| |
My dad and I were talking recently about the Hi-N-Dry’s reception as a new piece of gear for the sport of kayaking. He theorizes that many expert kayakers will not like this device because it gives beginners an edge that they never had when learning to roll and river run which they might see as unfair. They had to work for years to learn and struggled tremendously with failed rolls and wet exits, bruises and head bashings from rough swims, etc. Now beginners with some new fandangled device get to run rivers like a piece of cake their first year!? Another observation he made was that expert kayakers have great pride in their abilities and large egos built up. They want everyone to admire their skills on rivers and stand in awe because the less experienced kayakers are full of fear and struggling to get the hang of things with constant wet exits and swims. The experts probably enjoy watching the carnage and the wide eyes of the terrified swimmers. This device would eliminate that pleasure of watching people take swims in terror! People are often resistant to change and several experts who have loved the sport of kayaking their whole lives don't like to see a device that could impact their sport for change.
Having said the above, there are good lessons to learn from some of the concerns experts have and will state. Beginners should NOT see themselves as being on par with experts just because they have a Hi-N-Dry and don't wet exit! The experts have a wealth of knowledge on safety, technique, procedure, and anything else that can possibly relate to kayaking. They should be listened to and respected. Experts should be learned from and their knowledge passed on. Intermediate paddlers with okay rolls and strong paddling skills can potentially use a Hi-N-Dry to solidify their two weaknesses: rolling consistency and confidence. I would fall into this category. I think this group needs to be especially careful not to let their egos cloud their judgment and get overconfident by not swimming. This group should be cautious and conservative concerning river selection and still try to learn as much as possible from the experts despite feeling like they can go where the experts go and hang with them.
|
| Updated May 21, 2012 |  | | | |
| | |
