don’t ask. . .
Published June 23, 2006 | 
And this is how you remind meOf what i really am
-nickleback
So I thought I’d email Kokatat and ask them if it is possible to get either their Bahai Tour or Msfit Tour PFD in Black. Seemed like a reasonable question since I have seen them, albeit on sponsored paddlers. 
And given that you can order a custom color drysuit as well.
Here was the response;
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First, we don’t do direct sales and unfortunately, we don’t carry the Bahia Tour or MsFit Tour in black. Thank You.
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May I suggest something like;
Hello (insert name),
Thank you for your email. We do appreciate your interest in Kokatat products. I’m sorry, but at this time our PFDs are not available in black. We will certainly let know know if this changes in the future.
Best Regards, (warm regards, sincerely. . )
Somebody’s Name
Somebody’s Title
Contact Information
——————————————————–
I really had’nt inquired about “direct sales”, only a custom color. That unnecessary bit in the response, along with the lack of a personal signature, tacked on “thank you” etc., seemed to imply they did not wish to be bothered by actual customers. While that certainly may not be true, just a little change in phrasing would have left me much more disposed to purchasing Kokatat products in the future. As it is I’ll be shopping around a bit more for my new pfd.
Episea
Published June 22, 2006 | 
-springsteen
Yep, Gryphon has is own sea kayak! Even in his favorite color and everything. We had been talking about it for a couple months. “If”, I told Gryphon “the man with the children’s kayaks is there, we’ll get you your own kayak”. And he was there. . Surprisingly we were the first to buy one from him at the symposium since he first came last season.
would you lift me up?
Published June 21, 2006 | 
And you, you will be queen
Though nothing will drive them away
We can be Heroes, just for one day
We can be us, just for one day
-bowie
When I walked away from my first BCU symposium I was jazzed. I couldn’t wait to get home and solidify what I was learning. Way back in an early blog, in fact not long after I started my little ramblings I did a post about how impacted I had been. My first class with Shawna Franklin was well, inspirational. I’d never seen a coach just so damn happy to be a coach. It was like a golden aura that enveloped everyone in the class. “Wow, if just teaching this stuff was such fun, imagine what the rest of the sport must be like.” I thought. I was certainly inspired.
Since then I’ve been so lucky to spend a bit of time in classes or whatever with a bunch of great coaches and been constantly re-awakened to everything I love about the sport, and introduced to stuff I didn’t even know about. Some coaches just exude excitement, others have moves, others are militant but supportive. Personally I like the ones that are just damn silly! But all in all good coaches are all inspirational. In the end I have always ended up wanting to emulate just a bit of that zeal or spending days (or sometimes weeks, months. . .) trying to get that “move”. Then I try to do my best to bring it back to my little part of the world or share it here. I’m really thinking there is something important in all this.
Personally as a coach I’m always trying to hold myself up against the “boring factor”. I’m looking at my students closely to make sure the lights are on. Bored students are NOT inspired. Bored students are NOT in a “learning state of mind”. True some students learn in spite of over structured ridged instruction but not too often. Being a bit shy natured in the real world (and moody to boot!) I always sort of feel like whatever I’m doing is going to look a bit crazy to those around me. In fact it often does. I always second guess but I’m trying not to let that pull me back. I want to keep stretching. I used to think when I came back from a symposium or some coach training that most importantly I wanted to bring back move “a” or stroke “b” and incorporate it in my classes. Maybe a new teaching method or new outline structure would jump out at me as it did recently. But underlying it all was this; I was filtering out the true lesson I was learning; it’s all about “inspiration”.
I was inspired. I couldn’t wait to teach this new thing. Inspiration makes me excited to keep doing what I do. You can teach me strokes all day but if there isn’t a big emotional reward, personal drive or deeper connection, practice will only be so-so. Whereas If I see or feel a perceived goal and am chomping at the bit to get there, I’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that goal. Inspiration gives us the power and attentiveness to work through our failures and move ahead. Inspiration keeps us taking classes, doing trips or doing whatever it is we love to do. Our society thrives on mentors and heroes. Of course it does. They inspire us.
Locally at the end of our classes we always suggest that “next step”. What clubs, what trips they can “purchase”, ways to get more instruction and more experience. That’s great. But to follow up there has to be energy. WHY will they call that club?, WHY will they drive 6 hours for a day on the water and then drive 6 hours back? WHY will they practice that stupid hanging draw for hours on end until they are bumping into rocks in the dark? In the beginning we often only have a vague idea why we got into the sport. Over time our goals tighten or change. We modify why we’re out there. We have ups and downs. Days when we don’t want to see a freaking kayak! Yet, something brings us back. A friend, a picture, a website, a video. . whatever. We rediscover our love of kayaking. Early on inspiration gives us power to get the kayak, load it on the car, drive to where ever, get it off the car, carry it to the beach, change all your clothes, and paddle. . then reverse the process and do it again. Then again and again. I think great instructors feel charged to keep that inspiration alive. “Stoke the fire”, so to speak.
Being a coach at a retail shop I sometimes wonder; am I just a service provider in the paddling industry?, someone who facilitates customer growth for a niche market? I mean, instruction is not a big money market by anybody’s standard, but a retail eye sees it as a step on a path to future sales. Such is business. . and survival. I wonder, are students just clients that we pass on method to? Or are we guides along the way on each students personal journey? I tend to hope for the latter. On the other hand, that’s a whole different responsibilty.
So lately when I think about my own teaching style, I ask myself, “What do I do to inspire!?”. Wow. That’s a tough one. . .
copycater, copycater
Published June 20, 2006 | 
Ok, just to re-state. . . “standing in the cockpit is easy”. Hahahaha! So this afternoon I got up on the deck. Yippie! But then Mary supposed that I had to do it on the Greenlander as well. Ok then!! Lucky you don’t get to see the 10,000 crashes in the middle. But other than sharing these silly pictures, I wanted to let you know I have the ISS symposium gallery up as well as a couple video clips of Leon showing off as well. First go here to see the ISS gallery. (top gallery) Then for the video go here. The first clip is right at the top and shows LS doing a chest scull with the Euro paddle. The next clip is about half-way down under the “Strange Kayak Moments” heading called “2 sticks”.
"standing in the cockpit is easy"
Published June 20, 2006 | 
I think i can, I think i canI think i have a plan
And i can do most anything
If i only think i can
- william may and warren foster
Last year I had the privilege of taking a class with Nigel Foster and spent the good part of an afternoon trying to stand up in my cockpit. It just never happened. Oh well, I thought. Nigel’s a thin tough guy of course he can just pull himself up there. But what talent, eh? Then this guy comes along. . (aka, Mr. Smarty Pants in the image above) and he says, “standing in the cockpit is easy”. What!??. Of course this was a prelude to trying to stand on the back deck during some coach training. Here’s Derrick taking a big dive!! “What am I doing trying this when I can’t even stand IN the cockpit??”, I wondered. Now I really felt low. .
Of course you can imagine the fun during a demo at the recent ISS symposium, when right as Doug Van Doren stood up, that guy (aka, Mr. Smarty Pants in the image above), decided to mention that standing in the cockpit is easy. The next obvious scene is two guys standing on their back decks getting blown to Canada by sudden high winds.
It’s too bad too, because I was really thinking I needed to go up to Grand Marais just to see Nigel and get a little more work on that whole standing thing. But now that I know it’s just me, ( because after all, as Mr. Smarty Pants in the image above said, “standing in the cockpit is easy”). what’s the point? Sorry Nigel!!. 
So my first day back home for a week and as evening approches I’m off to the lake and trying to stand on the back deck. (Suffering some major and minor bruising along the way). I still can’t do it. No matter how many times I try to stand on that deck my balance begins to go and I’m head first in the lake. “It’s just impossible is’nt it!?? Why do I do this to myself!? “, I thought. Then as the sun was slipping behind the trees and after slipping off the deck for the 303rd time, totally defeated, tired & sore, I thought I’d just try standing IN the cockpit. Know what?
Standing in the cockpit is easy. )
To take a lesson from the little engine that could
Just think you can
Just think you can . . .
i got dem blurs
Published June 19, 2006 | 
I didn’t know how to deal with
And so I just decided to myself
I’d hide it to myself
And never talk about it
And didn’t I go and shout it. . .
-partridge family
I got dem blurs. You know that thing that happens after you’ve been doing something non-stop for days and then you try to summarize it for others? Wow, it feels just like I’m doing that right now. Pretty strange, eh??
I’ve written in the last couple posts about some little details of my experience but they certainly don’t cover an event like ISS. Underneath the classes and well known padders are a few hundred people trudging from tent to class, to class to tent, to towel, to bed. Oh, and maybe food if they’re not too tired. Their overwhelming zeal is just inspiring. And humbling if you’re an instructor. “How do I live up to this??”, was a common thought I had passing through my tiny little brain. It’s like a pop quiz. From every direction come questions on every topic. You have to be on the ball and very willing to say, “I have no clue, but let’s find someone who may.” Attendees almost always really pack in the classes with little thought of rest. I have a feeling that if the organizers didn’t schedule a lunch break, there just wouldn’t be one. You certainly can’t argue heavy scheduling either. They want to learn so much and there really is no better opportunity. It’s really too bad our brains don’t work like video. You can’t really just plug them in and record each class and go home an instant expert. Just like me, they are going to wake up this morning trying to put all the little bits of their experience into some reasonable order. Even now they’ll notice they are questioning a little nuance of a stroke they intentionally focused on yesterday. Some will run right off to their local lake and practice, others will plan for next weekend or as soon as they get a chance. Sooner is better if you want to remember. But even for those “chomping at the bit” type folks, much of the symposium and many of the lessons learned will already be slipping into dem blurs. Most likely they will have just a couple really strong memories that they can dig into and practice. Maybe a couple new moves to learn, and a couple new thoughts about safety or gear. And that’s ok. It’s the way the human mind works. It holds on to the most important bits for us and sends all that other information off into oblivion. So what choice to you have but to catch another lesson or maybe another symposium. . . Door County Anyone? For my part, I always have the same suggestion. Just get out and paddle. Experience is always the best instructor.
Today’s top photo is a moment of Gail Green’s symposium experience. Ever wonder what happens when you bonk a kayaker on the head?? Stars? No way!! Leon Somme & Doug VanDoren of course! And yes, that is Gail’s symposium “doo” in the foreground. Now, I was certainly proud of Alex Pak when he got the opportunity to play “Monkey-See, Monkey-Do” with Doug in West Michigan, but Leon took it a step further at ISS by showing Doug that anything he could do with the traditional paddle, Mr. Leon could do with the Euro. (well, almost anyway. . ) Did I hear Doug say. . ., “It doesn’t matter what paddle you use. . ” Right On Doug!!! Personally I’m Bi. . . I paddle both ways!! You know, I also think I heard Doug say, “Rolling is NOT kayaking”. Could he really mean that? Is he suggesting we should paddle from one point to another as well? Wow! Where is this sport headed anyway!!
On a side note I think there are like 10,000 guys out there that want to know more about Leon’s wedding ring roll?? Hmmm, I hear he’s not married though, at least that’s what Shawna said. His response to Shawna. . , “How do you know?!”
I should have a really nice gallery from the symposium up in a couple days. I’m sure I have a few more little bits to write about it as well. (It’s dem blurs again) All to follow over the week. Friday I’m back at Rutabaga to teach an intro to kayaking class and then Saturday I do a presentation of all my silly kayak adventures at Mirror Lake State Park near Wisconsin Dells. Can you believe people will endure mosquitoes the size of turkey vultures just to hear me ramble on?? Well, when you bring the whole family camping you’ll do just about anything to get away from the tent for awhile. That reminds me, I’ve got to get out and un-pack the jeep. . .
Just like saturday afternoon
Published June 17, 2006 | 
Today’s picture is of Kelly Blades doing interesting things with his P&H Capella 163. Tomorrow is our last day on the water before heading home. I get to teach “paddling potpourri”. Which means, “whatever you want to do for a couple hours”. Fun, Fun.
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