In Australia, Greenland rolling or even just
paddling with a stick is fairly new. There are certainly pioneers out there who
have been doing their own thing for quite some time, but interest has been slow
to grow. Instead of the open, sharing sense of community that we encountered
overseas, we have scattered individuals or small groups practicing in relative
isolation, with little or no contact with other enthusiasts and a somewhat
dismissive attitude from other kayakers. My goals began to change, instead of
just pursuing my own interest, I wanted to share the warm, friendly atmosphere
we had encountered overseas, and see the growth of Greenland paddling in
Australia in a positive way. There is of course the option to just sit back and
complain about the attitudes of others, but complaining never changes anything.
If I want things to change, I have to be willing to take action myself, and so
I found myself facing some new and unexpected challenges.
I have always been a very private person, with a
dislike of being in the public eye and a hatred of photos and videos of myself.
With camera shyness and nervousness to combat, it has been an interesting
journey J.
When we were approached by Mark Sundin of
Expedition Kayaks with the idea of having a free Greenland rolling day, I
thought it was a great idea and was more than willing to be involved. With
Cheri Perry and Turner Wilson of Kayak Ways coming to Australia shortly, he
thought it would be a good way to generate some interest and get more people to
take advantage of the rare opportunity to train with some of the world’s best
teachers. With Expedition Kayaks and Greenland Downunder teaming up for the
event, we would be able to present a variety of techniques, share our own experiences
of Greenland kayaking events, and hopefully see everyone have a lot of fun. It
would seem our video clips, blogs, and incessant talking about Greenland
rolling have caught people’s attention and I was very surprised when Mark told
us a week or so before the event that some people were signing up just to come
and see me, I was definitely feeling a bit nervous as the day approached.
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| Gathering on the beach |
With a three hour drive to Sydney, we were off to
an early start, loading boat and gear in the rain hoping the weather would
improve as we drove north. It rained almost all the way, giving us some cause
for concern, but it eased off as we neared our destination. We arrived to find
a crowd already waiting on the beach, with more still coming. As we waited for
the final arrivals, I spent some time chatting with a few people, surprised to
find that there were some attending from as far away as Newcastle, with two
people travelling all that way just to watch. It reminded me of the reasons why
I travelled all the way to Canada, there are so few opportunities to even see
Greenland rolling here. It was very humbling to know people had travelled so
far just to see our little event.
With a few concerns about the weather and
unfortunately, water quality (something we never suffer in Jervis Bay), we
braved the conditions with 20 people in the water for three hours of rolling
and fun. We began with a quick chat and an introduction from Rob Mercer, then
it was into the water for a demonstration.
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| A great group of people |
After injuring my back a month ago, I have not
been able to practice as much as I would like. Feeling a little nervous, I
plunged ahead with my demo, wanting to give everyone a good understanding of
the basics as well as being able to show some of the more advanced rolls. While
a few of the rolls felt a little stiffer than usual, all went well until I got
to the elbow roll, one I have had a lot of fun with and have been very
confident with, but this time just wasn’t going to happen. It is impossible to
not feel disappointed when things don’t go to plan, but none of us are perfect,
and I certainly don’t claim to be an expert yet. Having a roll fail before an
audience is embarrassing, but I have seen some of the top names in Greenland
rolling blow a roll and shrug it off, these things happen, mistakes keep us
humble.
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| Rob and Mark helping with Balance Braces |
After the demo and a couple of quick drills we hit
the water, with Mark and Rob taking a group through balance braces and lay back
rolls while Wayne and I took the remainder who were interested in forward
finishes or working on specific rolls. With so many people working at different
levels and with different goals, it was an interesting challenge to try and
make sure everyone was getting something they wanted. I found myself
alternating between standing in the water assisting people through their rolls
and jumping in my boat to give quick demonstrations and explanations of details.
It was great to see everyone having fun, trying out new rolls and running
through their own repertoires. The last part of the session we spent helping
with an assortment of rolls, from balance braces, to hand rolls and a variety
in between. As everyone started to feel the cold, and with some feeling a
little fatigued after repeated rolling, the crowd began to thin as people
headed off to get dry and warm with the last few eager people taking those last
few minutes to spend just a little more time on a few final rolls. Once out of
the water, I spent a little time talking to people, happy to answer their
questions about our experiences overseas, finding myself one of the last people
off the beach. We quickly loaded the boat and gear as the rain made a re-appearance,
then we joined everyone in the sailing club for some warm food and good company.
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| Rolling, rolling, rolling...... |
Thanks go to Rob Mercer and Mark Sundin of
Expedition Kayaks, and to all who attended for a fun day. Good luck to everyone
in their progress with their rolls, I am eagerly awaiting Cheri and Turner’s
visit and look forward to taking advantage of their expertise, I strongly
recommend everyone take this opportunity – they are amazing teachers and great
people. Happy Rolling J
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| Cheri Perry, Maligiaq Padilla, myself, and Turner Wilson at Ontario Greenland Camp 2011 |
