April 19, 2020 marks one year since I've attended my first CT Reunion. It was Easter weekend and the kayak bunny surprised us with baskets outside our tents. I told you these kayakers were the coolest! I have lived & learned more in the last year than I have in my lifetime...or at least it feels like it. 1. I've learned how to fall out of a perfectly good kayak: I signed up for a private group training lesson with three other lady kayakers. It was my idea, maybe because of all my Air Force training. The class was with one of the best ACA instructors (I didn't know that at the time) Tommy Thomson (2T). Falling out of your kayak, whether intentionally or unintentionally, is called a 'wet exit.' Asking someone to intentionally fall out of their kayak for the first time is a counterintuitive thought process...maybe like trying to explain to a middle school student why they need algebra. "Why do I need that?" So when 2T asked me to fall out of my kayak in 20 feet of lake water, I declined to go first. I'm glad there was space between all of us...I didn't want anyone to see as I discretely wiped tears off my cheeks. I finally did it that day...and went home exhausted. After that training, I knew it was something that would need to overcome and get better at...so I practiced, not only the wet exit, but the self-reentry at home in my pool. What I didn't realize is how soon I would need it!
2. A hunger to learn more: Less than a month later, I signed up for the American Canoe Association (ACA) L2 Instructor Certification. It was several days of combined training followed by an instructor certification class. During my Air Force career, this was the way we trained, so easy-peasy, right? After the first day, I went back to my hotel, acknowledged I was in way over my head (no pun intended)...and cried. This was a pivotal moment (also called a significant emotional event) in my life, let alone kayaking. I had a choice of dropping out, or putting my 'big girl pants on." I decided on the latter. During the training & certification, we practiced what felt like 50 wet exits (falling out) & reentries (getting back in). I'm not afraid of falling out of my kayak now. It's a pain in the ass to get back in by yourself. A lot easier with assistance/a kayaker nearby. I didn't receive my L2 Instructor certification that weekend, but I came home a different person...not proud, but humbled, with a huge sense of growth...and significantly different perspective about kayaking. Today, I can't look at another kayak without taking a moment to think how I would rescue a person if they fell out...as well as a view of how many cheap/piece of shit kayaks that are sold on the market today! 3. Glutton for punishment? During my L2 training, I gained a lot of respect and admiration for ACA training and I connected extremely well with my instructor Steve Heinkind. He is a no-fluff, straight shooter with a lot of emphasis on safety. It doesn't hurt my feelings when he tells me I don't meet the grade. Steve invited me to be a practice student for L3 instructor candidates. Seeing another opportunity to learn, I accepted. Now I get to learn to paddle in waves, surf...going beyond the L2 (winds less than 10 knots, waves less than 1 foot) criteria. I also knew the instructor candidates and their capabilities, so I knew I was in good hands. They had been working hard training towards their L3, so I also wanted to help anyway I could. One of those instructors was Jill Lingard. Jill was one of those cool paddlers I met at the CT Reunion. I will dedicate a separate blog post towards her phenomenal work with the Florida Paddling Trails Association. Initially, we trained in a protected cove, then towards the edges of channel that led to the Gulf of Mexico. The wind was from the northwest (I don't recall the wind speed or the tide) so it made practicing paddling skills more challenging. While we were there, I kept looking out towards the Gulf. The waves were breaking where the sandy bottom was more shallow...the water clearly winning its show of force. I knew that's where we were headed next. And there it was. That knot in the pit of my stomach. In yoga, its located in your solar plexus (just above your navel). In the scientific world, it's often called the second brain, which has evolved in all of us prior to homo sapiens walked the earth. I'm trying to understand that knot, so you will see it again in my blog. In the mean time, recall my reference about learning algebra and saying "what am I going to use this for?" All the basic paddling skills I learned in L2 (forward, reverse stroke, low brace, etc.) were now put to use in the L3 training. Freak'n genius! Especially use of the low brace... During training, Jill said something to me will will resonate in every paddle condition I do moving forward...use of the low brace and..."Love the wave." And now it is so. And while I still get that knot in the pit of my stomach, I don't fear the wave as much as I did that day looking out towards the Gulf. Thank you Jill...and Steve, Tom, and Jean.
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AuthorDorsey DeMaster embraced kayaking after retiring from 38 years in aviation. She lives near Crystal River, Florida. Archives
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