Two Minutes

Wenley has a nice post about an interview with Douglas Wilcox. Whenever I read interviews, I can't help but try and answer the questions as if I were the one being interviewed. It is a way to see how well I stack up against the expert. Usually I fall way short. As I was reading this one, I was wondering how Wenley might answer these questions, or Derrick, or Bonnie, or anyone else for that matter. I think it would be as interesting to hear how others would answer these questions as well. So here is my meager list of questions and answers:

1. How did you get into paddling? I read an article in Sports Afield, when they were trying to increase their readership by branching out into “extreme sports”. They have since bowed to pressure from their tried and true readers, and reverted back to hunting and fishing, but I brought from it an interest in kayaking.

2. What type of kayak do you paddle? A Current Designs Gulfstream.

3. What is your favourite paddling area? This question implies that I have already paddled there. It would have to be Drummond Island, with the Au Sable River a close second. I keep dreaming of places that I have not been yet.

4. What is your day job? Sr. Product Designer for a plastic container manufacturer.

5. Who would you say has had the most influence on your paddling development? Ron Smith, because I was really impressed by his abilities when I took my first formal kayaking class. And Derrick Mayoleth, because I like reading his blog, I have learned a lot from him, just by reading.

6. Who do you think has done the most to develop modern sea kayaking? Justine Curgenven. Her videos show a completely different view of sea kayaking from what most people think sea kayaking is.

7. If you were paddling a double sea kayak, who would you want in the front seat and why? My dog, because I can smack him out of frustration, and he won’t tell anyone. - Just Joking.

8. What is the best or most memorable paddle that you have undertaken? Drummond Island with my paddling friends from Indiana: Barry, Joel, Tim, Tom, and Wes.

9. What is your favourite stroke? Uh…forward? I'm still learning it. It’s the one that’ll get me somewhere the quickest. I have not learned a bunch of fancy strokes yet.

10. If you were to offer one piece of advice to newcomers to the sport what would it be? Buy a boat that is designed for more performance than you think you will need. A little longer than you think, a little narrower than you think, and a little tighter than you think. You won’t regret it.

11. How do you see the sport developing in the next 10 years? A lot more people getting into the sport, with a lot more mass-produced kayaks to choose from.

12. What is your major frustration with the sport? Finding paddlers to paddle with, that have similar abilities, and schedules.

13. What music would be the soundtrack to your paddling life? Margaritaville

14. Do you belong to a Club and what is your involvement? A member of West Michigan Coastal Kayaking Association, and ACA.

15. Have you ever had an embarrassing moment? Something afterwards that you can smile about but wished hadn’t happened. As a student in a class at WMCKA symposium with Simon Osborne instructing, he told us to edge the boat and paddle forward, and don’t worry about where you are going, just keep it on edge, so I was edging on the left side and sweeping on the right, and fighting the boat the wrong way around the turn, but not worrying about it, until I looked behind me and saw everyone else following and watching me. Oops, sorry Simon. Poor Simon spent the next 30 minutes de-programming the whole class on which way the boat is supposed to turn when on edge.

16. Do you have any regrets – something that you had wished you had done but now can’t see yourself doing? I should have started paddling long before I was 30, and I should have tried to learn how to roll before I was 38. I’m not dead yet, I’m going to keep trying to push my abilities.

17. Why do you think we are interviewing you today? Because I thought it would make a better meme. Ok, now its everyone else’ turn. Bonnie, Derrick, Wenley, Alex, FH2O,anyone who wants to.