Talent Search Kayaking
By Daria
Marshall, AK
The activity I enjoyed the most this week was when we went kayaking. It was the first time for me to kayak by myself so it was an exciting experience. My group, the “Chosen Ones,” went to Hangar Lake with Ryan and John. First, we rode in the two vans over to Hangar Lake. Second, Ryan handed paddles out to us and demonstrated how to use them. He said the paddles were called “feathered”, which means the blades are not straight. You have to grip the right side then twist the paddle a little to use the left side. When I first learned how to use the paddle, I thought it would be really difficult because I didn’t know how. However, when I actually tried it out, it turned out to be quite easy. After he demonstrated how we use our paddles, he talked to us about keeping our balance if we are close to tipping over. Ryan showed us that if we try to balance with our heads, then we would tip over. He said that we should not use our upper bodies and heads, but our lower bodies and hips. Ryan also showed us how to move our hips if we were about to tip over. After he was done showing us how to move our hips, he pulled all of us out one by one and tested us to see if we could keep our balance. Finally, we were on our own!
One of the funniest things that happened in Hangar Lake was when Ben from Hooper Bay tried to splash me with his paddle and tipped over. It started off when we I was going towards him and he said he was going to splash me. I told him that I was not going to splash him, but he tried to splash me anyways. While he was trying, I looked away and all of a sudden, I heard someone hollering. I looked back and I noticed that he fell in. I laughed like a hilarious, hyper hyena floating on the kayak.
After we finished kayaking, we followed our team leader John to shore. While I was floating closer and closer to shore, John started walking over to me and intentionally tipped me over. Before we came back to Campus, John told us that we were allowed to swim until we get ready to go home.
Kayaking was my favorite activity this week because I never kayaked on my own before, so it was a new experience. Ryan also told us that learning how to paddle and keepour balance is similar to life. He said that we have to work to keep our kayak from tipping over. It is like high school and college; we have to find the right path in order to accomplish our goals in life and to keep ourselves up and going. I will use what I learned for the rest of my high school years, and hopefully also in college.
July 26th, 2006 10:19
Hey Daria,
I read your writing & it reminded me of when we went kayaking.:P I wish I was here while you were. But anyways I’m having lots of fun & met lots of new friends talk to you l8r.