Ok, so let’s have a little fun today. When I was at the West Michigan Kayak Symposium they had a contest to see how many rolls you could hit in 20 seconds. Well, Adriene Levknect cleaned house on everyone with 9 rolls. (brat!) Now to be fair, Doug VanDoren was given a handicap (hand rolls only) but still. . . Well, I was on the beach for that contest and didn’t get to play, so last evening I went out to the lake to give it a try. ( or GIVE’R as the WaWa folks say) The final tally was a sloppy 8. Yes, I can prove it and the video is here! Ha-ha! Playing with the silly camera again.

And since I had the camera out anyway I thought I would show Keith Wikle, the star of the now infamous lumberjack roll, that I can be taught and I finally nailed the angel roll he kindly demonstrated. So I’ve added that video as well. Thanks again Keith! What’s the deal with all these Michigan paddlers anyway?? Did you see the guy with the quasi-Maori-esque paint job in the Inland sea gallery? Yep, another happy Michigan resident. At least with kayakers you KNOW it’s something in the water!

Alright so now to get back on my side of the lake Michigan, I have another freebee for anyone who wants it. I created a new Wisconsin Kayak Screensaver. This free download includes images from the Apostle Islands, Lake Michigan and various lakes in the state. Now I know that it’s summer and we all would rather be out paddling than looking at pics, but come this winter you may enjoy it. Click Here to download it.

There now, isn’t that a bunch of stuff for one day??

Well, I have worked my way through about half a write-up on the Door County Symposium but that’s taking me a bit of time. This evening I have a private lesson and then Saturday & Sunday I’m back at Rutabaga to instruct 2 day Kayak Progression Class.

During the symposium someone asked me to write out some instructions on sculling draws. I’ll work on that. But it’s soooo much easier to just show you. hmmm, maybe me and the crazy camera can work that out too.

With draws in mind here’s a little beginner tip for the day: Get your paddle wet! (If you’ve been in fundamentals or intro type class with me before you’ve already heard this little diatribe so you can leave early today. . .) New paddlers almost always seem to want to keep their paddle blades at the surface of the water. I’ve noticed that for what ever reason we seem to start out with an inherent fear of putting our paddles in too deep. Maybe the Darwinists had it wrong and we actually evolved from cats! However, you will get much “oomph” for your labor if you sink that paddle down deep when working on draws as well as your forward stroke. Now I don’t mean leaning way over and trying to touch the bottom of the lake (Loch?). But at the very least putting the complete paddle blade under the surface. When working on draws I think about pushing the water UNDER my boat. That really helped me to focus on getting the blade down. I can’t remember which instructor gave me that little gem, but thank you!

Party on!!