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| Technique Carrying the Red Lantern - The Trials of Trailing Behind by Axel Schoevers Illustration by Sean Wilkinson There are a number of things a paddler can do to move faster. But if a paddler starts to fall to the rear of the pack, it’s the group’s responsibility to make sure that person isn’t struggling to keep up.  In the
Netherlands, “carrying
the red lantern” is an expression used to describe someone
at the back—the last person in the group. How many times have
you paddled in a group that had a slow paddler lagging behind? Were
you ever that paddler? How did it feel? If you are reading this,
you probably didn’t stop paddling because of it. But you might
have thought of giving up kayaking if the groups you paddled with
consistently ignored you and left you in the unenviable position
of bringing up the rear.
When I started paddling,
I always seemed to have trouble keeping up with the group. I thought
I was the root of the problem and that I probably wasn’t cut
out to be a kayaker. I focused on my “inability” — too
little skill, experience, stamina and strength. I was frequently
frustrated and paddled to the brink of exhaustion trying to keep
up. I even ordered a new “fast” sea kayak, hoping it
would make a difference. It didn’t. I progressed slowly, and
over time, my technique improved. I grew to be a stronger paddler.
I remember well the day I could paddle from the back of the pack
up to the front paddler to say hello. But my early experiences did
not have to be so difficult and discouraging.There are a number of
things a paddler can do to move faster. But if a paddler starts to
fall to the rear of the pack, it’s really the group’s
responsibility to make sure that person isn’t struggling to
keep up. |
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