really, really, good day
Published June 3, 2006 | 
I gotta roll, can’t stand still,got a flame in my heart, can’t get my fill.
Eyes that shine burning red,
dreams of you all through my head.
- jones,page,plant
All days on the water are good days. Even the really frustrating ones that momentarily make you want to chew fiberglass. But really good days are the days when you’ve done something you’ve never done before. Or days when you got a monkey off your back. Really, really, good days are the ones where you do both in one go. So yesterday was a really, really, good day.
First, I got my (forward finishing) reverse sweep roll back. ’bout damn time!! Even though I knew how to do it, and had been fairly good at it, I’d lost it when I broke a paddle. I just kept bailing out at the last second. As soon as my brain sensed pressure on the blade, I’d just fall right back over. What a relief when I set up in a chest scull then in one nice little swoop remembered to roll up with my body and not with the blade. I was back up BEFORE by “broken-paddle-scared brain” could react. So I worked away at regaining the body memory for the next half hour. One down.
Then, I kept thinking about how our currently Irish kayaking legend picked up so quickly on some Greenland rolls while we were in Michigan. Then I thought, what do I want to try that looked so easy when he tried it for the first time? Hmmm. Well, that behind the head thing looks fun. So other than the fact that I can’t get my chubby little body in quite the correct set up (yet), I put the paddle behind my head and twisted as far as I could before I rolled over. In moments I was right back up on the back of the deck! Wow! That went MUCH better than I expected. What a good day!
Putting down two rolls in a day is good enough. I followed up by working through the rolls I know. This time with my Masik which to be honest often feels like a cheat. Pawlatta, sweep, c to c, shotgun, angel, crook of the elbow, stick roll, hand roll. Then one more reverse sweep, then behind the head. Then I went straight to the beach. Some days you keep at it all day. Some days you take you’re victories and run.
This morning I had a private lesson with a young guy who’s lucky enough to be going to Glacier Bay in Alaska in a couple months. How cool is that?! It’s not like one short lesson can ever really get you ready for big trips like this. But they can give you an introduction to the basics you need to be part of a group with qualified leadership.
Tomorrow it’s off to Rutabaga for the off water version of paddling. Only this year we’ve got a new on-water element. Coaching seems to always require a bit too much off water time. Pencils, papers and yellow folders just don’t seem to catch the essence of the sport.
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