Posts Tagged ‘aca’

Imagine the coach saying, “In order to achieve the ISKA L5 level you will have to be able to disassemble and reassemble your Lendal 4 peice paddle in under 4.6 seconds”.  Sorry, that was just the first thing that went through my head when I thought of Nigel Dennis announcing a new international sea kayaking certification program.  Yup.  You did read that correctly.  I’ll leave it to other more investigative bloggers to ferret out the details.  For my part I want to begin ghost writing a draft of the new ISKA Coaches handbook…   “While other kayaks may be used, it is well under stood that Sea Kayaking UK kayaks are safer, faster, and better built than all other kayaks…”  There will be a test!..  Oh, and investigative types may want to start here.

Hang on, help is on its way,
I'll be there as fast as I can,
"Hang on", a tiny voice did say,
From somewhere deep inside the inner man.
- the little river band

So here it is direct from the American Canoe Association to you: “The following proposals were submitted, have been approved and all associated documentation on the website has been updated. . .” (Get ready for it….) “Removal of the Paddle-float Rescue from the Level 1: Introduction to Kayaking Instructor Criteria. This change was requested and approved due to the fact the Level 1: Introduction to Kayaking course is conducted in close proximity to shore where more basic rescue self-rescue techniques can be utilized and the type of paddlecraft that can be used in a Level 1: Introduction to Kayaking / QuickStart or SmartStart Kayaking courses may not be suitable for teaching this rescue.”  Comments?

It was nice to see Justine again. On Tuesday she flew over from Manchester to Chicago, then hopped in a rental car and drove straight up to Wausau for the Open Boat Nationals that begin tomorrow. On the way she stopped in at the house for a quick chat.  My hope is that we’ll get a chance for another quick chat when I get over to the UK in September.  It’s a very weird thing how we make friends at such distances, stay in touch by email, blog and twitter and then only stand in the same room once or twice a year.  Speaking of distant friends, I’m twisting one distant friends arm to come and paddle a bit of the west coast of Scotland with me. Lord knows he’s done it enough.. Someone’s got to keep the silly mid-westerner safe in those tides!

Dawn Paddling on Lake Michigan

Well, we’re back for 2 days before we’re on our way back north to the Inland Sea Symposium on the coast of Lake Superior. We pealed a layer of sand of the gear and the Jeep last evening. Not that it will matter much since I have a couple folks meeting me this morning for private lessons on Devil’s Lake. Kayak Week at Point Beach along Lake Michigan was great. A bit quiet and happily un-official. Enjoy it while it lasts.

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I’d be remiss in my duties if I didn’t tell share with you that the ACA (American Canoe Association) has just released their latest website.  They ask instructors to pay special attention to the “Learn to Paddle” and the “For Instructors” sections.  In a quick once-over I can see the ACA (and their developers) did much better job of organizing their content this time around.  Hey, they even have a blog!

Now if YOU have a website of your own I’d suggest you start reading up on the Iframe attack. . .

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Buildings and bridges are made to bend in the wind,
to withstand the world that’s what it takes –
All that steel and stone is no match for the air,
my friend, what doesn’t bend breaks
– |Ani Difranco

A great way to capsize your boat in waves is to stiffen up in fear. With experience you do that less often, but I can tell you personally that on occasion something will strike my brain funny and I will feel myself stiffen right up. Sometimes it’s the sound of the wind rolling through poplar trees on a distant shoreline, or when I suddenly notice my balance shift as I’m reaching over the deck to fiddle with gear. Then from out of nowhere that little tightening shows up, followed often by an uncontrolled hip wiggle that sends a signal to your conscience brain to remind you that “balance” IS part of sea kayaking. You often forget about that. Just like riding a bicycle, one you learn you rarely if ever think about balance again.

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