I know I already sided with the "I don't always wear a pfd" group. But the example issue is an important one. I taught whitewater paddling for a long time at a school in Ontario. I would always have the most advanced students in my class. I deliberately would use one weird stroke when playing around on my own just to see if any of the students would try it. Something like a cross bow sculling draw or a foward stroke done to the side [both blades on the same side of the kayak]. I never called attention to it, just did it. Without fail the students would be trying the weird strokes within a half hour of my first doing them. It proved to me that the other paddlers watch each other pretty carefully and are especially attentive to paddlers they regard as highly skilled. The point is, one should always be a good example and wear a pfd when in a group. Class will tell. Jim Tibensky _________________________________________________________________ MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:29 PDT