“Hey, are those blueberries?” “Shut up and run.”
IN CANOE RACING, GUILE AND GUTS TRIUMPH OVER SPEED AND STRENGTH
TACTICAL ATTACK
44 n C ANOE ROOT S early summer 2007
HALFWAY THROUGH A MONTH-LONG, 1,300-KILOMETRE CANOE RACE from Chicago to New York, I was locked in a grim struggle with a father and son team I had dubbed the Fighting Fitzgeralds. Fitzy Senior had gone to the Olym- pic trials in sprint kayaking but his bullish 20-year-old son in the bow didn’t believe father always knew best. Deep into a gruelling stage on the Erie Canal, we eyed our final portage and the pace quickened. Junior wanted to hammer ahead and take out first. Pops told him they would chill on my wash and pass me on terra firma. While they bickered over what to do, I hustled out and start- ed running. I glanced over my shoulder to see Senior whack Junior upside the head with his carbon fibre bent-shaft. That was 14 years ago, my first year as a marathon paddler. The Fitzgerald’s deliberations were my introduction to tactical thinking. Non-racers often figure the fittest, fastest teams finish first. Not so. The sport is so tactical, the strategy so subtle, that guts and guile often triumph over speed and strength.
Here are the key elements governing canoe racing’s tactical manoeuvres.
LINING UP: With amped, anxious paddlers going berserk off the line, you’re guaranteed large, confused waves. In races that begin against the current or into the wind, cagey squads jockey for position along the bank. Peter Heed, co-author of Canoe Racing: The Competitor’s Guide to Marathon and Downriver Canoe Racing says your position will depend on your strengths and weaknesses. “If you don’t have good acceleration or are unstable in big waves, don’t put yourself in the centre of the storm. If you have good speed and boat handling skills, line up near the fastest boat in the field.” That way, you can latch onto the wave of the speedier boat and be guaranteed a great start.
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