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If my paddling buddies— surgeons and lawyers—did their jobs like they run a shuttle there’d be hundreds of people with keys sewn inside and guys standing up in courtrooms in their boxers. Is there a magic formula so we can get home
in time? Andrew, email
The shuttle is often overlooked until it’s too late. If done poorly it can bite you in the ass, leaving you with more time in the car and less on the river. Try this. First, always hide the keys near or on the vehi-
cle. By leaving the keys with the vehicle you don’t have to worry about leaving them in the other ve- hicles or losing them on the river. Second, tell someone in your group where you
hid the keys. If you’re the guy who needs medical attention and are unresponsive, spending 25 min- utes wasted looking for the keys in the McPherson Strut can be a terminal problem. Third, leave warm clothes in the take-out vehi-
cle. Sitting around in wet gear can be uncomfort- able and sometimes quite dangerous. Unless it doesn’t make logistical sense, drive
to the take-out first. There, load all boats onto the put-in vehicle and get everyone inside or onboard somehow, bringing only what they need for the trip to the put-in. Going to the take-out first forces everyone to think efficiently, choose their gear and avoids lolly-gagging at the put-in when you’re itching to get on the water. Environmentally speak- ing, there are typically fewer trips this way.
I was paddling with a group using hand paddles and had my first chance to try them. They looked just fine but despite a few helpful sugges- tions, I found it all very frustrat-
ing. What’s the secret to this? Carly Jacobs, Email
Honestly, I respect hand paddlers. Yes, I can hand roll (last time I tried anyway), but it still seems kind of insane. Due to my inexperience, here’s hand paddler extraordinaire Keith Sprinkle, winner of the 2006 Narrows of the Green River Race in the hand-paddling division. “The first thing is to practice your roll. Rolling
with hand paddles is easier for most people and practice will give you the confidence to lean way over to accomplish a move. Expect a period of adjustment to build the need-
ed muscles for hand paddling. Stick with it and your shoulders, triceps, deltoids, abs and obliques will get stronger. One way to get more power is to take long strokes—most newbie hand paddlers lily dip. Reach as far forward as possible, turning at the torso to get your whole body involved. Start with a forward pull, transition to a downward push to lighten the boat on the water, and end with a rudder to hold your angle. Your wrist should be straight out to start, then bent back in the middle of the stroke and swept around at the end as if you were swatting the back of your boat. Even after developing better technique and
stronger hand-paddling muscles, it is not possible to get as much power as with a stick. You can compensate by taking more strokes and anticipat- ing when more power is needed. You may start a move earlier or go harder than you would if you were using a stick.
Send Ben Aylsworth your questions at
ben@rapidmedia.com
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