Craig wrote: >About 6 months ago I watched a group of neophyte kayakers paddling the local lake and >thought to myself that there must be a lot of paddlers who could use some basic information... G'day Craig and Paddlewise, Have to confess my anecdote came from the same kind of stress as Marks. In my case off the water for several weeks because I hadn't practised emergency stop braking on a bicycle until it was second nature! Is practise always a good thing? Some people practice a poor technique assiduously with no improvement, just reinforcing bad habits. I've done this myself, but am blessed with a lousy muscle memory so can readily make corrections provided I practice lots, and occasionally with the help of a true expert. I'm ambivalent on this star thing. Grateful for those who strive after perfection and can provide solid instruction, but of the opinion that 'stars' are a useful but not sufficient requirement for a good trainer. Excellence is likely an individual attribute of the trainer/leader that can be stifled by excessive bureaucracy, as you described! I never did get my head around the fact that I was able to lead groups out to sea privately and successfully, but getting a qualification brought with it a heap of additional responsibilities and potential liabilities that inhibited such trips. On the other hand how would a stranger know I can lead well enough to trust coming with me? Anyway, handed in my sea leader qualification voluntarily some years ago due to lack of time and declining strength. What's more our younger club members are way more skilful than many of my generation largely due to an excellent formal training scheme! Craig did you ever get a chance to see the New York Boat house in action? An incredible group of people who get large numbers of city workers out on the Hudson river each year. I've no idea if the organisers are qualified. How they do it so successfully is a mystery to me and an object lesson! See what I mean about ambivalence! All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** 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 Thu Oct 07 2010 - 15:03:01 PDT
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