RE: [Paddlewise] How do you measure a sea kayaker

Ian Dewey said:
What makes a top or "elite" sea kayak paddler?   Is it possible to
design an overall ranking system so that you know exactly where you
stand?  If not an overall system, how about a series of benchmarks?


Great questions and the answers will be really helpful to know.  My
thought on the first question is that it is obvious the answer is "all
of the above" qualities listed and more.  

I know I am a good paddler - I've won races in sprint, slalom, downriver
and marathon.  I have done expeditions in remote places in bad
conditions and done well.  I've been rated pretty good as a coach and
teacher, having taught for many years at the Madawaska Kanu Centre.  And
yet the last trip I did, in Maine with eight teens, I still managed to
have a situation come up that had not ever happened to me and for which
I was rather unprepared.  [I was towing a double and as their boat
veered, the wind and waves came from the direction opposite to which
they were veering and they tipped.  Warm water, warm weather, no big
deal, but it was humbling to reflect on how I had not anticipated the
event.] So I can list all my marvelous qualities as a paddler and still
mess up in easy conditions.

Which is to say that no matter what tests and trials I have passed, I
can still kill you with my negligence, given half a chance.

But a more concrete answer is that lots of experience should count for
something as well as ongoing training updates.  My bias is that paddlers
with whitewater and or surf experience will often have better skills
because things happen so fast in those environments, but, of course,
there are great paddlers who have never seen whitewater.

A fuzzy answer is that most people recognize a good paddler when they
see one - grace, fluiditiy, balance all show even in benign conditions. 
And judgement should show up, but not quickly enough to be easy to
measure.

I have not taken any BCU courses or certifications, but I have that
utmost respect for the quality of the BCU upper level instructors and,
even more, coaches.  I have yet to meet a BCU four or five star paddler
who wasn't really solid.

Looking forward to other peoples' answers to thse provocative questions!

Jim Tibensky
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