any means but It's at least good that she was asking for some kind of instruction. You questioned her 2 years of seakayaking, which I agree with your analysis. I am new to paddling with groups, thus few people have actually paddled with me and I find it difficult to accurately explain my experience level, so I think you should (as you did) asked more detailed questions, other than just how long. I consider myself a beginner, however, I have finished the Texas water safari at near flood levels in unlimited-solo and placed 3rd (260 miles in 68 hours), I have competed in about 6 marathon races. The only real whitewater I have gone through is Hueco falls on the guadalupe river which is a little short class 3 I think and all that in the same Kayak (Seda Dart), But the fact of the matter is I don't (at least consciously) know bracing, leaning, and a majority of the technical terms I hear in paddling. I wouldn't do a whitewater trip without real instruction on rescue and rolling, but I might balk at doing beginning kayak classes and instead ask for specific lessons for what I was attempting. Roy =:-) *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
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