# I can't just give up!!!



## yetigonecrazy (May 23, 2005)

just take it down a couple of notches and go run some flatwater/class II......you'll rediscover the fun in paddling and then it will all come back naturally.....


----------



## Electric-Mayhem (Jan 19, 2004)

I agree with the above.I swam in a class III that time, that happened to be in the wrong kind of environment to be doing so (i.e. really cold weather/water and a lot of it), so it wasn't like I was pushing my limits. I was just freaked out by the conditions and swam because I was so uptight. Honestly haven't fully recovered from it. Lost a lot of confidence, which led to me lose my roll and made even more swims happen.

The main advice I have is take it easy and build it back up. It got to the point where I wasn't having any fun because I was afraid to roll over all the time. I went from feeling comfortable in low level class V stuff to swimming at playparks and easy class III runs. I am now comfortable to paddle in Class IV again, but I doubt I'll ever get back into running harder stuff again. I did Bailey at the end of last season and swam twice (once in a class II and once in Deer Creek).

It seems to me that some people recover and go on to be really good paddlers. Others it seems like it spells the end of paddling for them. I know people who went both ways and I couldn't tell you what the difference was between what they did. It seems the only thing to try is the old cliche of getting back on the horse, even if it is a smaller more tame one.

JH


----------



## randomnature (Jun 10, 2007)

*no pressure*

Get in a raft or ducky and pilot yourself down some calm water. You will want more actio, or be content--either way you will be happy. Take my friend Paul's advice: get in a pool and stay upside down for as long as you can. Then repeat. In the end, fear is ok, just don't let it keep you from the river.


----------



## brenda (Aug 10, 2008)

Thanks for the encouragement! Should I tell my paddling group how I feel or just work through this myself. I have been on the lake many times since and have learn't to off-side roll as well as back deck roll. I think this could have prevented my swim in the hole. I want to have fun again. I used to dream about paddling all the time.
Oh by the way 'randomnature' you must be an awesome paddler if you have been paddling for 941 years. LOL


----------



## j.tipton (Apr 28, 2008)

Brenda,
Check out Girls At Play. Anne Levesque teaches excellent classes, just for women. She builds on basic skills, catching eddies, reading lines, and the class participants support each other. She has 2 day classes, and trips to Mexico.
If not Anne, then see about another reputable school for a solo class on rolling. For sure, all of the above is good advice. My first 2 seasons were the hardest for rolling. I'm still perfecting it after 27+years at 51 yrs. young. No shit. Listen to yourself. Keep it light. Walk when you feel like it, you can always return. Trust your intuition. Every day is not a 10, so some days are better than others. Bottom line-have fun. It's a journey.
see you on the river. 
"79 Blue Bus"


----------



## teleboater5.13 (Sep 29, 2005)

I defiantly agree with the electrician that some people can have very similar swims and react very differently to them. Earlier this summer me and two of my friends flipped on the Poudre at high water. I had one of the worst swims of my life and was scared to get back on the water (difficult fear to have when you work on it every day). It has taken me a long time to get comfortable back on the water again and I would say that I do not push things as hard as I used to; swimming is always in the back of my mind. But as time goes on you will run rapids and begin to get your stoke back. The more times you go on the river the easier it will become. I still have to deal with this when I am on the river, but it is too a point now that you just have to silence that little voice in your head. My advice is to get back on the horse as soon as possible. It will be difficult; especially at first the river will be intimidating and it should be. But as time goes on you will begin to remember why it is you are there in the first place. Dont forget that feeling or you may stop wanting to be on the river at all.


----------



## brenda (Aug 10, 2008)

Thanks for all the support. Like you "j.tipton" I am also 51 years old. The only difference is I started at 50. (Life does begin at 50 doesn't it!!!) I am ready to get back on the river...in fact I am going to paddle the Columbia Trial Waves playspot either this weekend or next. I live in Canada but it is a really popular play spot and we've met many new friends from Washington and Idaho. Check out this link to see the area. I put some pics in the back of my site: Trail Waves April 2008


----------



## jonny water (Oct 28, 2003)

I took a nasty swim in the hole at Woodall Shoals on the Chattooga. I got maytagged several times resulting in ripping the bolts out of the hull that hold my cockpit in place then got recirced several times. Nearly drowned. After that, I hung up my boat and said I'm done boating. 

Then I met some new boaters just getting into the sport. I decided to take them to the pool and teach them to roll. Practicing my roll gave me more confidence and then taking them out to do some easy sections too gave me more confidence.

If anything, stop boating for a while and think about boating. Visualizing your actions will improve your ability and give you more confidence.

Also, tell your crew how you feel. Get it out in the open. It will pay off.


----------



## Chip (Apr 7, 2007)

You had a rough one. Pretty natural to be spooked. If you weren't scared and apprehensive for a while, that'd be a sign that your survival instinct isn't working as it should. 

None of us is immune to misfortune. But I think that most often, the world isn't as dangerous as it feels. 

You did what you'd learned to do, and it didn't work. It might take you a while to rebuild that unthinking response. But it's a matter of being on the water and working your way through it, learning to trust your ability and your boat and your desire to be exactly there. 

Worth the effort, I think. I admire your honesty and your determination. 

Chip


----------



## tballgame (Jun 15, 2008)

i just started, but i am rafter. I was amazed by your age and that is pretty cool. I don't think it is a big deal to let people or your peers in your group know that your a little nervous........afterall water is the one of the strongest forces on the planet and needs respect. I am hoping to get in some classes and go out with good people and sticking to class II's, because it doesnt matter to me what class it is. I think there is only a small % of people in the world that go out there in do this type of stuff and your brave for doing it, keep rocking.


----------



## 8lifeGREAT (Dec 21, 2007)

I'm down with Chip. I took a swim early on and endangered my sister to boot. I couldn't even finish a lifesaving renewal course I was so tense in the water. Confidence was recaptured as everyone says: basic skills confidence. I also had an opportunity to pair up with an amazing female instructor who took me to the next level AT MY OWN PACE at Nantahala Outdoor Center. If you think 50 is great, imagine how great 60 will be in this sport as equipment changes and parks continue to be built. See my earlier post on "women are not just small men" ... Women at Play is .a great phenom. Now you're part of that legacy. And thanks to whomever took the time to learn the rescue skills that have you here. 





brenda said:


> "crying on the river" spurred me to write this. I have not paddled in over a month. I keep making excuses not to join my friends. I took a nasty swim...well actually Got stuck in a hole for a LONG time. I ended up swimming (which I never do) but after 6 rolls (getting promptely flipped right over again) I still didn't get flushed out. I had to be rope rescued. I did paddle 2 days later and was so nervous, I was flipping in everything. I even got vertigo so bad (probably from rolling so many times) I almost threw up. How can I get over this? I am so embarrassed and have not told anyone. I'm Soooo....sad!!!


----------



## caspermike (Mar 9, 2007)

think about the the thoughts that made you want to start boating and the feelings you had the first time you boated down a stretch of river. being scared isn't a bad thing all the time, you just need to learn that its a normal body function. you just need to remember to have fun, be thinking of the water as in the moment and not in your head where you would be not focused 100%. good luck working through.


----------



## blutzski (Mar 31, 2004)

Consider your craft also. Do you have to kayak or do you just want to be on the river? My wife, like lots of others, freaked out at the thought of being upside down in the kayak. So she bought a shredder (two-man inflatable cataraft) and loves it. She did the Gand Canyon her second time on it. Personally the thought of swimming Lava (which she ended up doing) is scarier to me than doing the whole thing upside down in a kayak, but if the whole being trapped upside down in a kayak thing is what's wigging you out, your not alone and a shedder or some other craft might be the answer for you getting on the river more without being afraid all the time. Plus you can step up the difficulty level alot faster in a shredder than in a kayak.


----------



## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

I agree wholeheartedly with talking to your boating-mates. Who you are going with, and what they want to do can have a huge impact on your comfort level. Are they wanting to go all out and hit the big stuff? Or are they willing to take a little extra time, maybe do a smaller river, and give you whatever comfort zone you need? They can't really do that unless they know you need support. I think it is safe to say all boaters can sympathize with the fears, if they can't then don't boat with them since they are clueless of the risks! Talking with folks to make sure their expectations work with your needs, and go with the group that jives.

Fear is a good thing, your friend that is working to keep you alive. Did you read Doug Ammons articles in AW? Those were pretty good for understanding and coping with boating fear.


----------



## Ture (Apr 12, 2004)

I think it is good to take a step back and turn it down a notch once in a while. If you don't like paddling scared then don't do it. Being scared on the water has a tendency of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If you step back then it works itself out in the end because you naturally work your way back to confidence if you decide to keep paddling. For me, kayaking is a constant cycle of building and destroying my confidence.


----------



## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

Ture said:


> . For me, kayaking is a constant cycle of building and destroying my confidence.


Great way to look at it!


----------



## brenda (Aug 10, 2008)

You have all given me some wonderful feedback  I tried paddling in an inflatable but I just don't seem to get the same level of enjoyment because I love (and am still learning) to surf. Yesterday I was even able to do a bow stall on the lake.
I don't normally swim...even as a total beginner I was able to roll (quite comical actually) because my paddling skill level was that of a beginner but my roll was bombproof, so a big part of me running rivers was upside-down. Perhaps...because of this I pushed myself too far too fast. I will stick to Class 3 until my vertigo and nauseos-ness calm down. 
Someone suggested it was stress related...I think you may be right!! I thought maybe something in my brain got so bashed around in the hole and that's what caused the vertigo. I still get it even on the lake but it is getting less and less.
Cheers to you all and many thanks


----------



## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

Vertigo can also be a real psysiological issue. Something with the ears, if it persists, out of the water, you might want to see an ear doc.


----------

