Greenwich pool sessions are winding down - next week's the last one. Now some of us, in a collective moment of temporary insanity, have volunteered to help out with the rolling demo at the Long Island Paddlesports Symposium. What's so insane about that? Well, nothing much except that this year's venue doesn't have a pool. Please please please please please no cold snaps this week...
Anyways - Last week's session was incredibly crowded - this week's was the polar opposite! Just a few quick shots from today's -
(echo effect)
HELLOOOO!ello! ello! ello!
Where is everybody!uddy! uddy! uddy!
Pete averaged it out - said the average number of people in the pool at any given time was 5. Made for a pretty intensive session, both because there were fewer people to schmooze with and/or apologize to when you ran them over and because it's just easier to practice with more room. A lot of the regulars were missed but this did make for perfect conditions to spread out & work hard.
John had a fun new toy...introducing Helmet-Cam! Equally usable as Bow-Cam and In-Hand-Cam. We may see some footage from that one of these days. I proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am never going to be the US's answer to Justine C - there was something about having a camera parked on my bow pointed at me & recording that kind of spooked me - I was blowing some pretty simple rolls! Yes, I'm a touch camera-shy.
He finally had pity & took the camera away but my gosh has he got some blackmail material.
Redeemed myself through the rest of the session - storm rolls were working mostly, hand rolls both sides, a good dizzying series of "conveyer belt rolls" and lots of swimming to paddles & other breath-holding silliness.
And oh, yes, I did roll Jean T's Feathercraft. As some may recall, last week I'd tried to roll this & failed completely. I mean I couldn't get the thing to give so much as a twitch in the right directions - the sponsons (inflatable tubes that run the length of Feathercraft gunwales & provide stability & tension for the skin) Just Said No. This week, Jean let me give it another shot, this time with sponsons deflated. Much Much Better!
Finished off the session with a little pure horsing around. Next lap I was up on my knees doing a Rolls-Royce hood ornament impression. Wasn't going to try standing up - I am no airy sylph & I was concerned about bending the aluminum rods that form the frame, but for those for whom the simple business of standing up in their own boat has lost all novelty & is becoming humdrum - perhaps trying that (with a tolerant friend with a hardshell) would provide some new amusement!
Been a fun season in Greenwich. A warm (if soggy) thank-you to theAppalachian Mountain Club's CT Flatwater Committee (especially Jean T!) for hosting these!
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