|
Why I joined WAM? 20 good reasons |
 |
 |
 |
|
Saturday, 08 November 2008 01:00 |
I was put onto the WAM website by a pal. It read “ we’re an informal club who meet on the Medway river at Yalding “. Great, I thought; I really didn’t fancy turning up to a club venue and having to introduce myself to 40 people. Turning up to paddle at Yalding with them, I found it neither coldly informal, nor intimidating to be around a group of good paddlers.
The nice thing about this club was just turning up and getting on the water. And being around a group of paddlers of varying skill levels, I didn’t find it long before I was getting some un-asked for coaching ( a paddler of more skill than you often knows what you need to be learning next!) A man called Kenton came and showed me the basics of ferrygliding, explained to me what eddies were, what & where the slack water was & why the water was boiling up. Within half an hour, I had some of the basics of river paddling to work at, and more savvy about my environment.
This pattern continued every time I went down to Yalding. From paddlers that have made one or other British kayak teams, to the less advanced, I got coaching on every visit. Steve saw me faffing around in front of the river run-off stopper, unnerved about the water pulling me towards it. He got out, put my boat on its edge against the stopper and left me there. Now I was learning another new trick. I’d been trying to roll for a few weeks, making the same old mistakes; 15 minutes at a pool session with Estelle & I was rolling. Lou showed me how to surf & after a go in her Recoil down on the river, & 3 bad choices of boats later, I knew what kind of boat I really needed to be in. With Jamie ‘hounding’ me to go and play in the sluice gate (supervised!), that was the final kick really. I came away from the river that day with a “five mile smile” (q. Jay Kay) and a new obsession for playboating.
WAM as a club? How many other clubs could you find that have facilities right next to the river playground? A heated changing room, a big fire pit for those winter paddling days, floodlit bridge & river features for night paddling, camping, bbq’s and organised events there… I don’t know of any other clubs that offer quite that!
Away from the river Medway, WAM & its members organise surf trips, trips to watercourses, and river running trips – attended and advised on by some real pro paddlers such as Jamie Austen & Chris Jones. All members are free to organise events and paddling trips, and we have an active website with members posting where they’ll be paddling and when.
So you want to join a paddling club? I’ve just given you about 20 good reasons to join WAM!
I’m glad I joined. Everything I’ve learnt and experienced in paddling came from being a WAM member. Smart move, that.
Matt (Tusks)
|
Stories and Articles