Using edge control to drive a boof stroke on the first drop of the Upper Palguin.

You might be asking, why should I improve my edge control? The answer is simple : If you can’t control your boat, you are not going to be able to control where it goes.

Everything in kayaking comes back to the most basic skills, especially edge control. Edging your boat teaches you balance, and it makes you more comfortable with your boat. How you weight your edges determines how your boat turns and interacts with the water, whether it is a skill as fundamental as peeling out of
an eddy or attempting a McNasty.

One drill I really like to work on edge control in the flat water is practicing tilting your boat on edge while keeping neutral and centered. This is a great drill to try to do without having your paddle in the water. Keeping your paddle out of the water teaches you balance, and forces you to use your abdominal muscles.

This is what you are going to do. Keeping your body neutral, pull your right knee up, keeping your left edge in contact with the water.

To make yourself more stable, make sure that your body position isnice and forward over your cockpit. Look straight ahead, finding a point to focus on. Some coaches will have you look down towards the water, to emphasize the proper body position for this drill, and to clearly see how far you can maintain holding your edge out of the water.

Try and balance without placing your paddle blade in the water! If you need to brace, or start to lose your balance, decrease the amount of edge you are using.

Once you have this drill dialed on both sides, try rocking your boat once you have it balanced on edge. You don’t do this by thrusting your paddle back and forth in the water. Your body weight is responsible for the movement of your boat. Your paddle is only there to give you a little extra leverage.

Start trying this drill without using your paddle first. You want to hold your boat on edge, while throwing your body back and forward, first towards the stern and then towards the bow. It is easier to throw towards your stern first because your stern has less volume, and is easier to slice underwater. The momentum from throwing back will help slam your bow forwards and under. This will help to transition into working on the double pump.

Another  drill I like to do is when you are on edge, try paddling in a circle while maintaining the edge. If you have your right edge engaged, you are circling towards the left, and visa versa. This is a great drill to try in a pool, where you can easily pick visuals to guide your circle, starting and stopping in the same spot. I always have people start by trying to only paddle on the outside of the circle. This is because having your paddle on the outside of the circle helps guide your boat into the circle more easily.

Make sure you try these drills on both edges!

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

Using Torso Rotation to Pan Am on Nile Special

New River Academy is back in Chile to kick off our spring semester. We are excited to welcome Jackson Team member Stephen Wright to the team as our Head coach for our time in Chile. Our first day out, we took advantage of our location on the banks of the Trancura river to do a flat water workout. It was great to get everyone back on the water, and to start off the semester by re-emphasizing some of the foundational skills inherent to improving as a kayaker. The following day we had a team paddle on the upper Trancura, where we worked on increasing power in our forward strokes.

Both days, whether river running or playboating, one of the main points that we kept coming back to was the importance of torso rotation for kayaking, and how few paddlers use torso rotation properly. But what exactly is torso rotation? What can we do to improve upon it off the water?

Uppavista Navasana: Feet planted on the floor, belly button drawn up and in.

Lift your torso up out of your hip sockets, rotate to the right, leading from the belly button.

Lean back slightly as you open your arms. Focus on rotating from the belly button, opening your chest and shoulders.

Torso Rotation refers to the action of rotating your torso, or upper body area to gain power for paddle strokes and other motions. Through rotation, the large muscles in your core “wind up”, rather like a spring. When you unwind, these muscles release, allowing for a short burst of power.

This rotation and release is where majority of your power comes from for the kayaker. It  helps to load and power even the most basic forward and sweep strokes, and it is torso rotation that allows for the majority of freestyle kayaking moves- from the simple cartwheel or bowstall, to blunts and other more advanced moves.

One of the main reasons torso rotation is done improperly is that many kayakers rotate from the shoulder girdle, rather than from the lower part of the torso. This is a common mistake in many yoga poses as well. This means that even though your shoulders move from side to side, your ribcage, lower torso and the majority of your abdominal muscles remain still.

I find one of the best visuals for proper rotation is to imagine as though your belly button had a flashlight in it. To rotate properly, you want the beam of the flashlight to move. This means lifting the torso up out of the hip sockets, and leading the rotation from the navel.This twists the lower part of the core, leaving the shoulder girdle quiet and the spine in a single, straight line from hip to crown.

Upavista Navasana : Variation with rotation. 

One great exercise to build core strength and aid in proper rotation is this variation on upavista navasana- or upward boat pose. Core strength is essential for any kayaker- and any yogi! Having a strong core helps protect your spine, support your posture and power your paddling/poses

.

Start seated, knees bent up towards the sky, feet planted firmly on the ground in front of you. Crown of the head is lifted, belly button is drawn in towards the spine. Palms are together in prayer, in front of your heart, elbows out to the side.

Inhale, lift your torso up out of your hip sockets, exhale, rotate to the right, leading from the belly button. Inhale lift, and rotate back to center. Exhale, repeat to the opposite side.

For added variation, as you exhale and rotate, open your arms and lean back slightly. Inhale, hands return to prayer as you lift and rotate back to neutral.

For those who like an additional abdominal workout, try lifting your feet off the floor. This  balancing forces your core muscles to work harder to stabilize your torso as you rotate. I find it is easiest to start by lifting one leg at a time, finding your balance before you begin your rotation.

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

Boofing on the Autoboof on the Nevados: Try not to land too flat, and stay forwards!

Jake Greenbaum leads Alex Muck and Kincaid Wurl down the Entres section of the Claro. Waterfalls Abound!

It is waterfall season here in Chile! Pucon, like much of Chile is a mecca for clean waterfall runs,  with the Nevados and the Upper Palguin in close proximity. This equals a lot of fun for kayakers, but can result in a lot of stress on your spine.

I have been meaning to write this post for a while now. New River Academy spent our last week of school up at the Claro river, where we made the most of the three waterfall runs with in a few miles of river. Upstream of our campsite was the 22 Saltos run, (Salto being Spanish for waterfall). Just below the campsite was the Entre Saltos run, leading into Garganta canyon, and a short drive below that is the Siete Tazas, or 7 teacups. 7 clean lipped waterfalls ranging from 5-20 feet.  It is a truly amazing stretch of whitewater, and should be classed as a Chilean national treasure.

With the school, we shunned our regular morning workouts in favor of yoga, yoga, and more yoga, to help stretch out and relieve some of the pressure caused by the compression on landing. The Claro river is gorged in, which made it necessary to hike boats in and out, putting even more stress on our bodies. Carrying boats for long distances, whether you put it on your shoulder, or your head creates high amount of stress on muscles in your back, neck and shoulders.

On my recent trip south to the Cochamo region of Chile, some members of our group hiked their boats in 12 kilometers to run the Cochamo river. After our trip to the Cochamo, we moved south to the Negro, where one of our group suffered from a severe back spasm. It put him out for 6 hours or more- and made me even more motivated to maintain a daily yoga practice- even if only for 20 minutes. New Years Resolution for 2012: A happy spine!

Here is a short and sweet series I do to warm up and or cool down before paddling. It usually takes me around 20 minutes, and hits all six movements of the spine- Flexion, Extension, Lateral (Side to Side) and Rotation (Left and Right). Moving your spine in every direction will help keep it happy and healthy.

Happy Yoga and kayaking!

Short and Sweet Yoga series

Lay down on your back. Inhale, reaching your arms up over your head. Extend your arms and legs away from each other, lengthening in opposite directions. Inhale and extend. Exhale, lengthen your left foot away from you as you arc your arms slightly to the right.  Inhale, back to center, Exhale, repeat on the opposite side: lengthen your right foot towards the end of your mat, reach your arms up and over to the left, maintaining your hips and pelvis in contact with the mat.

Return your arms to your side. Inhale, Exhale as you draw your knees up to your chest. Reach your arms up around your legs, clasping your hands. Again, try to maintain as much contact as possible between your lowerback and the mat. I tend to spread my knees wide, so that they fall into the crook of my elbows. Rock gently back and forth, massaging your lowerback into the mat. Return to center, inhale, and as you exhale, gently press your knees further in to your chest. Imagine your lower back widening out onto the mat.

Inhale, exhale, drop both of your knees down to the right, coming into a gentle spinal twist. Allow your left arm to extend out to the left, and look back at the fingers on your left  hand. Your right hand can apply gentle pressure on the top of your knees. Take several breaths here before inhaling your knees back to center. Repeat on the opposite side.

Return your feet to the mat,  so that you are lying with a flat back, knees bent, feet firmly planted about hip width apart. From this position, we are going to play with a small little micro-movement of the spine to warm it up.  Inhale, and allow your lower back to arch up off the mat, pressing your hip bones towards your thighs. Exhale, and roll your pelvis back towards your shoulders, pressing your lower back flat on the mat. This is a really tricky motion! Give a fake cough, and notice what happens as your stomach contracts. Your hips and back should press firmly into the ground. I often have people place a few fingers in the hollow created by arching your lower back, and then attempt to flatten your fingers as you bring your hip flat. Repeat several times. If you like, you can press into a bridge from here. Bring your arms flat by your sides, inhale, exhale, press into your feet as you  lift your hips, driving your belly button to the sky.

Come to a seated position. (Sukhasana or cross-leg) Inhale, arms lift over your head, gaze looks up. Exhale, Chin and arms lower. Repeat 3-6 times.

Inhale, Arms lift. Exhale, allow your belly button to rotate over your right knee. Right arm drops down behind you, Left hand drops and resists against the outsides of your left leg. Gaze looks over your right shoulder. Hold for 2-4 breaths. Inhale back to center. Exhale repeat opposite on the opposite side.

Inhale, arms lift. Exhale, allow your hands to clasp together behind your head. Thumbs are pointed down your neck, fingers interlaced, elbows are bent. Imagine your elbows like a pair of wings. Inhale, allow your head to drop back into your hands, opening your throat and chest,  opening your wings as your elbows move further away from each other.  Exhale, tuck your chin to your chest, and allow your upper back to round, as you try and close your wings by touching your elbows together in front of your face. Repeat 4-6 times.

Come onto all fours in a table position. Start with a gentle cat/cow stretch. Inhale as your belly fills with air, and your belly drops  to the ground, as if it was a cow with heavy udders. As you exhale, draw your bellybutton up into your spine, and feel your spine arch like an angry cat. Start the motion from the base of your spine, tucking your tailbone under you as you arch, drop your chin to your chest, gaze looks back between your legs. Hold this pose, imagine your shoulderblades widening out away from eachother, sliding down each arm. Move back and forth between the two postures, inhale as your belly fills and drops, exhale as you draw your bellybutton to your spine and arch.

Return to a neutral table, Exhale, look over your right shoulder for your right hip, curving your spine into a c-shape. Inhale back to center, exhale repeat on the opposite side. I do 2-3 each side.

Allow your tailbone to drop back onto your heels, bringing your chest to your knees for childs pose. Relax here.

Press into your palms to return to all fours. Tuck your toes under, straighten your legs, leaving your arms on the ground infront of you as you come into a forward fold. Allow yourself to hang here. Head is down, back is relaxed, relax your jaw. You can grab opposite elbows, and allow your self to dangle. Shake your head yes, shake your head no, and slowly roll up, moving one vertebra at a time to come into a standing position.

Swing your arms gently from side to side as if you were were wearing a coat with empty sleeves. Smile, and have a great day !

For the Holidays, all of the members of our high school kayak team have dispersed to different locations around the globe to re-unite with, shall we say, our lovely genetic families, but I thought it would be appropriate to share some photos from our New River Academy Kayak Family Thanksgiving celebration and some other photos from the semester to wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Note: As shown in the pictures, New River Academy men bake, write and share poetry, and give speeches on “How To Be Chivalrous,” and New River Academy Ladies stomp such drops as “Garganta del Diablo” and style runs such as the Nevados.  We are all about balance, and being the best we can be by mixing it up and trying new things with the support and encouragement of each other.  We feel so lucky to have such opportunities every day.

Hunt Jennings and Kincaid Wurl learn to make cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving breakfast the next morning.

...Although naturals on the baking front, sometimes the boys instigate trouble/ fun in the kitchen... Waaayyyynnne!

Eric Bartl and Alex Muck communicate with each other to find perfect balance in team yoga.

Sara Jane Daub runs Garganta del Diablo or "Throat of the Devil." Fellow girls team member Hayley Stuart couldn't get enough and ran it twice.

Me and the ladies of New River (minus the absolutely wonderful Anna and Carla).

Galen Volkhausen, not afraid to be dressed by Sara Jane Daub. Forget your gear? Don't do it, but when you do, we've got each others backs!

Hayley Stuart and Wayne Poulsen make the new recycling center more colorful for Art class.

The Stomping Stouts with Authority Crew stomp with authority by day and give educational speeches on chivalry by night. (Note that the balloon under Kincaid's shirt is unrelated to the speech on chivalry... this was dress up for karaoke).

Before coming to work at New River Academy, I had a long history of traveling and kayaking, as well as a history of aggravating my ilio-tibial band. This is not always the best combination. To help combat the large amount of time I spend cramped in my kayak, I have turned to yoga. I have been around yoga for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until I started paddling daily that I really found its benefits on my body and my paddling.

Not only does yoga let me sit in my far more comfortably for longer intervals, but it has given a better sense of spatial awareness, and body control. I edge my boat better when I practice yoga regularly, I am calmer on the river, and generally just feel better in my boat.

Sitting in a kayak, at a computer, or in a car all day can be hard on our bodies,  and these activities, like anything we do, create habitual patterns in our movements. This means that we are constantly working to strengthen certain muscles, yet rarely use others. Think about how often you forward paddle in a kayak, and how rarely you take the time to work on back paddling. The problem is that this only works one set of muscles in a certain way. Take a look at most of the kayakers you see. Our shoulders round forwards, partly due to overdeveloped muscles in our backs, yet our chest and shoulder stabilizers stay weak.

Yoga can help reverse the effects of such repetitive motions, strengthening the muscles we do and don’t use daily to help prevent injury. When I teach yoga to the students at New River Academy, I try and focus on kayaking specific muscles: Strengthening what we don’t use, and stretching what we do. This means a lot of chest openers, trying to open the chest, putting it into the opposite position from when we paddle, core strengthening exercises, and a lot of hip stretches.

the Ilio-Tibial Band, connecting your hips and your knees

If you have ever sat in a kayak, I am sure that you were surprised by how much is going on beneath the surface of your spray skirt. Your legs are working hard to help stabilize and control your boat (Edging tip 101: Use your lower body, not your upper body!), not to mention that kayaks aren’t quite as comfortable to sit in as your lay-Z-boy chair.

When I’m not boating with the students, I am sitting in class, or at my computer writing for the blog, or traveling with the kids to our various locations. Long hours sitting in and out of my boat can wreak havoc on my IT bands and my hip flexors.  I get up out of my boat, and my legs are stiff and sore, and I find the outside of my knees to be tender or painful. Our latest activity of climbing the  volcano in Pucon certainly doesn’t help !

But what is your IT band? Your Ilio-Tibial Band (ITB) connects your hips, knees and ankles- starting on the Illiac crest, wrapping around to the head of your tibia  and down the front of your shin. One of the key points to understand about the ITB is that it is not a muscle; it is a band of tissue. Almost like a thick sheet of plastic. However, it is influenced by muscles that work with it, under it, against it and opposite it.

Two of the muscles involved with your IT Band. Weakness and imbalance in these muscles can aggravate your IT Band, and cause Knee pain.

The primary functions of the Iliotibial Band are to:

• Provide static stability to the outer part of the knee.

• Control adduction and rotation (inward motion) and deceleration of the quad

ITB syndrome can result from any activity that causes the leg to turn inward repeatedly, as well as weakness in your hip and core muscles. Sitting in a boat can put stress on your IT band, as well as lead to weak hip abductor muscles- a muscular imbalance that can contribute to ITB problems. What kind of problems? – hows about some knee pain!  ITB syndrome is one of the more common causes of knee pain in runners, and is a remnant I carry from a collegiate career in Track and Field.

Here is one of my favorite stretches that helps to keep me comfortable and healthy, whether I am in my boat or running alongside the river.

Called the FIGURE 4 stretch due to the shape you make with your legs when engaged in the stretch.

I like to do this one after some warm-up- either ending my practice with it, or after some easy spinal twists, or just getting off the water.

Figure 4 stretch.

Starting from a supine position, Bend your right knee so that your right foot is planted flat on the ground.

Draw your left knee into your chest. Bring the outside of your left ankle across your right knee.

Leaving back flat on the floor, reach hands through the gap in your legs to grab hold of your right thigh.

Draw leg up towards your chest, lifting foot off the floor.

Reverse Sides.

For additional stretch, try using the wall by placing your (right) foot against a wall or a friends leg to increase resistance.

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

Jake Greenbaum, reighning Palguin Race Champ, coaches New River students daily on stomping Rios Palguin and Nevado.

Sixteen year old Galen Volckhausen masters aerial balance on "Cali Slide."

As this semester’s head coach it’s been a pleasure to challenge the athletes on creek racing skills.  And there is no better place to do that than on Chile’s whitewater wonderland.  New River students have their work cut out for them with an eleven year winning tradition.  Why is that?  Well let’s name drop a few Huge Experiences extreme alumni:

• Isaac Levinson- reigning Green River Champ and top US Extreme Racer.
• Pat Keller- Past Green Champ and Freestyle Runnerup World Champ.
• Casey Eichfeld and Rick Powell- Olympians.
• Jake Greenbaum and Keegan Grady- winners of Palguin Races 2010 and 2009.
• Tino Specht- coach and videographer.

Pucon, Chile holds a magical energy as it lies between three volcanos in the heart of the lake-district.  Imagine geological perfection for creating clean waterfalls as rain and snow meander their way down the Andes and volcanic drainages to the Pacific.

New River Academy students have been staying at Pucon Kayak Hostel enjoying classes and kayaking under the Chilean sun.  This past week has been the semester climax with 80% of the student body paddling the famous Upper Rio Nevado and Upper Palguin daily afterschool.

It’s school history in the making with each student honing aerial balance skills on such a perfect stomping ground.

About Pucon’s Rio Nevado

Often called “the Nevados” the Rio Nevado has become Pucon’s favorite creek run.  The upper stretch is speckled with 6’ to 10’ boof after boof.  All having character, unique lines, zigs and zags, clean corners to launch, and soft pads to land within a canyon.  Add to this three clean twenty footers each with signature moves.

What class is the Rio Nevado?  While, many call it class V the drops break down into a series of class IV moves with a couple of class V portages.  Paddlers mistakenly label it as class V based on the canyon nature and few portages.  Note there is a trail to every rapid on the Upper so it’s not as remote as many assume.  Additional note-  300 meters of the Lower Nevado below Demshitz drop is a non-hikable access canyon of cascade beauty.

 The Cali Slide (You can park and huck)

Kincaid Wurl takes the speed bump for a little pop wheelie.

It’s a quick hike in and out to the Cali style slide.  Bring your camera for those once in a lifetime shots.  Taking a right line helps you slow your speed and avoid the aerial hump.  Better boaters enjoy riding the ramp for those once in a lifetime aerial shots.  Most folks will lap this slide to maximize the fun factor.

Wall Falls

This is a super cool twenty footer.  You’ll slide an 8 degree slope to a 20’ horizon staring at the giant wall.  Take a subtle righty boof stroke to turn you boat left and practice stomping a 30 degree pitch entry.

Double Drop

Go through the first three foot drop on right and then let’s see you “get there” on the bottom right side boof.  Air it out for style points.

Ecstasy aka Pitch 20

Hayley Stuart takes a pro stroke on a tough line to time at Ecstacy.

This cool twenty footer goes through a 3’ wide narrow gap and creates a super cool horizon.  Ride through the gap on a balanced right rudder and time a righty boof stroke.

Boof and Auto Boof

The next two are simple boofs.  The auto boof makes for a sweet photo.

Make the Ferry

At higher water the ferry below “Auto Boof” is tough real tough.  You can paddle under the cave rock and portage.  After the ferry boof right and slide right.

Boof Ten Footer

Not sure the name of this 10 footer.  At higher water air this big boy out for style.  Get up on the boof heading left as a low boof slides you off into a rock on your right.

Hero Move at low water.  Catch the left eddy above the boof, turn and boof the river right side.

Sara Jane Daub at Auto Boof.

Dulce Amor aka Sweet Love

Has to be one of the best 20 foot boofs on the planet.  The river converges into a 5’ wide channel sloping off the perfect 45 degree wall.  Charge that wall and get your boofsmear on.  This is as good as boofing gets.

Pyramid Rock below Dulce Amor

It’s a steep 6 footer.  Go on the right side of the pyramid and boof left.  You’ll have to reach low staying balanced to keep your bow up.

Rock Jumble

There’s a right line, there’s a left line and there’s a portage.  Better scout this one.

Sara gracing the ten foot boof. New River Girls Rock!

River Right Portage or Scout

There’s a tight little tough to make eddy.  With groups you should get a boat catcher.  New River walks this one as the slot walls are undercut.

Demshitz Drop and Takeout

Congratulations you just ran one of the cleanest waterfall runs in the world.  Takeout and do it again.  If you want more then scout the Demshitz 45 footer with solid entrance.

By David Hughes

Director New River Academy

Owner Pucon Kayak Hostel

It’s easy to Apply to New River Academy.

Eric Bartl timing his stomp at Sweet Love... world's best twenty foot boof.

So for all of you hoping to finally make that dream paddling trip to Chile, Costa Rica, or any of the other whitewater hotspots south of the equator, i have compiled a list of useful vocabulary and phrases useful to you.

Which way to the pool?

Simple Phrases:

Donde puedo rentar un auto?- Where can I rent a car? (this would be useful if NRA let students drive, which they don’t.) 

Donde esta ulna hostel buena?- Where is a good hostel? (Hostels are much cheaper then hotels and will usually include food) 

Cuanto Cuesta?- How much is it? (Bartering is expectable in most markets. So practice your technique and volume before hand.)

Donde esta la sailor de rio?- where is the take out?

Donde esta el rio?- Where is the river? (This sounds like a silly question, but getting lost is easier than you might think!)

Yo necesito un hospital!- I need a hospital! (better safe then sorry)

Getting to Know the Locals:

(With chilen girls it is all about confidence, for those of you who are not as prominent with the opposite sex chile is the perfect place for you. Good luck!) 

Puedo comparer de un repress?- Can I buy you a drink?

Que tu hacienda anoche?- What are you doing tonight?

Que es tu hombre de teléfono?- What is your phone number?

On the River: (Especially good to know when your guest is Chilean! Thanks Lorenzo and Pangal.) 

Vas isquierda- Go left

Vas derecha- Go right

Cascada- Waterfall

Rapido- Rapid

Nosotros necesitamos caminar alredador de rapido- We need to walk around this rapid. (Endeble is wimp)

Peligroso derecho- Danger ahead.

We set down in the Andes-surrounded Santiago airport after an overnight flight and immediately loaded all of our kayaks and gear onto a big bus to head to Cascada de las Animas, an eco-tourism resort on the mighty Maipo River that is only forty minutes outside of the city.

Cascadas de las Animas, or “Waterfall of the Spirits,” is our base for the first week and a half.  It is nestled in a narrow valley of beautiful, tall desert mountains, and includes magnificent camping, a gourmet restaurant, waterfalls to hike to, a zipline, horseback riding, and, most importantly, is the takeout to the upper section of the Maipo River and the put-in to the lower section of the Maipo River.

The lower section of the Maipo is a Class 2/ 3 run, perfect for practicing boofs, eddy turns, punching holes, and racing.  The same skills can be practiced for the more advanced boaters on the upper section, which is a Class 3 /4 stretch with one easily portaged Class 5 rapid, called Frenchman’s Curve.  Throughout the week, all of the New River Academy team improved immensely, and, after great assessment and a strong safety set-up, some ran Frenchman’s Curve!

After the Maipo, the team cruised to Pucon, the creeking capital of Chile.  With its Jurassic Park-like mountains, countless waterfalls, and majestic volcano, Pucon is one of the most well-known summer destinations for Chileans.  For kayakers, it is known for the insanely high concentration of rivers within its near radius.

New River Academy’s kayak school base is located on the Trancura River.  Similar to our location on the Maipo, our Pucon base is situated at the take-out to the more challenging Class 3/ 4 upper section of the Trancura and at the put-in of the Class 2/ 3 lower section of the Maipo.  While we have certainly been enjoying putting in and taking off of the river immediately out our back doors, the team has also enjoyed runs on the Palguin (a perfect intermediate waterfall run) and the Nevados (a more challenging steep creek run).

In addition to kayaking, the team has enjoyed Chilean-led dance morning workouts, natural mountain hot springs, delicious Chilean meals (so much fresh bread!) at communal tables in front of warm fires, and classes that often incorporate the daily experiences of our surroundings.  We are all taken with the culture, the beauty, and the boating of Chile and we can’t wait for the next four weeks!

My two bags and backpack that contains all my stuff for 2 months!

Have you ever been unsure on what to bring with you to a foreign country, let alone had to think about all the things you would need to bring do a sport there? I’m sure if you have travelled for any sort of outing longer than a one week vacation on the beach this stress has been a reality for you. It is definitely hard to pack for such an outing, especially when you are going for two months!

For me, it was especially hard to pack in two bags and a backpack because I am such an organized person. Just shoving all my stuff in a dry bag simply would not do for me. To create a sense of organization in my stuff I used many small mesh bags and plastic bags to keep different types of things together like clothes and towels. In order to not forget anything (except my sunnies) I made a list of everything I had packed and I had yet to pack. This made my packing very successful because I got everything on my list, except my sunglasses because that is the one thing I forgot to put on my list.

Me demonstrating my organized packing methods. The use of smaller bags makes everything much more orderly and less stressful when trying to find things.

As for the list that we are given at the beginning of the semester, it is somewhat unrealistic, especially for me being a girl. I found that I packed more than the alloted amount of clothing and I am definitely wearing all of it. My best advice for packing clothes would be to make a list of the exact clothes that you want to bring with you and don’t let yourself go over that. Don’t forget there will be shopping wherever you are going to and you will be sure to want to buy stuff there.

When traveling with your sports gear, in my case a kayak, be sure that all your gear is organized and contained so none of it gets lost or broken. Tape your paddles to your boat lengthwise so they are less likely to get broken. Don’t forget to say it’s a surf ski at the airport, you might get it on the plane for free!

If you have travelled before, you probably have something special that you need to bring with you everywhere. For me, this is my pillow and a real towel. With these two things I am set to go anywhere. If you have a personal item like this, don’t forget to pack it. It will make you a lot more comfortable. Overall, packing for a long trip requires a lot of planning and lists. Start now so you don’t forget anything!

There are many different ways that you can be taught how to flatwater loop. I find it easiest to think about learning the flatwater loop in 4 main steps. The double-pump to bowstall, the bounce, the throw, and the loop stroke.

The first step is to learn the double pump. The double pump is a two stroke step where you take a forward stroke and then a back stroke while on edge. This will eventually lead to a bow stall.

After you have mastered the bow-stall, you must practice “bouncing”.  I always compare bouncing compare to a buoy or a “bobber” out in the ocean. It is always moving up and down, rather than staying still. This also helps when you are learning your bow-stall because if you keep a little bit of a bounce going it is much easier to balance and stay in your stall.

The bounce

Next, you must figure out how to get your boat aerial.  This is one of the hardest parts of learning the flatwater loop because you must learn to time your bounce to get the most air when you throw. The easiest way to learn how to time this is to count out your bounce. I like to go on the third bounce, so I would count “bounce, bounce, throw.”

Initiate the throw using your paddle, which should be in the water in front of you, helping to stabilize your bow-stall. Remember to keep your paddle well out in front of your boat. I like to have mine at least a foot away from my cockpit. This helps me maintain my balance more effectively. It helps if you think about your boat and body being like the legs on a tripod for a camera: The further apart the tripod legs are, the more stable the tripod is, and the less likely your camera is to fall.

As you initiate the throw, you want to pull the water towards you, release your paddle, bringing it up over your head, and then throw your paddle towards your toes bringing your body in contact with your front deck.

The throw

The biggest mistake that people make with the “throw” is that they start to throw too late.  What happens if you throw to late is that you can’t get your paddle out of the water, and you fall on your face. This is because as you start your bounce, people feel themselves rising up from the water and go to throw, but leave their paddle in the water too long. This actually forces the boat/bounce back down into the water, and does not let your boat release, which is why you fall on your head.

To avoid this mistake, you want to start the throw by pulling the water towards you. Start your bounce by pulling your paddle up, not by pushing down, so that you are in position to throw as your boat is RISING.

The last step of the flatwater loop is that you need to finish your throw. As you go forward, you have to go back. Throwing towards your toes only brings your boat halfway around. You need to pull on the water to finish the rotation of the loop, allowing your boat to land upright.

The loop stroke

To pull on the water, take a full on back stroke using both paddle blades. This is also called a “loop stroke”.  After throwing your paddle towards your toes, bring your paddle back towards your stern. Your body should move from having your chest in contact with your front deck, to having your back and your head touching the stern of your boat.

Land on your back deck

When you are beginning and learning how to loop, I never have people bring both blades back over your head, because it is an unfamiliar motion. I like to have beginners come up with one paddle blade, because it mimics the motion of a roll.  This, however, twists your boat. You will land your loop, but you will rotate and twist slightly sideways, causing you to “shank” your landing.

Once you get comfortable pulling on one blade, try the full loop stroke. Try to hold the loop stroke as long as possible to force your loop around. Often when people land their loops, you will still see their body all the way back on the stern. It can be good to practice finishing your loop in this position to really emphasize the loop stroke.  This also helps keep your boat straight on the landing.

Sometimes, you will be all the way back on your stern, looking at your bow up in the air. To force your bow back down and finish the loop without twisting, you may need to crunch or throw your body forwards, “sitting up.”

WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH AN OVERTHRUSTER?

If you have an overthruster, you may find it harder to hold the bowstall, but it will make your flatwater loops much more aerial, because it gives you more volume in the front of your boat, allowing for more “pop.”