Despite this year's long, cold spring, we've been on the water quite a lot. This has been both possible and pleasurable because we have the three pillars of safe paddling, which are especially applicable in cold weather: knowledge, skills and gear.
Sadly, not everyone who goes out to paddle has all three. Early in the season, the lake beckons anyone with a boat. We've seen plenty of unprepared paddlers wearing light clothing and lacking solid skills, oblivious to the dangers of cold water. Some get away with it; others become statistics. More than 100 people drowned in the Great Lakes in 2012. An unfortunate number of them were people paddling kayaks who weren't prepared for the conditions they encountered. Police reports and news stories are quick to call these people kayakers--a label that makes us queasy because it reflects poorly on paddlers with the training, equipment and judgment to stay out of conditions they can't safely handle.
Drysuit, mitts and a wool hat on a chilly April afternoon.
Skills maintained in the pool translate to the lake.
Rescue practice in cold conditions.
The reward is a lake almost devoid of motor boats. And a longer paddling season.
One of the pleasures of writing about paddlesports is the opportunity to talk to vendors about their products. We've learned a lot over the years about common problems, routine maintenance and preventative care. We'll share this information in a series of posts we're calling "Caring for your gear."
Our paddles were the first serious piece of kit we purchased, so we'll launch this occasional series with them. Here's what we learned from Danny Mongno, regional sales manager and field marketing coordinator for Werner Paddles.
Ferrules are fragile
The ferrule is the most sensitive portion of a take-apart paddle. This precisely machined part can get jammed, turning a previously two-piece paddle into a one-piece paddle; or the release button can get stuck, causing unexpected two-piece paddle experiences on the water. So treat the ferrule kindly. After each use, rinse it with fresh water and allow it to dry with the ferrule pointing down. Never use any type of lubricant on the ferrule or release button because it can attract dirt or grit. If the button is stuck in, gently press it out with a screwdriver.
Keeping the ferrule clean with leftover drinking water.
Store with care
Paddles can be damaged if other gear is stacked on top of them, so load them last and make sure they're clear of closing trunk lids and doors. At home, keep them in a dedicated storage area where they won't fall over or be stepped on.
Make your mark
You may know exactly what your paddle looks like, but it can get lost in a sea of similar paddles when you go out with a group. Put your name and phone number on your paddle; this makes it less likely that someone will accidentally take it, and more likely that it will be returned if you lose it.
Seek advice
If your paddle is damaged, contact the manufacturer before doing any repairs. Most paddlesports companies offer repairs for a fraction of the cost of new gear, and they are happy to provide information about doing your own repairs when that's advisable. So call them before you bring out that tube of Aquaseal or that fiberglass repair kit.
As I speak (force 1) smoke rises vertically, Plumed seeds fall in less than ten seconds And gossamer, perhaps shaken from the soul's hairbrush Is seen in the air.
Oh yes (force 2) it's lovely here, One or two spiders take off And there are willow seeds in clouds
But I keep feeling (force 3) a scintillation, As if a southerly light breeze Was blowing the tips of my thoughts (force 4) and making my tongue taste strongly of italics
And when I pause it feels different As if something had entered (force 5) whose hand is lifting my page
(force 6) So I want to tell you how a whole tree sways to the left But even as I say so (force 7) a persistent howl is blowing my hair horizontal And even as I speak (force 8) this speaking becomes difficult
And now my voice (force 9) like an umbrella shaken inside out No longer shelters me from the fact (force 10) There is suddenly a winged thing in the house, Is it the wind?
Still wintry, but calm and ice-free. Time to paddle!
With the ice mostly melted and the air and water temperatures in the mid to upper 30s, we decided to go on the first relatively long paddle of the season. After months of confinement in swimming pools, it was exhilarating to be out on open water yesterday.
It took several minutes to gain the attention of the lock tender at the Chicago Harbor Lock.
"Kayakers to Chicago Locktender. Request passage from the river to the lake."
Everywhere we looked, we saw evidence of how low Lake Michigan's water level has become. The river banks are higher than they were. Previous water levels are evident on the sides of the locks, far above where the water currently laps the walls. The difference in height between the lake and the river is no more than an inch or two. Out on the lake, wooden pilings that date from the shoreline construction of the early 1900s were exposed to the air.
Paddling past the Chicago skyline.
Great Lakes freighters motored in the mid-lake shipping channel; helicopters occasionally whirred overhead. But the lake was otherwise quiet--just us, the birds, and one fishing vessel out catching perch.
In a few months, we'll be cautious about collisions with inebriated recreational boaters; now we realized there's nobody here to harm us--or help us. It was one of those low-risk, high consequences situations: the chances we'd capsize or otherwise need assistance were remote, but if anything bad were to happen, we'd be on our own in a dangerously cold environment.
Alone on the lake, and not too far from shore.
That had been part of our risk assessment before we got on the water. It affected our choice of route (near shore, 18 miles, with plenty of places to stop if necessary), timing (late morning to late afternoon, with plenty of daylight hours to spare), clothing and equipment. Light winds and a stable high pressure system added to our positive assessment. We brought a four-star kit and were prepared if the journey took longer than we had planned, and could help each other or summon help. As usual, we had also filed a float plan with trusted friends.
But all went well. Though our hands and feet were cold at times, the pleasure of being out on the lake again overwhelmed any discomfort and made us especially appreciate the miracle of hot water on demand when we got home afterward.
Loading up afterward, looking forward to getting warm again.
World-class guest coaches/speakers. This year, Nick Cunliffe of Kayak Essentials in North Wales, will join the talented midwestern coaching staff and offer an evening presentation.
A huge assortment of on-land classes in the mornings. Participants can learn about navigation, weather, VHF radio use, dressing for paddling and many other essential topics.
An even larger assortment of on-water classes. From strokes and maneuvers to rescues and towing, the phalanx of dedicated coaches offer a myriad of courses for beginner through intermediate paddlers.
The beginners' track. Novice paddlers can comfortably start with courses on boat fit and wet exits, and quickly progress into courses on basic skills.
The kids' program. This popular program, for ages 7 to 14, helps kids build skills while playing games, and includes time on land doing summer camp activities with Camp Pendalouan's wonderful counselors.
BCU 3* training and assessment. Participants with intermediate skills can challenge themselves in Bonnie Perry's two-day training and opt to follow it with a one-day assessment.
Neptune's treasures. This pop-up consignment shop allows participants to buy and sell used gear, from wetsuits and PFDs to kayaks.
The sense of community. Everybody stays together at the camp, either in tents or small cabins, and eats together in the large dining hall. Evenings include speakers, parties and plenty of social time.
The dining hall. For a small fee, participants can take advantage of communal meals.
Big Blue Lake, where the on-water courses are held.
Now in its 24th year, the WMCKA Symposium is always adding something new to its offerings. This year, it is hosting a Coach Level 1 training and assessment May 21 through 21, immediately before the symposium begins.
This is the first symposium we attended--the symposium that set us on the path of long-term paddling and coaching. Registration is open, affordable, and limited to 170 participants (and 25 in the children's program). Sign up here.
Having spent significant time with Shawna Franklin and Leon Somme of Body Boat Blade this past year, we've become fans of the Haghighi: the extreme-edge quick turn technique created by Leon's dentist, Dan Haghighi. It's one of the skills we practice during the winter months, when we do most of our paddling in swimming pools and we need small-space challenges.
Body Boat Blade just posted it on YouTube:
In addition to the technique itself, here are some things to notice in this short video:
It's structured more or less in the IDEAS format, one of the go-to coaching methodologies.
There are demonstrations done without talking.
There are multiple viewpoints and perspectives on key points.
They emphasize proper biomechanics to avoid injury to joints.
They reveal a sense of humor.
It's harder than it looks, and (as with other techniques) good coaching can help you learn to do it. If you give it a try, post your thoughts here.
Over the past several years, we've moved away from polypropylene and polyester thermal layers and toward merino wool, which feels great, insulates even when wet, effectively wicks moisture away from our skin, and doesn't get stinky like synthetics. But the wool tops and pants we own aren't designed for paddling, and they have seams that can chafe when we spend hours on the water.
Alec in his WoolCore after a comfortable day paddling in 36 degree air temps and 16 knot winds. (He wore it under his dry suit liner and dry suit.)
So when we heard that Kokatat was going to make paddling-specific merino wool insulating layers, we were excited. The new WoolCore garments are made of a 50/50 blend of merino wool and polyester. They merino comes from non-mulesed New Zealand sheep; the polyester is added to enhance durability and speed drying time. All of the cutting as sewing are done in California.
We each got a pair last November. We were surprised by how light they were and wondered whether they would provide sufficient warmth. But we were impressed with the fit. The arms are slightly shorter than usual to keep them from extending under dry suit gaskets--a feature that worked well for Sharon but not for Alec, whose shoulder-width to sleeve-length ratio is unusually high. The back is slightly longer, providing good coverage while seated. The waist band on the women's pants are especially nice--a wide, yoga pant-like band, ideal for people (like Sharon) who don't like an elastic band around their waist. Best of all, there are no seams on the shoulders to cause chafing under a PFD, or under the armpits to cause chafing during repeated paddling motion. This is achieved by the large gussets under the armpits.
The jersey-style neck falls below the dry suit gasket.
The large gussets under the arms ensure no seams where they can cause chafing.
The wide, flat waistband on the women's pants is especially comfortable.
We put them to the paddling test, wearing them as the first layer next to our skin. They were very comfortable, wicked moisture exceptionally well, and didn't stink after days of repeated use. Even though they started to pill a little bit after several months of wearing and washing, they haven't lost their shape. Adding them beneath one other light to mid-weight layer made all the difference; we now use them when we would otherwise use silk-weight BaseCore. They've become our go-to base layer for paddling, and we've found ourselves wearing them for cross-country skiing and other outdoor activities, too. (But because the WoolCore isn't completely opaque, these garments aren't ideal for wearing to the pub or on the street.)
Other information about WoolCore:
Shirts are available in men's S through XXL and women's S through XL, and in long and short sleeves.
Pants are available in men's and women's sizes S through XL.
Color choices are grey or charcoal.
Fabric weight is 140 grams per square meter, which is 10 grams lighter than the lightest versions offered by Ibex, Icebreaker and Smartwool, but 10 grams heavier than Kokatat's all-synthetic silk weight Basecore base layer.
Price is comparable to equivalent weight merino wool products: $74 for pants and long-sleeve shirts; $70 for short-sleeve shirts.
* What we wear now is an occasional series in which we highlight paddling clothing that works.
Comparing notes before the start of our pool session.
Our pool presentation at Canoecopia 2013 was on the kayak self-rescue known as the scramble. Our goal was to show the rescue, explain how to do it effectively and efficiently, answer questions from people who've found it difficult to execute, and have fun in the process.
Warming up by playing on our boats as people came in and found places to sit and stand.
The keys to success with this rescue are:
maintaining your grip on the boat and paddle
finding the best position for getting on the back deck
floating your body to the surface before launching on to the back deck
pulling the boat under you, not yourself onto the boat
establishing and maintaining balance while pivoting to face the bow
getting into a "jockey" position
moving forward, thighs to wrists, until you're over the seat
dropping into the seat and maintaining balance while bringing your feet in
Most of the questions involved problems with:
gear management
getting on the boat
moving toward the cockpit
maintaing balance
To address these, we shared strategies that work for paddlers who are larger or less agile than we are. We also demonstrated that with good technique, this rescue works even if you have long legs or a very large chest.
Sharon getting up on the back deck wearing two PFDs.
Back on the boat in spite of the extra large chest.
We shared several games that help develop the skills this rescue requires. Judging by the smiles on faces all around us, we weren't the only ones enjoying ourselves.
It's helpful to have a strict time limit. With only 20 minutes per pool session, we had to focus on the essentials and make every minute count. We're hopeful that with practice and good coaching, those who came to our presentation will be more successful with their future self-rescues.
Thanks to Keith Wikle and Aaron Litchfield for taking photos while we were on the water.
We often talk about paddlesports being a small world. But when most of the major manufacturers of boats, paddles, clothing and gear, along with clubs and organizations, outfitters and publications, come together under one roof in March, it feels pretty big. Add more than a hundred presentations in meeting rooms and a swimming pool, and more than 20,000 visitors, and Canoecopia earns its claim of bring the largest paddlesports consumer event in the world.
Dusting off a canoe before the crowd comes in.
We arrived early this year to help set up a table for The Gales Storm Gathering, the intermediate/advanced, bumpy water sea kayaking instructional event that will be held October 11 to 13 in the Apostle Islands.
Keith Wikle taping the new banners behind the booth.
We also got the update on the current line of spray skirts and pogies from Scott Lynch, who represents Snap Dragon Design at Canoecopia and spent more than a decade working in the paddlesports industry before launching his dream business: La Fortuna, a mobile wood-fired pizza business. (Like so many people in this business, he wears several hats.)
Scott Lynch explains the construction and features of the Glacier Trek spray skirt. Durable Snap Dragon skirts feature a one-piece spray deck and graduated levels of bungee tension depending on the model you buy.
We were double agents (at least--perhaps quadruple agents) at Canoecopia this year. We were vendors in the Snap Dragon booth, exhibitors at the Gales and CASKA tables, speakers at the swimming pool, and customers eager to soak it all in. And there was a lot to absorb. As usual, we prowled the aisles looking for new products and innovations.
Sharon tries on the new Kokatat Maximus Prime PFD, a whitewater rescue vest that really fits smaller paddlers (and larger ones, too). This vest has especially wide shoulder straps and webbing adjustments in the front, making it easier to get a snug fit, even on a short torso.
Level 6 offers a Creek Boot with a wide toe bed and a grippy, flexible and sturdy sole. Designed by Level 6 co-founder and Canadian Slalom Team racer Stig Larsson, it's slim enough to to bend and fit in a boat but sturdy enough to protect your soles during a portage.
North Water offers the tow systems preferred by most of the top paddlers and coaches in North America.
Alec checks out the P&H Delphin 150, which launched a new category of sea kayaks designed to excel in surf and play spots.
Canoecopia also offers a rare opportunity to talk with the designers, sales managers and often the founders of the companies that make the boats and gear we use. It's a chance to hear talks by and engage in conversation with all kinds of paddlers on all kinds of topics. And even though we always say there's nothing more we need, we end up buying something new and exciting. This year it was kneeling pads and painter rope for our canoe, and one new shirt apiece. We'll be back next year.
The Transportation Security Administration announced yesterday that beginning on April 25, several items will be removed from the Prohibited Items List. In addition to small knives (with many size and type restrictions), passengers will be permitted to bring aboard billiard cues, hockey and lacrosse sticks, ski poles, and up to two golf clubs.
Now that you can bring hockey sticks on board airplanes,
shouldn't you be able to bring kayak and canoe paddles?
But not kayak and canoe paddles, which are still prohibited. When we plug "canoe paddle" into the TSA's "When I fly, can I bring my..." online interactive feature, it replies that canoe and kayak paddles are "sports equipment that can be used as a bludgeon (such as bats and clubs)" and they are therefore "prohibited in the cabin of the plane and must be transported in your checked baggage."
Wait. Golf clubs are OK but paddles are not? We called for clarification. In response, we received this email reply from David A. Castelveter, Director of External Communications for the TSA's Office of Strategic Communications and Public Affairs:
"Sorry Sharon, but for security reasons we are not able to discuss why certain items remain on the prohibited items list."
Let's see. Golf clubs, which have been used to murder people, can be carried on board airplanes even though they are unlikely to be damaged when checked; meanwhile paddles, which are ill-suited to combat and more fragile, can't be carried on board. (We typed "murdered with a golf club" into Google and got 33,800 results. "Hit with a kayak paddle" yielded just five, and none involved aggression, let alone murder.)
Aggressive canoeists aren't the TSA's only concern, of course. Checkpoint efficiency also figures into these decisions. "Imagine how congested the checkpoint would be if under the existing screening procedures we allowed a broader array of items, such as paddles, oars, ski poles, snow board, water skis and the likes," Castelveter noted.
But again, we find this disingenuous. How many canoeists and kayakers travel with paddles? (Not many per day, we would venture.) And does it really take longer to scan a paddle than it takes to scan any other carry-on item?
Clearly, the golf lobby is more effective than the paddlesports lobby.
If this bothers you, send a message to the TSA Contact Center at TSA-ContactCenter@dhs.gov or call 1.866.289.9673 and tell them why paddles ought to be permitted on board. And please post your letter here in comments, too, for others to see.
Adventure filmmaker Justine Curgenven launched the genre of sea kayaking films in 2004 with her This is the Sea series, which features profiles of top paddlers, footage of expeditions in a wide range of remarkable places, and lots of paddling excitement. She's coming back toCanoecopia in March, where she'll launch the World Tour of This is the Sea 5and preview sections of her new, three-hour DVD at at charity fundraiser partyon Saturday, March 9.
One of the sections of the DVD, about her adventures and midadventures in Tierra del Fuego with Barry Shaw, has already won Best Sea Kayaking Film in the 2013 Reel Paddling Film Festival. "I guess lots of things went wrong, and people seem to like stories where lots of things go wrong. But it’s a beautiful place as well. It’s a good adventure," she says. We caught up with Justine over Skype just as she finished editing her new DVD.
HKWT:You’re about to begin the North American Tour of This is the Sea 5. Didn’t you intend to stop at 4? What changed?
JC: I was done at four. But I was also done after two and three. It’s
quite draining. It’s quite hard work. After the fourth one, I certainly needed a
break and needed to do something different and not feel like I was just
churning another one out. I think maybe the canoeing DVD and the instructional DVD provided the break that I needed. But people started asking, “When are you
doing another This is Sea?” And it just felt right. I think now is a good time
for it.
HKWT: What kinds of expeditions do you prefer these days?
JC: I like wild, remote places where there are not many people, though when you meet people who live in remote, wild places, they tend to be rather interesting. I love wildlife. I like to be challenged, too. I quite like paddling around things; I
think I have an addiction to that, partly because you go
back to the same place so there are fewer logistics to work out. But I also
quite like the completeness of going all the way around something.
HKWT: What are you paddling now?
JC: I’m paddling an Atlantic LV just around here. On a trip
I’ve tried a few different things. I had a Nordkapp in Tierra del Fuego, and an Etain from Russia
to japan with Sarah, and I think I might be going to try an Ocean – which the
new North Shore expedition boat – around Ireland.
HKWT: You spend time on other adventure sports. Why do
you keep returning to kayaking, personally and for your films?
JC: Kayaking is my favorite, and I guess its what I’m best at as
well. I’ve got all the kit, I’ve got a lot of friends that kayak, but I can
also go by myself. I can do it at
a reasonable standard. I think kayaking’s got so many different things going for it.
There’s the fact that you get to spend time in some really cool places, feel the wind through
your hair, you can just have a nice relaxing chill-out going along the cliffs,
you can get close to wildlife, and you can have as much adrenaline as you want
by going out into the surf or the tidal races. And you get to use your brain
and think about things when you go on a trip: you’ve got the weather to worry
about and how far you go, when you’re going to land and what your options are
if this or that other variable changes.
Probably a lot of people who haven’t done a lot of trip paddling don’t know how
much goes into it that you do need to consider and think about. I really enjoy
the mental side of it as well.
HKWT: What’s next?
JC: I’ll be going around Ireland in May and June for six weeks--we’re not going for a record or anything--with Barry and a friend of ours,
Roger Chandler. And I’m making a second rolling DVD with Cheri and Turner. I’ve also
been talking about doing an expedition DVD that gives people tips on going on a
trip, everything from what kit to take to where to go to a bit about navigation
and tide. It’s a huge, huge topic, but I’d like to do a video that has a lot of
examples in it because I’ve got so much footage from my various trips that I’d
like to use—examples of different situations and how you could deal with it. I’m not sure when I’ll do that; maybe next year. I’m also thinking about
doing something with the Hurricane Riders, which I’m quite excited about. They’re really nice
people and they’re just pushing it all the time, and I could just see a film
about them: The Hurricane Riders: The Movie. I think that could be quite cool.
During a discussion of why our shoelaces never stay tied, our son Jeremy informed us that we've been tying them incorrectly all these years. Turns out we tie granny knots, not square knots. We had never thought about laces this way. This discovery required us to correct something we've been doing incorrectly for more than four decades--no small feat.
We immediately thought about the concept that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become expert at any task. We first encountered this idea in the 2006 edition of the BCU Coaching Handbook, which states: "Practice makes permanent. Therefore poor practice will indeed make poor performance....If we are to produce high-level performers, we could be talking of up to 10,000 hours...to hit our genetic ceiling and produce performers who excel at their chosen sport."
This notion is actually based research by K. Anders Ericsson and Neil Charness, published in 1994 in the journal American Psychologist. In "Expert Performance: It's Structure and Acquisition," Ericsson and Charness analyze the results of their study of musicians. "By age 20, the top-level violinists in their study had practiced an average of more than 10,000 hours, approximately 2,500 hours more than the next most accomplished group of expert violinists and 5,000 hours more than the group who performed at the lowest level," they wrote. This is the only reference to 10,000 hours in that report, which emphasizes that diligence trumps innate talent even in areas like athletics and music performance.
This wonderful infographic, created by nowsourcing.com on behalf of Zintro, visualizes Malcolm Gladwell's explanation of the 10,000-hour rule.
Soon the concept was extended to the acquisition of all kinds of expertise; a 2011 Harvard Business Review blog claimed that it also applied to "collaborative knowledge work -- the type of expertise required to create, or lead, or grow a company," and quoted a 2010 article in the journal Performance Improvement that stated: "Deliberate practice--meaning drill-like practice under the direction of a coach--is key to developing expertise in sports and music. But working professionals and businesspeople typically have no time for practice. We propose deliberate performance as a type of practice that professionals and businesspeople can pursue while they work as a way to accelerate their progression to becoming experts."
And, of course, plenty of people disputed the idea. Clearly, there's nothing magical about the exact number 10,000. But there's plenty of evidence that deliberate practice does improve performance, and that while some is good, more is better.
Which brings us back to the shoelaces. Learning to tie them correctly after years of poor practice is difficult. It requires conscious thought and deliberate practice to undo the deeply ingrained motor memory we have developed over the past 40 years. It reminds us of how hard it is for our students to become competent paddlers if they don't spend adequate time working on their skills in a methodical fashion. Deliberate practice, according to Ericsson, means "activities designed, typically by a teacher, for the sole purpose of effectively improving specific aspects of an individual's performance." Or, in kayaking terms, good coaching and lots of practice.
We caught up with Keith Wikle, friend and fellow paddlesport blogger, as he was about to begin a three-day Essentials of Surf Kayaking Instructor Certification Workshop in Jacksonville, Florida with Instructor Trainer Nigel Law, co-owner of Savanna Canoe and Kayak. Nigel, who is well-known for surf kayak coaching at every level, is someone Keith has long admired and wished to work with. Snow and ice pelted our car as we spoke with Keith, who was taking a cab to a campground the night before the start of the ICW.
HKWT: Why are you doing a surf instructor certification? KW: I really like surfing. It's the most dynamic part of the sport, and it's probably the thing I enjoy the most. I've spent a lot of time doing it. I've had a number of people approach me about surf coaching, and I wanted to get a better idea about how to become a better instructor for surfing, especially for dedicated surf kayaks.
HKWT: How does this connect to sea kayaking and sea kayak coaching? KW: All of the surf stuff I've learned has made me more aware of surf dynamics: what's safe and what isn't, what's fun, and how to take advantage of the dynamics of the surf zone in any boat. And if anything, it's made me less fearful of surfing in my sea kayak. For sea kayaks, you get a much better idea of whether this is going to be fun or it's going to be death on a stick.
HKWT: What are you expecting the certification process to be like? KW: The initial part of it is surf zone safety and coaching in sit-on-tops. There's a big part of it that doesn't have anying to do with surf kayaking itself, but more has to do with making sure people are safe and learning rather than scaring the hell out of them.
And I'm just excited to go out and play on the waves in Florida in February!
HKWT: What do you expect to do with your new certification? KW: I would like to run some courses on Lake Michigan, especially late summer and early fall, more sit-on-top than sit-in courses. Sit-on-top kayaks are a great way to get people involved in surf, making carves and performing turns without a combat roll. That's what I'm envisioning.
HKWT: Will you be writing this up on your blog? KW: Yeah, I'm sure I will.
Today is Alec's birthday. We began the celebration by doing 51 rescues -- one for each year -- in a nearby pool: 20 T rescues, 10 reenter and rolls, 10 scrambles, 10 hand of Gods, and an all in.
Our friends and fellow coaches Big Aaron and Mark were there, so they joined us.
All told, we spent about an hour, including time debriefing and occasionally goofing around between sets. We noticed several things in the process:
It's helpful to practice rescues when you're already tired. Too often, we (and people we know) practice rescues a few times, then move on to other activities. Doing more repetitions is a better simulation of the way you'll feel in a real rescue situation.
Communication between rescuer and victim is critical. This isn't a new idea for us, but doing so many assisted rescues highlighted the role that good communication plays in speeding up and cleaning up a T rescue.
Repetitions lead to natural variations, and sometimes to discoveries. Alec found a slightly better location for scrambling onto his back deck.
We tend to wet exit and reenter and roll mostly on one side, and Sharon found her "off-side" reenter and roll awkward. Deliberate practice on both sides is another thing we've added to our list of pool practice activities.
Time flies when you're doing rescues.
But don't take our word for it. Watch! (Our camera battery died after the T-rescues, but you'll get the general idea.)
Perhaps anyone with the power to help also has the potential to harm. Certainly that's true in paddlesports, where harm can take many forms, from diminishing skill acquisition to squashing enthusiasm to causing physical injury.
We've been paying close attention to the P-P-T-T of coaching lately. Those letters stand for:
They are standard considerations in sports psychology, applied to both preparation for competition and to assessment of obstacles to performance. In paddlesports coaching, they are considered and accommodated for students' long-term paddler development. But it strikes us that they these four elements are also the key to doing no harm.
Physical risks are probably self-evident. Good coaching requires proper biomechanics to prevent physical injuries. For example, shoulder injuries are among the common physical risks in paddlesports. Emphasizing good posture, torso rotation and the "paddler's box" develops habits that help avoid shoulder injuries.
Psychological risks may not be quite as obvious. But think about the number of people who've confessed that they or someone they know had a bad experience and swore off kayaking forever. Or think about people with phobias and anxieties borne of a past bad experience in the water who won't take any risks because they are terrified of capsizing. Being aware of students' existing anxieties, and being careful not to create new ones, helps them progress.
Technical skills learned well set students up for success. For example, learning effective, efficient ruddering strokes enables a paddler to enjoy surfing waves. Learned incorrectly, they set students up to spend endless hours with a different coach unlearning poor ruddering techniques and learning better ones.
Tactical skills are the strategic use of technical skills in context. Edging the wrong way upon entering an eddy may lead to capsize regardless of the student's ability to edge. It's a matter of timing and appropriate application of technique. Again, doing no harm means coaching these skills correctly the first time around to help students avoid frustration and failure.
All four of these are intertwined; to focus on any one of them in isolation is to miss the bigger picture of coaching the whole student. When we worked at Body Boat Blade this past summer, Shawna and Leon reminded us to incorporate P-P-T-T into every lesson plan. We continue to focus on each of these elements every time we plan a course or session, or evaluate our students' progress--not only because doing so will help them progress, but because failing to do so can actually harm them.
Learning to paddle in an intimidating environment requires attention to physical, psychological, technical and tactical factors--and doing so makes it fun, not stressful.
* For the classical scholars among you, we realize that the phrase "First, do no harm" does not actually appear in the Hippocratic Oath itself, but rather is how that oath has been popularized. It's just so much catchier than, "I will follow that system of regimen which, according to my ability and judgment, I consider for the benefit of my patients, and abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous."
This year, we noticed a change to the NOAA marine forecasts. Instead of the familiar "waves 4 to 7 feet," they routinely added "occasionally to 10 feet."
We wondered when this change was made and why. For answers we turned to meteorologist Bryan Tilley, who works on daily weather forecast production; severe weather watches, warnings, and advisories; and marine forecasts and Doppler radar programs for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) in Detriot/Pontiac, Michigan.
BT: The change you noticed in the Great Lakes wave forecasts was made at
the Detroit/Pontiac office in October 2010 after collaboration with the
U.S. Coast Guard and commercial shipping interests in the region. Not
all NWS offices in the Great Lakes have made this change, as it remains
under development. Chicago is the only other office using the
terminology. The idea is to better represent the spectrum of wave
conditions in a given weather pattern rather than just the significant
wave height.
HKWT: What does "occasionally" mean in this context?
BT: Forecasts for Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, and the Michigan waters
of Lake Erie include a "wave" forecast and a "max wave forecast" when
the max wave will be five feet or greater. The Chicago office uses "occasionally" to mean the same as "max wave." Our Science Officer developed the methodology and offers the following background:
Assuming a Rayleigh distribution
to the wave spectra (which works well in the Great Lakes), the maximum
wave height (1/20th wave) is approximately 147% of the significant wave
height (the average of the highest 1/3 waves in the spectrum). As an
example, if the significant wave height is 5.5 feet with a dominant
period of 10 seconds, the 1/20th (max wave) will be 8 feet and will be observed
at any given location roughly every 3 1/2 minutes.
The Rayleigh distribution. Illustration credit: NOAA
HKWT: Has the method of prediction also changed in any way?
BT: The
method of prediction has not changed. Waves on the waters of the Great
Lakes are simulated with a model based on wind and temperature input by
meteorologists. The wave spectrum data is part of the simulation and we
are now including it in the forecast wording.
National Weather Service office in Detroit/Pontiac.
HKWT: What do you hope this change will achieve?
BT: We hope the presentation of the max wave data will give forecast users a
chance to evaluate the potential worst case scenario in a given weather
pattern for the day. It adds a layer of probabilistic data to the
forecast that, hopefully, aids in decision making.
HKWT: When we paddled in the San Juan Islands, we looked at
synoptic charts to get a better idea of what weather patterns to expect.
Do we have access to those, or to something similar, here? BT: NOAA/NWS provides many options on weather maps for individual access. You may find the following links useful:
