A test of patience.

Took over a batch of kids doing 1 star on Saturday that really tested my patience. Never enjoyable to teach some kids. These kids are usually uninterested in the activity and forced to attend the course as part of the school curriculum or to get some badge for their CCA.
This time, myself and another coach identified the weaker students and I tried my best to clear those that were able to.
I ended up with a group that consisted of a boy so scared of leaving shore, he would just sit in the kayak. He turned out just fine and was just a needy kid who wanted attention on him all the time. Sometimes, it really annoys me as a coach not to be able to engage all participants.

At least it was a nice sunny day and I learnt something from a fellow coach who is now an OBS instructor. Did some research and it turned out to be The Learning Zone Model.

The Learning Zone Model from Kenneth Chan

Also got to take this photo.

Good for another 3 years

Just completed my 2 day Refresher First Aid course at the Singapore Red Cross Society. Good to go for another 3 years :)

For those who are interested to learn First Aid or take a refresher, you can Click Here to see a list Singapore Sports Council approved centres.

Shock you to life

Went to upgrade myself today by attending a CPR + AED course. This was conducted as part of the National Lifesaving Day at the Singapore Expo.

Been thinking of signing up for such a course for quite some time now especially since I have conducted programmes for the elderly on a few occasions. When I found out this course was free to NROC coaches, I jumped on the opportunity and grabbed it!

Its the process, not the result

Heading to Pasir Panjang Terminal

I helped "lead" an overnight kayak expedition from West Coast Park to Pulau Hantu over the weekend. The teacher of the group was Yong Hui, who wanted his students to execute the expedition plan. Being new, there were cock ups and delays which meant we only got into the water at 4pm.
Long story short, we never made it to the island and were still paddling past sunset. Most of the students had to be put onto the powerboats and driven to the island. We only arrived at 8.30pm.

The next day we encountered a freaking storm 45min after setting off while we were crossing Sinki Fairway. With almost no visibility and ridiculously strong drift, we tied ourselves to the South Cardinal mark around Cyrene reef where we waited for about 3hrs.

The teachers

Losing sight of land

We never made it to the destination on both days, but it was one hell of an experience. I also took home a few lessons from this trip. It was nice and refreshin that the focus for this trip was the journey, rather than the destination.

1. Always study the plan beforehand
I was in Kota Tinggi when the route was released and only managed to see it the night before the expedition. I could not lead effectively because I was unsure of the route and was not familiar with the conditions.

2. Always have lights and a compass handy
My light was tucked away in my aft hatch, I could not access it when it got dark. I also didnt bring my compass. Being able to keep a bearing would have helped if we needed to continue paddling in the low viz during the thunderstorm.

3. Too many indian chiefs causes confusion
Having more than 1 person yelling instructions when there is chaos just makes things worse. Just let the 1st instructor who gives instructions take control. Having an arguement admist the chaos is not a good idea.
4. I still cant stand working with chihuahuas
People who try to have street cred, try too hard, have the sun shining out their ass or move around with some self inflicted sense of urgency like a chihuahua really bug me. The annoyance of this chihuahua effect doubles, when on the water.

Rest of the photos here

Believe it or not!

Here's some interesting things you may not know if you are a kayaker from Water-Venture.

1. The 2 star cross channel rule is a Water-Venture rule. You do not need 2 Star to cross channel unless you are renting kayaks from Water-Venture, then you obviously have to follow their rules.
   However, it is compulsory to have 1 star if you want to paddle in reservoirs.
   
   
2. The slaloms in Water-Venture aren't really slaloms. Don't know what to call them either, but they are some sort of fibreglass touring boats.
   The picture below shows a slalom.
   
   
   Picture by Ofiserinf on Flickr
   
   
3. There are kayaks other than the Bandit, Turbo, Dancer and "Slalom" (:
   A sea kayak and a play boat are shown below.
   
   
   
   
4. Paddle blades come in many shapes and sizes. Here' are asymmetric paddle blades for high angle and low angle paddling
   

Cheapskate Paddler

As a 2 STAR paddler, you're now going for more expeditions and spending more time in the sport.
So here's a how to article.

How to have essential gear for kayaking and not burn a hole in your wallet.

1. Footwear
I strongly advise paddlers not to wear slippers. You have trouble keeping them on and may lose them when you capsize. Walking around barefoot might get you injured and its worse if you haven't had a tetanus jab in the last 5 years.
Sandals are better, but they still leave a large portion of your feet exposed. However, I believe they are adequate for paddling in Singapore.

If you'd like, a pair of low cut wetsuit boots only cost about $22 and can be bought at Beach Road Army Market. Avoid those with the bungee/elastic cord at the ankle. The bungee can get caught in the foot pedals of the kayak. High cut ones cost more and have a zip at the side. Sand tends to jam the zip and requires you to rinse with water to get it free, so I'd recommend low cut boots.

2. Sun Protection
This comes in the form of hat, sunglasses and sunblock.
Let's talk about hats first, they block out 50% of UV light entering your eyes, so wearing one while paddling can save your eyes!
Baseball caps with a peak in front only shield your face, leaving your ears and the back of your neck exposed.
Consider a wide brimmed hat, aka jungle hat.
Commonly found at beach road and available in all sorts of camouflage designs, black, blue and khaki.
The camouflage ones are free, for guys in the army who have e-mart credits. Hehe... The rest of us will have to part with $8 for one.

Next up, sunglasses. Not a necessity, but they block out 95% of the remaining 50% of UV rays still entering your eyes if you wear a hat.
What's more, a pair of polarized sunglasses cost as little as $20 and can be found at petrol stations with many designs to choose from too.

Ahh... we now come to sun block. How many of you actually apply sunblock before paddling? Consider Banana Boat's Sport series. They are waterproof and sweat resistant. It is best to get one with a SPF 30 rating.
$16.90 at most pharmacies.

3. Clothing
Avoid cotton, it sucks away body heat 25 times faster when its wet. Not a good thing if the weather turns foul during a kayaking expedition. Get yourself a wicking shirt like Nike's Dri-fit or Adidas's ClimaCool. Reebok has Play-dry which is cheaper at about $29.
Please don't wear singlets, they provide zero coverage and expose you to wind chill.
Event tees are now usually quick dry type, so if you participate or volunteer your services for triathlons, marathons or adventure races you can get a free shirt which you can use for paddling.

4. Hydration
Want an alterative to Nalgene bottles popular with the outdoors fanatics?

A Gatorade bottle with the slightly wider mouth is hardy and easier to clean compared to the flimsy pepsi bottles. Unfortunately they only come in 700ml bottles. At around $2 a bottle that's 10 times less than a Nalgene, plus you get a sports drink!