Re: [Paddlewise] Group Dynamics - Feedback....

Hi Kirby,

I have a few comments, but a lot more questions!!

Are you a club member, or just a guest for this trip?

Kirby Stevens <stevens_at_islandnet.com> wrote:
>Once I got home I questioned the club instructor, he mentioned that 
>there shouldn't be groups that large and trip leaders are not
essential 
>for situations like that.

What is the club instructor's role?  Was that just their opinion, or do
they have an "official" capacity to help organize trips?

Probably no, there shouldn't be groups that large, but if nobody is
really organizing things, who is going to tell people the group is too
large?

The larger the group, the more essential a trip leader!!

In our club (which still has a looong way to go in the safety
department), we have a trip coordinator, who helps line up trip leaders
for each trip.  The trip leader is expected to know the route, having
scouted or taken it before.  The trip leader is also responsible for
carrying extra group safety gear, and herding the cats while on the
water.

>My question to everyone is.    Should I have continued and caught up
to 
>the group?    

Depends...what level of commitment do you feel toward the group?  They
obviously didn't see you as the leader per se [I must hurry to catch up
with the others for I am their leader]  ;)  and they weren't too
concerned with your whereabouts.

>Or was I right in heading off in my own direction?

As far as your own safety, I'd say an emphatic "yes".  Even if you had
known where they were going, you likely couldn't have caught them in
time to steer them clear of the worst area.

I lead a club trip last summer that went frustratingly similar.  No
incidents, but I had radiator problems on the way to the put-in. I
arrived at the exact time the trip was to start, but several people had
their boats in the water already and were raring to go...makes things
difficult if you're trying to run down a "pretrip checklist".

Also tough to coordinate a sweep or lead paddler, tough to communicate
and coordinate how you will communicate on the water, etc.

It's damn tough to lead "from the back", especially without a 'lead'
paddler whom you work well and closely with to lead the head of the
pack and keep their pace slow enough to keep the group together.

>I would also like to mention that I had a cell phone and VHF with me 
>and I did call home with my change of plans.

You da man!  At least one person on the trip was responsible.

One thing you mentioned really struck me, though.  The bit about your
lagging behind, but nobody checked on you because "you can look after
yourself".  I'm a very self-sufficient paddler, too, and am seen that
way by my club.  What if I was on a trip that someone else was leading
and something unforseen happened to me?  You definitely don't require
"babysitting", but having someone stay within visual distance is a safe
idea.

I'm teaching a club Trip Leader Training weekend in a month, and I
think that's a really great thing to bring up--watch the novices and
beginners like a hawk, but still keep an eye on the better paddlers. 
Good paddlers won't require near the level of supervision, but they do
deserve a little common care.  **If you decide to go off on your own
and play in current, the trip leader should emphasize that nobody will
be watching you and you are on your own. (which isn't really the idea
of club trips anyway)  A little courtesy goes both ways...but my
thoughts are starting to wander more off-topic...  Like you said,
though, you weren't goofing off, but had equipment problems.

Safe paddling,

Shawn

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