Subject: RE: baidarka Backrests
From: Chuck Holst (CHUCK@MULTITECH.COM)
Date: Tue Aug 29 2000 - 17:44:22 EDT
I have a backbone, too, and have a CAT scan to prove it, but not all the
discs I started with, alas. I also have a backband, but it is so low that
its main purpose is holding me in place when I roll, brace, or push hard
against the footpegs. (This is in a Romany; I haven't gotten around to
making a skin-on-frame kayak yet.) With proper stretching exercises,
especially of the hamstrings, you shouldn't need a backrest; in fact, a
backrest can be a hindrance to good technique.
BTW, earlier this month, as my wife and I were unloading our kayaks at the
mouth of the Michipicoten River after a short trip along the north shore of
Lake Superior, we met a kayaker who said he was in Greenland guiding a trip
during the Greenland National Kayak Championships last month. His name is
Jay Tise (sp? -- he pronounced it "Teesee," but an employee of Naturally
Superior Outfitters pronounced it "Tizzy," possibly humorously). He said he
watched some of the contests, and mentioned you, Greg Stamer, and others. He
observed also that Maligiaq is just an ordinary person in Greenland, that
there are lots of good kayakers there, and that Greenlanders seem less
interested in technique or paddle finish than in results. What attracted him
to come over and chat was seeing our Greenland paddles. What a small world
this can be!
Chuck Holst
-----Original Message-----
From: Harvey Golden [mailto:qayaq@pacifier.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 29, 2000 11:36 AM
To: baidarka@lists.intelenet.net
Subject: baidarka Backrests
Dear All,
Anyone else out there who doesn't use a back-rest? I do lean back on the
'rest' when resting, stretching or doing lay-back rolls, but mostly paddle
with a slight lean forward. Just wondering if anyone else prefers not
using a back-rest. I used to use one for all my paddling, but found it to
be mostly uncomfortable (my fault of course due to poor [or no] design); I'm
not sure why or when I gravitated towards the center of the cockpit sans
back-support, but I have a hunch (sorry) that it was when I was learning to
roll. Perhaps on account of when you lean up against something, it is hard
to lean any further. Anyhow, I find that even when day-tripping I sit
without using the back-rest.
Harvey
P.S. Not to head anyone off at the pass, but I do have a back-bone and have
the X-rays to prove it!
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