Guest _rick Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 For many sessions Jen has watched people try diffent things in there boats. While watching a few unsuccessful standing attempts she asked if she could do it. After positioning myself and telling her what side to fall on. My little girl stood in her boat, fell, stood again and paddled away. She had no clue what all of the hype is on standing. I had to explain that people have diffent levels of balance and flexiblity. She wants to attempt a headstand. Think she can do it? I keep trying to figure out if she has gills but I cant seem to find them. She has also heard about a certain woman from Germany and wants to compare notes on on boat gymnastics. Can I be the proud papa now? _rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djlewis Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 Not to take anything away from Jen -- she's obviously a talented young lady and will probably put us all to shame in a kayak pretty soon -- it is easier to stand stably in a kayak when you are only 4'9" tall (or whatever). ;-))) But congratulations anyway. It's neat to watch her progress! --David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsprag1 Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 ahh youth----congratulations to your daughter on her balence and flexibilty---just why someone would want to stand in a kayak escapes me(maybe to impress the opposite gender?? In which case I should start practicing, need all the help in that department that I can get) but it is a really neat trick just the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rick stoehrer Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 congrats to your kid _rick. and david....there are a lot of folks over 4 foot 9 that can do this....nigel foster and freya (both of whom are larger than you) and a bunch of folks i've seen in danvers pool that can manage it...seems to me it has more to do with balance and practice than size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest _rick Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 To stand is to see further... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsprag1 Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 I'm sure that you can see further standing then sitting but at my age I would rather sit----rarely need to see more than 5-6 miles in any event--- the idea of impressing the ladies is probably a better reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gillian Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 oh it's impressive, i assure you . . . but anyway you can see even better if you stand on someone's elses head in their kayak - still working on that one . . . ps. congrats to jenny she's fantastic, and her best friend jenny had a blast at last night Lydon session - two young kayakers in the making and i bet they don't hurt as much the next day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shewhorn Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 I think you need to actually make it challenging for her.... Head stand in the seat to handstand, from there bend at the waist, put the feet on the back deck and stand on the back deck. I better be careful... she very well may do it, the little squirt. Cheers, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonsprag1 Posted March 26, 2007 Share Posted March 26, 2007 "standing on someone else's head"? Not unless I get to be the one on top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shewhorn Posted March 27, 2007 Share Posted March 27, 2007 >"standing on someone else's head"? Not unless I get to be >the one on top. I feel a Monty Python tune coming on.... Cheers, Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glil Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 Yes, Rick, you should be a proud Papa! Sounds like Jen is a natural AND loves kayaking. What more could a dad want!?! OK, I have a serious question about trying headstands in a kayak. While spending an hour in a tandem recreational rented kayak last summer on the Charles River, my daughter entertained herself doing headstands. (This was no amazing feat of balance as these boats are about 4 feet wide and nearly impossible to tip over.) Anyway, she then wanted to try it in my boat. All I could picture was the boat flipping over much faster than her body would follow, her body hitting the water and practically stopping, and her head being still inside the now upside-down boat. The thought that followed was: at best it could cause at very scraped up face and worst a cervical spine injury. So... the answer was "No...(explained my reason). So, my question to the "stupid kayak trick" group (which I actually don't think is stupid at all-just to clarify) is: Is this a safe thing to try? My imagination probably got the best of me, but I wasn't willing to experiment. Thanks for any input. Gay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Millar Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 No. No way in a Vela and I'm surprised it was even attempted in a wide, rec boat in the Charles River. Please realize that the circumstances that Jen stood up in were extremely controlled. She was wearing a helmet. Her father and a spotter were on either side of the Sole, a boat with a tad more stability than a Vela (The Sole is ours on loan; I own a Vela. It goes without saying that I've paddled both) As a member of the Stupid Kayak Trick Coterie who restricts her own stupid tricks to lots of sculling for support, balance bracing and the occasional attempt at resurrecting herself from the seat of her Romany, I think the possibility of headstands is more a joke than an actuality. The only person I know who does headstands in a sea kayak is the legendary Freya Hoffmeister. Freya is a very gifted paddler who was a gymnist and a body builder in Germany in her younger days. Her skills -- and daring -- far, far outstrip anything "local". Besides, I know Rick and I don't think he'd let his daughter risk paralysis by doing headstands on a 22" plastic beam surrounded by cement, tile and water. Deb M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glil Posted March 28, 2007 Share Posted March 28, 2007 OK, thanks Deb. I'm still in awe of what skills some people have in their kayaks so I wouldn't have been surprised is some of you guys could do it. My question was out of my own curiosity and not it any way questioning "someone letting someone else do something unsafe". I trust the group's common sense more than that. Gay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffcasey Posted August 8, 2007 Share Posted August 8, 2007 When my son was younger, you couldn't STOP him from standing in his boat....he used to paddle the blasted thing around like he was a gondalier in Venice. Of course, it helped that the boat was actually a "barge".... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastPaddler Posted January 15, 2009 Share Posted January 15, 2009 This is my first post here -- I came across this thread and thought I would respond... My daughter and I often play around in our boats, spending a lot of time in and out of the water. Standing up in a kayak is a great skill -- it's not easy and teaches balance and control. If you haven't tried standing up in your kayak -- you should -- it's great fun. My daughter has been paddling for 7 years and is very, very comfortable on the water -- a lot of this I contribute to just playing around, doing things like crawling out on the deck of the boat and touching the bow with your chin, standing up, seeing how far you can tip your boat over without capsizing, and just generally mucking about. All of this makes a person more comfortable and as such, a more proficient paddler. My daughter is now 14 years old and has been paddling in kayaks since she was 7. This past summer while in the Broken Group (on the west coast of Vancouver Island) she suggested that we paddle around Vancouver Island one day. She's talked about this several times since and we've now decided that we'll do the 700 mile trip in the summer of 2010 just after her 16th birthday -- she very well may end up being the youngest person to ever circumnavigate the island. Do encourage your kids (and yourselves) to play around in your boats -- it's fun and it teaches some great balance skills. Dan http://www.westcoastpaddler.com ----- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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