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Midwest Canoe Symposium

The blurb says that PFDs must be worn at all times when on the water, yet two of the images show people on the water without PFDs. Not good.

The pictures are of performers in the interpretive freestyle competitions or demonstrations, which are done to music in small spaces close to shore. PFD's are excused for these exhibitions. Rescue boaters are positioned close by the performers.

 
Fair enough, Glenn. But I have been on many day trips with our canoe club, on shallow, narrow slough water, with many other boats nearby. We do not ever say that wearing of PFDs is mandatory, except if you want to look good, and lots of rescue boats are in place. Perhaps there should be some clarification for these images. Just to avoid the apparent contradiction.
 
Fair enough, Glenn. But I have been on many day trips with our canoe club, on shallow, narrow slough water, with many other boats nearby. We do not ever say that wearing of PFDs is mandatory, except if you want to look good, and lots of rescue boats are in place. Perhaps there should be some clarification for these images. Just to avoid the apparent contradiction.

That's a reasonable suggestion, and perhaps if anyone on the Freestyle Committee reads this, they might take that into consideration. Meanwhile, my post can serve that function for those who are not familiar with freestyle exhibition traditions. PFD's would interfere with the tradition of costumery and gymnastic movements.

I have tripped with many of the freestylers and can affirm that they all wear PFD's when instructing and when on trips, even in shallow waters. Many of them are ACA instructors, and even instructor trainers and instructor trainer educators, the highest ACA rating possible, and are hence even more OCD re PFD's than the conservative normal.

That all said, who among us has never boated without PFD, especially in hot weather, shallow water or when racing.

Bill Mason was often filmed kneeling on his PFD in his Chestnut Pal in his instructional and documentary videos.

Bill_Mason_02.jpg


Marathon canoe racers often don't wear PFD's.

Marathon_C2.jpg


Outrigger paddlers and surf skiers, who paddle in oceans often far offshore, surfing down the faces really big bumps, rarely wear PFD's. Their sealed boats are considered their rescue device, and they will often wear an ankle leash.

3OC11.jpg


I'm not advocating taking off one's PFD. I'm simply pointing out that good paddlers, in controlled circumstances, in a context of other available safety and rescue circumstances -- e.g., other boaters nearby who are trained in rescue, self-rescue ability, calm waters, close by shores, warm air and water -- have often boated without PFD's. So did Aleut and Inuit kayakers in the Arctic.

So, I'll give the freestyle national champions pictured in the OP link a pass.
 
Glenn,

I had had no problem with the images of canoeists not wearing PFDs. That’s their choice, no matter what the circumstances. I just noted the obvious contradiction of saying that PFDs must always be worn when on the water, followed by images of no PFDs on the water. I will never be a fan of self contradiction within the space of a few paragraphs or moments. That being said, if I were to review my life, I would likely be ashamed of my own self contradictions.
 
Fair enough discussion. ACA does not require PFD s in some circumstances: also some shallow water races where the course is clear and has been scouted
These details are not apparent to the public.
Thanks Glenn for tour input
The reason for no PFD in competition is that some of the moves are interfered with by PFD s. However these moves had to be learned and practiced usually alone and PFD s should have been worn
I know I did. Maybe that contributed to my lack of winning competitions . 90 percent of students never try nor want to try competing.
But most the skills grew out of canoe tripping and are applicable to tripping. Might be tine to focus on those and bit do silly but fun things like Hiding Harold where the inner gimbal is done with head and arms and paddle submerged. PFD s do interfere Most people never get or want to get to that level
 
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As a former ACA FreeStyle IT, I can assure you PFD’s are required during instruction, but yes; the disparity should be addressed/explained on the site. Exhibition FreeStyle is a combination of both aesthetics and skill and the exception of PFD’S during performances is made for aesthetic reasons.
 
Karen and I attended the Adirondack Canoe Symposium last month at Paul Smith's. Although we've canoed quite a bit recently neither of us has ever had any professional instruction, so we enrolled in the introductory "Tandem Essentials" core course and also "Wind and Waves" and "Paddle Smarter not Harder" special topics offerings. We had a great time and cannot recommend the Symposium Program highly enough. The instructors were excellent and the event organization superb. We showed up with our own gear, were welcomed warmly, and met where we were at. We met so many nice, friendly people! There were other relative "newbies" like us, but more returning participants with higher skills, seeking to refine and improve them. There truly was something for everyone. Over the course of a 3 day event you get a good sense of the sponsoring organization. The folks that put these events on are top notch. They are experts at their craft and want to share it with the rest of us, which is pretty cool. My one word summary of our weekend would be FUN! We are already looking forward to attending next year's ADK Symposium! Our experience this year really opened our eyes to what's possible with a canoe and a paddle.
 
Karen and I attended the Adirondack Canoe Symposium last month at Paul Smith's. Although we've canoed quite a bit recently neither of us has ever had any professional instruction, so we enrolled in the introductory "Tandem Essentials" core course and also "Wind and Waves" and "Paddle Smarter not Harder" special topics offerings. We had a great time and cannot recommend the Symposium Program highly enough. The instructors were excellent and the event organization superb. We showed up with our own gear, were welcomed warmly, and met where we were at. We met so many nice, friendly people! There were other relative "newbies" like us, but more returning participants with higher skills, seeking to refine and improve them. There truly was something for everyone. Over the course of a 3 day event you get a good sense of the sponsoring organization. The folks that put these events on are top notch. They are experts at their craft and want to share it with the rest of us, which is pretty cool. My one word summary of our weekend would be FUN! We are already looking forward to attending next year's ADK Symposium! Our experience this year really opened our eyes to what's possible with a canoe and a paddle.

Thanks, RickR, for getting this thread back on the topic of the freestyle symposium. (My apologies for extending the tangent.)

I HIGHLY recommend any of the freestyle symposia, which now include courses in a lot more paddling techniques than just four quadrant forward and turning strokes. No matter what your level of skill -- real or imagined -- you will learn something, have a good time and meet some wonderful people, including many people who post on these paddling boards. CTN's own Yellowcanoe has been an instructor both in freestyle and Canadian style. You will also see some beautiful open canoes, beautiful paddles and beautiful paddling moves -- some or many of which you may be motivated to acquire. I plan on going to at least one event in 2020, when I hopefully can fit better, and more fitly, in my solo canoes.

The OP, Marc Ornstein, is something like a four or five time national freestyle champion, the maker of exquisite paddles, and the designer of at least four canoes currently in production. In fact, I'm thinking of contacting him about his tandem/solo Harmony, which I now see being manufactured by Savage River under 30 pounds.
 
In recent years, the focus of what we do/teach has changed from the "interpretive" to the "functional". We still teach the "fancy" stuff for those who want it but we concentrate more on how these techniques can improve day to day paddling. Side slips allow one to move laterally across a stream, without zigging and zagging. Axles/posts and christies enable crisp turns with mere twitches of the paddle. Heeling and pitching allow relatively straight tracking canoes to turn on a dime etc. The Pine Barrens Functional Freestyle Canoeing Symposium (October) is strictly about functional uses of freestyle with all participants spending the last day on one of the intimate, winding streams of the New Jersey Pinelands. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drM58OgHxO0
 
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