Wednesday, May 07, 2014

May's Newsletter

STRAWBERRIES • SUMMER • THE U.S. STORM GATHERING SYMPOSIUM
This week has been so hot and sunny in Northern California that it's easy to feel guilty. The State has been in a draught for months, and more sun is the last thing that we need… but it feels so good to be outside eating strawberries, drinking margaritas and enjoying the gorgeous weather.
April began with us guiding a five-day Anglesey Adventure. After that we headed to the Ladies Paddle Symposium, also in Wales and then to Scotland for some personal fun exploring the land, water and a few distilleries. Mark stuck around and ran an Advanced Leader Training and Planning course with participants from Sweden, while Helen flew back to California to run Yoga for Paddlers and a Paddle Day for our local kayaking club. She also participated in the ENC Kayaking Social and ran classes throughout the event.
This weekend Helen heads to Whiskeytown Lake in Northern California to run rolling and rescue classes. After that she hops on a plane to Denmark to instruct at the Danish Canoe Federation's weekend for coaches. Mark in the meantime will be at the Anglesey Symposium and teaching during BCU Week.  Then it's home for a week and Mark will be busy preparing the van for this year's Europe Tour, which will be supported by Rebel Kayaks. This year's tour will be HUGE! It starts in Helsingborg, Sweden on May 24 and continues until August 31. This year's tour covers Sweden, Norway and Denmark. We'll be taking a break from the tour for a couple of weeks in July when we'll be flying over to Greenland to guide an expedition and stop in at the Greenland National Kayaking Championship, taking place in Qaqortoq, Greenland.
Later in the year we have classes and symposia scheduled in the U.S., Wales, Scotland, Israel and Mexico. We've also started working on our 2015 schedule, which will include some really great classes and expeditions. Hopefully you'll join us for one or two of them :-)
We've been working hard on organizing the U.S. Storm Gathering symposium, taking place in Trinidad, California on March 6, 7 and 8, 2015. Sponsors are being confirmed, and the local community is prepared to warmly welcome participants and instructors from outside the area. If you came to the ENC Kayaking Social, you'll know that our local paddlers ROCK and they're getting excited about an event in their neighborhood. Come join us!
As usual, visit www.greenlandorbust.org for more information and our current Events calendar and Blog postings. For questions, comments or to schedule us in your neighborhood, email info@greenlandorbust.org.
Happy paddling!
- Helen and Mark

Helen's Coaching Corner
Often when teaching rolling, I have students ask me about bringing their foot pegs closer to lock themselves in their kayaks. While this may seem like a good idea, it really isn't. By bringing the foot pegs closer you are locking in your hips, which will restrict their movement and therefore make rolling more challenging. Your feet should feel relaxed and comfortable on the foot pegs, similar to how they feel when driving a car. Although I wouldn't suggest removing your foot pegs completely, you'd have better control of your roll with no foot pegs, than having them too close.

Program Schedule
Simplifying the Rescue: May 4, Whiskeytown, California
Simplifying the Roll: May 3 and 4, Whiskeytown, California
Coastal Navigation and Tidal Planning: May 9, Anglesey, Wales
Danish Canoe Federation's Weekend for Coaches: May 10 to 11, Kerteminde, Denmark
BCU 4 Star Sea Training: May 10 to 11, Anglesey, Wales
BCU 4 Star Sea Assessment: May 17 to 18, Anglesey, Wales
South Greenland Expedition: July 9 to 20, South Greenland
Nordic Tour:
May 23 to July 4 and July 24 to August 31
• May 24 to 25 – Helsingborg, Sweden
• May 31 to June 1 – Bergen, Norway
• June 7 to 9 – Fitjar, Norway
• June 14 to 15 - Bekkjarvik, Norway
• June 19 to 22 – Oslo, Norway
• June 27 to 29 – Copenhagen, Denmark
• July 4 to 5 – Grebbestad, Sweden
• July 24 to August 4 – Nynashamn, Sweden
• August 5 to 7 - Stockholm, Sweden
• August 9 to 10 – Mora, Sweden
• August 12 to 14 – Karlstad, Sweden
• August 16 to 17 – Frederiksværk, Denmark
• August 20 to 21 – Svendborg, Denmark
• August 23 – Malmo, Sweden
• August 24 – Karlshamn, Sweden
• August 29 to 31 – Sandhamn, Sweden
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Copyright © 2014 Greenland or Bust, All rights reserved.
Helen Wilson and Mark Tozer • (707) 834-5501
info@greenlandorbust.org

Thursday, May 01, 2014

Sea Kayak Skills Development - Rolling With Helen (2)


There are always challenges we can set ourselves to ensure that when we practice a skill it remains interesting. Have you tried rolling without a paddle? Don't think its possible? Then watch Helen as she goes through the rolling list with her invisible paddle.