By Nona Haroyan | From BayLines Express, September, 2023
This summer I tried kayaking for the first time. How hard could it be? Sit in a little boat with an experienced guide and paddle around a lake. Well to my complete disgust, I learned pretty quickly, that I had deluded myself into thinking that I had some hidden talents, where I clearly did not. As each of my fellow kayakers took to their boats and began paddling, I soon discovered that each and every person had passed me by. How was it possible that I was at the back of the pack, when I was furiously paddling?
Well, the answer came quickly as both my guide and a coordinator tried to give me as much descriptive guidance as possible, to correct my terrible form. Sure, I was paddling, but my skills were downright awful. Yes, I was putting all this effort into it, but I wasn’t going anywhere.
Let me start this tale from the very beginning — our arrival at the Regatta at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester, with All Out Adventures. The day started off with perfect weather, sunny, but not too hot or humid, with a slight breeze. Perfect weather for a day on the water. This is where things started to go a bit sideways.
Utilizing paratransit, my sister Mary and I, waited for our ride’s arrival, and waited, and waited, and waited. I called our friend CJ, who was meeting us at the Lake, letting her know that our ride was delayed and to let the staff at All Out Adventures know. Finally, after several calls and switching venders, our ride arrived. The driver, using GPS, took us to the wrong location. After recalculating, we arrived nearly 20 minutes late from our scheduled start time.
The staff was great, they even met us in the parking lot, escorting us to the dock. Awesome, we had arrived and now the fun could begin, right…?
Well, not so fast.
As we all were putting on our life jackets and pairing up with guides, my sister realized that she didn’t have her purse! That she had left it in the vehicle.
Now we were scrambling to call the vender and have them contact the driver. We all waited, as more time passed. Mary told us all to go ahead and she would wait and come along later. Within moments the driver arrived with my sister’s purse in hand, and we were all set to go. However, due to all our delays, the staff put us in our boats without any instructions. As I was the only one who had never kayaked before, I didn’t want to waste any more time, and again how hard could this be?
Famous last words!
Because it is hard, well it was for me, I so quickly learned.
Why did my paddle keep moving out of the correct position, even though I had a death grip on the pole? Still don’t know the answer to that one.
My guide, Adam, was sweet and tried to be helpful in describing what I should be doing, but as he was sitting behind me, I couldn’t rely on my useable vision to figure out what he was trying to convey. He apologized for not being better at explaining. Then one of the coordinators paddled closer and did a better job explaining, she also made the suggestion to switch paddles.
So, we gave that a go. What did I have to lose except more of my pride, as I could no longer hear any of my fellow paddlers ahead. They had all left me far…, far…, behind.
I discovered on the new paddle a button located in the middle of the pole. When I pointed out the button to both Adam and the Coordinator, they told me to keep the button at the level of my lower stomach.
Well, that was the game changer for me.
I concentrated like I was getting ready to compete at the Olympics. I focused on that little button and started paddling. Sensing that I was finally getting the hang of this whole thing, Adam matched my pace as I determinately glided the paddle through the water.
We began to move ahead. I started hearing my fellow paddlers again, as we moved closer. Another coordinator who was guiding my sister asked if she could take our pictures. I agreed, but kept on paddling. My sister called out to me, “Are you having fun?” I didn’t stop in my forward motion, keeping my focus ahead. I answered, “I will be soon.” Because in my mind’s eye, I was going to take the lead of this race and win.
Win…? What are you winning, you may be asking? I don’t know, since no one was in a race, except apparently yours truly.
Competitive much? I didn’t think I was that person, but it turned out that somewhere buried deep inside, I was a crazy person and a highly competitive kayaker. Who knew…? I wasn’t going to let my fellow paddlers take my top spot.
As we glided through the water, Adam was cheering me on. We made a great team. We paddled back to the dock, with the others trailing far behind us.
Who would have thought an idyllic day on the lake would get my competitive juices flowing?
A few weeks later, my sister and I went out on the lake on the last day of the All Out Adventures summer program. Adam and I paired up for a second time. I’m happy to report that I took the top spot again. I won a race that took place only in my own mind.
All kidding aside, taking part in activities with All Out Adventures was a blast. We even tried tandem biking, which I recommend. This coming winter we will be checking out what winter fun we can have.
I hope that you will try something new. Step out of your comfort zone. Who knows? You, too, may discover your inner competitor.
Summary taken from All Out Adventures website (AllOutadventures.org): With a combination of well- trained staff and specialized equipment, our programs are designed to encourage people of all abilities to interact and enjoy the outdoors together. Providing opportunities to develop skills and share experiences in every season.