PADDLER
If you name-drop rivers or people to make yourself look competent , it tends to backfire once you are on the water and your paddling doesn ’ t quite match the picture you have already painted with your words .
Frankly , if someone introduces themselves as a ‘ class 5 kayaker ,’ I struggle to keep a straight face . Anyone competent in class 5 and regularly paddles that level of river probably wouldn ’ t describe themselves that way . They have enough skill and experience to know that every river day is different , and there will be days when they walk away from the ’ class 5 river ’ that they happily ran the day before .
I say this with experience . After a year of paddling , I ran my first ‘ class 5 river ’. It was dog-low and resulted in a black eye for me . At the time , I boasted to friends that I had run a class 5 river . I now look back with embarrassment . I was not , and probably never will be a class 5 boater . Instead , I was a class 2 / 3 boater with a decent roll , a lot of balls and minimal experience . I am lucky that my black eye wasn ’ t lost , and I regret ever feeling pride for that ‘ achievement ’. So yeah , don ’ t boast !
4 . BE FRIENDLY , NOT GRUMPY !
This one goes well with leaving your ego at home . Being nice to people goes a long way . People will want to paddle with you if you are pleasant to be around and bring positivity and fun .
Nobody cares how good you are at kayaking if you are not pleasant . Making conversation with people and listening to what others have to say are all things you can do to be nice . And most importantly , don ’ t get grumpy over silly things !
People have gone paddling because they want to have fun . If you have a silly swim , nobody cares . If you then sulk for the rest of the day and put a downer on everybody else ’ s mood , then yeah , people will care ! And you can bet next time the rain comes , you won ’ t be getting an invite . If you have a silly swim , smile , be humble , and thank whoever collected your gear . Then move on !
Equally , if someone else swims or seems to be having a bad day , just be kind . You never know what demons others are facing ; sometimes , that kind word can make all the difference .
Capturing other people ’ s successes . Photo : David Turnbull
PADDLER
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