| May 2002 |
| Volume 4, Issue 1 |
| THE |
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RAP |
| Inside this Issue: | Summer Outlook | ||||||
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Video Review The Kayak Roll |
2 |
Our season is in full swing and we are excited about all the great events coming up. May 18-19 should be a fun weekend here. See inside for info about our consignment sale, River Cleanup, and the book signing and slide presentation by the author of River Chasers, Sue Taft.
Inside is a review of Kent Ford?s latest video, The Kayak |
Roll. We are very excited to have Kevin Varette and Ken Whiting returning this year to teach a couple of Advanced Freestyle Clinics. See page 2 for more info.
On the back page you will find the 2002 Deerfield River Release Schedule along with a reassuring note from Bruce Lessels about the water outlook on the Deerfield for the summer. |
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Paddle with the Pros: Advanced Freestyle Clinics |
2 | ||||||
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Consignment Sale May 18-19, 2002 |
3 | ||||||
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The River Chasers Book Signing & Slide Presentation May 18, 2002 |
3 | ||||||
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National River Cleanup Week May 18, 2002 |
3 | ||||||
| Demo Days | 3 | ||||||
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2002 Deerfield, West and Millers Release Dates |
4 | ||||||
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The Water Situation |
4 | ||||||
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The Outfitters Shop |
from The Outfitters Shop | ||
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April 1 - October 15 Tuesday - Friday Saturday - Sunday (closed Mondays) |
9am - 5pm 8am - 6pm |
Spring is finally here! The extremely warm temperatures recently accompanied
by local rains increased the spring runoff which accounted for some unscheduled
releases on the Dryway, high water runs on Fife Brook and local creeks running.
That really sparked peoples? interest in boating around here. Have you made it
out on the water this season? When in the vicinity of The Outfitters Shop stop
in and check out the new boats and gear. Speaking of boats and gear, have you
been accumulating extra gear? Check out our Consignment Sale on May 18 & 19.
Also on May 18 Susan L. Taft, author of The River Chasers will be signing books
along with sharing her adventures in researching and writing her book. She has
done a fantastic job of providing the reader with the history of American whitewater
paddling. Refreshments provided, please join us!
Please mark your calendar now for our first demo day of the season, on |
the Dryway, June 8. Our meeting spot
will be Dunbar Brook Picnic Area @10AM. This is an opportunity to check out
the new designs and to speak with the manufactures representatives. Call in
advance to make a reservation.
We have made a few changes in The Outfitters Shop this winter. The videos along with the TV/VCR have been moved to the other side of the shop. We have also expanded our selection of retail and rental videos. Please check it out! We also added an office for the Retail Manager. Speaking of Retail Manager, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself, I am Greg Poehlein, and I came aboard last August. I have had the opportunity to meet quite a few of you over the last few months and am looking forward to meeting more of you. Please stop in and introduce yourself.
Greg Poehlein |
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October 16 - February 28 Tuesday - Sunday |
10am - 4pm | ||
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March 1 - March 31 Tuesday - Sunday |
9am - 5pm | ||
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Kent Ford has released a new kayak rolling video, called, not surprisingly,
"The Kayak Roll." In it he examines many different styles of rolling
and draws the best parts from each to present a modified sweep roll that he has
determined to be the best roll for the largest variety of boat and body types.
The video is broken down into six parts: the rolling knee, the set up, the finish
position, the sweep, next steps and diagnostics/teaching. This new sweep roll
emphasizes a fluid, effortless, and protected roll. Read on for a breakdown of
the video and some helpful suggestions for your own roll.
The video first looks at the rolling knee. This is where the energy for your roll comes from. The video makes you look at your torso to generate power into your hip snap. Sweeping your torso around helps the hips do their part to put energy into the roll. The big no-no here is don't use both knees. This sometimes happens when the head comes up too early. It may also happen when it looks as if the boat is losing momentum. When you practice on a pool deck or on a friend's bow, imagine having eggs under your finger tips. For the set up, avoid flipping over with your body tucked forward as in a wet exit. This can be disorienting. Stay forward but lean over the edge with your chest above your thigh. You want to get your body as close to the surface as you can. Push high up along the side of your boat with your hands. The finish position is different from most finished positions. To really see it you'll have to get the video; it's worth it. However, to describe it, you finish with your torso slightly past perpendicular. Your head is looking down the paddle shaft to your paddle. Your top hand will be tucked in to your shoulder, wrist back, with your |
elbow pushed forward. The last step is to re-center your paddle back over the boat.
Doing this helps you stay balanced. If it sounds difficult just try to act it out.
Now you just looked silly! :)>
The sweep should be as simple as it sounds. Just go ahead and sweep your paddle to that finished position. It will take some practice. Don't force your sweep. It should be smooth and effortless. Try to use the whole body and not just your arms. Don't have a rising angle on your blade. What!!! That's right, a rising angle creates pressure on your paddle causing you to use your paddle to force the roll. The rising angle may also cause the paddle to drop straight down. Instead, keep your blade angle flat so it will slice effortlessly through the water. Use a light grip to avoid making your whole body tense. At the end of the sweep you want to dump the pressure off your paddle by rolling your wrists back. The next steps and diagnostic parts hold many more clues to perfecting your roll. I don't want to give all the secrets away. In this section you will also find comparisons to other rolls, and why this roll is cutting edge. "The Kayak Roll" is very well presented with great underwater footage and computer animation. They have shown their roll very clearly from the beginning to the final stage. It will keep your attention and give you some new tools to play around with the next time you're upside down. I hope I have sparked your interest to learn more about this cool new roll. |
Are you having trouble getting that third end?
Kevin Varette and Ken Whiting would love to help you
progress in your freestyle boating skills.
Cost: [outdated course info removed] |
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On Saturday, May 18th author Sue Taft will be at Zoar Outdoor to sign copies of her recent book "The River Chasers - A History of American Whitewater Paddling," published by Alpen Books in 2001. Sue will be available at Zoar's Outfitters Shop in Charlemont from 8:30 - 11 am and again from 3:30 - 5:30 pm. She will also be sharing a slide presentation at 6pm that outlines her research for the book.
Introduced to paddling at the age of eight, Sue has been enamored with whitewater paddling all her life. Her interest in the history of the sport led to the publication of her book. While spending a summer hiking and paddling across the country Sue realized how much the sport of whitewater paddling had changed over the last 25 years. "I also realized that many of the people I now paddle with have no idea how the sport evolved to the present point", remarked Taft. The sport has been influenced by the pioneers of the 40's, 50's and 60's, the |
materials that boats are constructed of, and the ability to run more technical rivers and by the proliferation of gear available commercially.
Sue has written a thorough history of the sport starting in the 1920s with paddlers from AMC in New England exploring rivers in canvas canoes, tracing its progression through the post WWII era using aluminum and fiberglass boat construction methods, following the infrastructure of national paddling clubs and organizations, to modern day plastic boat construction, Olympic competitions and Rodeos. While she is professionally a chemist and scientist, she lives to paddle. She can be spotted on her favorite rivers in Maryland, Ohio, Canada, and Idaho. For more information contact Zoar Outdoor at 800-532-7483. Copies of her book "The River Chasers" are available for $34.95 in the Outfitters Shop at Zoar Outdoor. |
Have you been eyeing that new boat or dry top, but need to sell your old one first? Do you wish you could turn that extra gear that has been accumulating in the basement into cash? Zoar Outdoor will be hosting a consignment sale on May 18 & 19, 2002. Just drop the gear off on Saturday morning with a price range you will accept and we will try and sell it for you. If we are successful, we will take a 10% commission. If we are not, we ask that you pick the gear up by 6 PM on Sunday. |
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Here?s your chance to try out the latest models of new boats on whitewater without any rental fees. New kayaks from Dagger, Perception, Wave Sport, Liquid Logic, Pyranha, and Riot and canoes from Dagger, Mad River and Esquif will all be there.
June 8
July 13 |
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The 11th Annual National River Cleanup Week, sponsored nationally by America Outdoors is scheduled for May 11 - 18th on the Deerfield River. The Deerfield River Watershed Association, Zoar Outdoor, Subway of Shelburne Falls and US Generating Northeast Energy Group are this year's local sponsors. So far this year students and volunteers from The Mohawk Trail Regional High School National Honor Society, Hawlemont Elementary School, Rowe Elementary school, the Academy at Charlemont, Hampshire College, New England FLOW, Crabappple Whitewater, Zoar Outdoor and Deerfield Academy have signed up to clean a section of the Deerfield River. The plan is to clean up about 25 miles of the riverbanks and riverbed. In previous years the event collected 300 bags of trash and filled two 30-yard dumpsters with the help of over 300 volunteers from local elementary schools, adults from the community and the National Guard. America Outdoors, a national trade association of outfitters and guides, in response to a nationwide recognition that the country's streams and rivers were in need of cleaning, founded National River Cleanup Week in 1991. The program is held annually throughout the country and provides free trash bags, media help, and advice to local cleanup groups. The Clean Water Act and industry efforts have helped remove pollutants from many of the country's water sources. However, local streams and rivers still have years of accumulated refuse and trash washed up from floods and spring rains. On Saturday, May 18th area boaters and volunteers are scheduled to meet at 9 am at the East Charlemont boat ramp on Route 2 to begin cleaning up river access points. Interested individuals or groups who would like to volunteer can contact Bruce Lessels at 413-339-4288 or 1-800-532-7483. |
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For Deerfield, West & Millers Release Dates
click here
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The Zoar Rap is edited by Evie Locke. Contact me at Zoar Outdoor with suggestions, feedback, ideas, etc. Copyright 2002 Zoar Outdoor Adventure Resort Inc. |
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