[Paddlewise] Elite racers

From: skimmer <skimmer_at_enter.net>
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 13:39:07 4
Elite racers-kayak tragedy:

In the referenced account, I didn't see anything about rolling skills, 
as well as failure to dress for immersion. Hard to brace and get 
best leverage for turning and rolling with those little short racing 
paddles. 

As a former white water paddler, I learned to roll as a manditory 
entry skill for white water paddling. I capsized many times in class-
5 rapids, but I never had to swim... even once when the spray skirt 
blew off due to impact compression. The rolling standard is 
curiously absent from the sea kayaking requisit skill list. 

Going fast gets all the emphasis, even when the paddlers are 
headed out to battle the worst conditions the Sea Gods have saved 
up for us! When heading out into the roughest conditions you can 
find, it is a serious failure to be totally unprepared to make a fair 
fight of it!

Chuck Sutherland
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Received on Wed Oct 10 2007 - 13:18:43 PDT

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