For the last 9 years an informal group has met at St. Philips for kayak practice or just for an evening paddle. We meet from early April to early October. In 2017 the sessions were poorly attended and I wondered at the end of the season whether there was any point in continuing with the venture in 2018.
My attitude is that if there's even one paddler who benefits from these sessions during the year then it is worthwhile. June 14th was one of those evenings poorly attended but it was probably the best session for the season. It was only Shane and myself. It was blowing out of the north which piled the water up in substantial but broad open waves.
Shane and I paddled into the wind for a while and turned to catch surf rides back.
After doing that for a while we decided to paddle north up the shore for a bit. We both stayed close to shore where the water went vertical when it hit the cliffs and then rushed away from shore again to form clapotis.
It was a wild ride up to Beachy Cove where we decided to return, this time with the waves behind us powering our way back.
It was only a short evening bounce but a great example of what Wednesday evenings are all about. In this case Shane is the perfect example. He has grown exponentially in skill since he joined us a couple of years ago. This was one Wednesday evening but, collectively, Wednesday evening paddles offer beginners such an opportunity to advance their skills and that's why I'm making this my #10 paddle for the year.
Our whitewater club has the same issue with sometimes spotty attendance for our weekly summer "Fun Run" nights. While some people seem to be hung up on attendance as the measure of success, I'm more inclined to look at what the group did, what skills were sharpened or learned, whose mental game was upped and how much fun was had. Thanks for the post and have a Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point! I've probably gotten too fixated on the numbers versus the people, even if its only one, that benefited from the sessions.
DeleteHappy New Year to you also!