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Eddy Lines by John Lane
The water is warm but the sun is winding down. Soon our boats will spend more time in darkness than in light. One of our members, Charles Siple, brought to light a couple interesting stories. One you’ll enjoy in this newsletter is "Swimming With Canoes" by John McPhee. We owe Mr. McPhee and Conde Nast Publications our thanks for allowing us to reprint his story. His tale is full of mirth and adrenaline and the love of canoes and paddling. I hope you’ll love it as much as I did. Charles also sent a story from The New Yorker about youths in an adventure camp doing some paddling on the Green River. The story was very interesting and although the foot entrapment drowning imagery was almost slow motion and poetic, I don’t think I’ll seek permission for a reprint! This is a good place to remind all COP boaters and COP boating function non-member guests that life jackets must be worn at all times when on or near the water during a COP boating activity. Recent incidents of non- compliance with this long-standing rule were reported to me. This is a good time to remind boating leaders and experienced paddlers alike that in addition to sharing our mirth and adrenaline and love of canoes and paddling with others, we are exemplars of safe boating.
Several new boating activities crop up this month and next and a couple repeats bear mention. Curt Goetz is leading a COP contingent to the Kelley’s Island Poker Paddle on September 14. Jeff Rhoades is running a trip on the Muskingum River the second weekend of October. Grayson Lake is a destination again in October. Rick Allison is looking forward to going there the third weekend. Full Moon Paddle continues this month and hopefully next.
Join us on our expeditions to somewhere!
My Other Canoe is Lost in the Delta Quadrant by John Lane
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Watching Bob and Elaine Mravetz perform their freestyle canoe demonstration in late July was an otherworldly treat. They took ordinary canoes and made them do extraordinary things. My head was swirling and swimming from watching their maneuvers and listening to the terminology: quadrants and posts and heeling, etc.
The grace and style with which they paddled belied the fact that they have only been freestyling a short time. The rapt crowd at the pool "oohed" and "aahed" as if it was a fireworks display. We were all impressed with the canoeists command of their craft and paddle. They have developed a keen sense of balance and style.
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I had always thought of canoeing as the silent sport. When Elaine and Bob performed routines to James Brown’s "I Feel Good" and other interesting pieces from different musicians, I thought about doing an internet search for waterproof boom boxes.
I first met Bob and Elaine at the Yough Stop on a whitewater trip. It was neat to see them as they have taken up another aspect of paddling, and taken their abilities on the road for teaching, performing and competing. We were fortunate to have them visit, perform and host a clinic where Eric Gehres and Mark Steinmetz swirled, and swam.
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The Ohio Midwest FreeStyle Symposium has been chosen to host the National Interpretive FreeStyle Championships on September 7, 2002. It will be held at the same site as the previous FreeStyle Symposia—Lake Litchfield at Boy Scout Camp Butler in Peninsula, Ohio. Ohio was chosen over Houston, Texas, so it is a pretty big deal. I know Elaine and Bob would like to have folks come out and support it and watch the competition. FreeStyle classes will be available Sat. and Sun. also, along with several ACA Instructor Update classes. They are also planning a class in Canadian paddling—solo in a tandem. If you’d like to contact them for information on classes or registration, email rmravet (AT) uakron.edu. And, keep your eyes peeled, we may have a freestyle clinic next year with the Mravetz’s.
In the meantime, enjoy the photos of Bob and Elaine that Rick Kritzer took.
Swimming with Canoes
by John McPhee
(Available in Printed Edition or PDF Edition - Page 11)
Reprinted by permission; © 1998 John McPhee
Originally published in The New Yorker. All rights reserved.
