4/13/08 I wasn't sure what to expect today from Duane Strosaker and Bob McMurray's GP Stroke Clinic. Not that I questioned their abilities and knowledge-any one who paddles with them knows they are the Greenland experts for our local waters. It's just that using a GP always seemed rather intuitive to me-a big reason I like to have mine around. But as is the case for most classes I take, I came away with a couple savory morsels to consider for my future GP paddling. We got started sitting on the sand under a hot sun and covered all the basics. I can't imagine why, but Duane seemed to be staring right at me when he mentioned how important an upright posture is to achieving a good torso rotation. Before long we were on the cool water of Los Alamitos bay to practice our bright shinny new knowledge. There were about 15 of us, so we took up a bit of the bay as we paddled out around the buoy to try the different techniques. We had to compete a bit with some youngsters in the beginning sailing class, but there weren't any close calls to mention. During some backwards paddling practice there were some odd looks from the bystanders and bykayakers, but only enough to make us feel special. Bob, it turned out, was the only person to capsize when he misplaced an extended backwards paddle stroke, but of course his rolling ability made it looked planned! Duane made sure anyone who had any advice to give had a chance and we ended up hearing about a few contrasting styles of GP paddling, which is something I always appreciate. It seems silly to think there's only one style of paddling no matter which kind of paddle your using and as Bob said, on a long paddle being able to alter your style a bit can help stave of fatigue on overtaxed muscles. It turned out to be a great morning on the water and I'm sure everyone appreciated Duane and Bob's effort. Hard to complain about a group that's so willing to share and learn and provides these opportunities for all the CKF members. I hope to attend more in the future. Mark Sanders www.sandmarks.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sun Apr 13 2008 - 21:59:33 PDT
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