Hanna Blunt

Hanna Blunt
Originally uploaded by pbenedict.

Hanna was definately throwing the biggest moves of the group. It is a shame she can only come a couple of days.

South Canyon

South Canyon
Posted by: oysterbar.

South Canyon is a really great wave. Partially because it is in our back
yard and partially because pretty darn nice. It was on the low end of good
so the moves were not dynamic but it was good for learning to surf and spin
a little. Everyone was really excited to be bouncing around and feeling the
speed. Many kids spun around to their stern and some began to spin back
around. Several kids were starting to feel blunts. Hopefully we will have a
few more days there this week.

The Flow State

The Flow State
Posted by: oysterbar.

Julie Singer experiencing Satori

Satori

First of all, I want to welcome all of you to my favorite time of year, spring. This is the powder-day time of year. Cold, grey, wet days are behind us and ahead of us but we know that South Canyon, Golf Course, Oysterbar, Avalanche, the Crystal River races, Slaughterhouse, Barrel Springs, Golden, the Olsen Twins, and maybe even Big Sur await us. All these provide us the opportunity to grow toward and possibly achieve what some call the “Flow State” or Buddhists call “Satori”. Satori is that moment of awareness, the ah-ha when your mind and body connect; your being and the universe connect. The infinite and the finite are one.
Though Satori is usually reached through years of meditation and practice, we as high-level athletes can catch glimpses of it in moving meditation. Those times when our movements are no longer governed by our conscious mind. Many of you may have experienced this skiing or kayaking. The sessions when your mind has gotten out of the way and let you immerse fully in that moment. When your focus is so sharp and awareness is so broad that you feel as though you could learn any trick, stick any line, or make any gate. But like the Buddhists the more you practice, the closer you will get, and the more glimpses of it you will have.
What does competition have to do with Satori? To achieve the “Flow State” takes practice, challenge, and skill. What harder mental challenge is there than to focus when people are watching, to quiet the mind when pushing the body, to loose yourself in each stroke when you care about the outcome? Each time you set up in the starting gate, you paddle into the hole, you cross that start line you are stretching that mental muscle. You are dealing with tension, exhilaration, doubt, happiness, fear, and support you learn something about yourself and you grow stronger. If you get nothing else out of this quarter, know that just crossing that start line takes heart and bravery. The finish line is just the icing.
Though all types of whitewater kayaking require body focus and precise technique, each type of paddling requires an inherent type of focus:

Playboating requires awareness in fury. The playboater must be as the eye of the hurricane ferocious, powerful, yet loose, and calm.

Slalom requires precise focus on each step of the path. The slalom paddler brings exact technique to each movement that is linked in a long chain to the finish. If one link fails the chain will break.

Downriver requires sustained attention to the minute. The Downriver paddler takes advantage of subtleties to gain time, advantage, and maintain focus through pain and monotony.

The Class 5 paddler is the martial artist and the ballroom dancer using her partners weight and power as counter balance to see her through.