I'm sure people are DOING summer sports

[SkiBam]

I've been doing lots of kayaking (flatwater spring) with the local canoe club, training for the Canadian Masters in August. I don't think I'll ever get really good at this – need to be doing a lot more rotating but when I do, I'm afraid of tipping. Also doing canoe training; we'll likely put together our over-65 ladies' C4 again – after all, we have to defend our title as Canadian champs, which should be fairly easy if, as last year, we're the only entry! War canoe also. The coach keeps saying to "get comfortable". Personally I'd say "comfortable" and "war canoe" really can't be used in the same sentence.

 

[whitewater girl]

SkiBam, if rotating your torso when paddling leaves you feeling tippy, you need to work on "separating" your upper & lower torso - loose hips is the key! Practice rocking your boat side to side with your hips (and, yes, some complimentary thigh/leg movement) while keeping your upper body upright & still (helps if your boat has thigh braces - if not, brace your knees under the cockpit rim for this exercise...actually, if you are not bracing with your thighs/knees when paddling, it may be part of why rotating feels tippy - you want good connection with your boat when paddling with torso rotation, otherwise all that movement shifts your weight around too much)

 

[whitewater girl]

guess what I've been doing this summer? OK, as well as the whitewater, been doing some flatwater canoeing & kayaking...and teaching a new kayak student...and mentoring a couple new river patrolers (or trying to!)...camping...some light hiking too...container gardening (OK, maybe not a sport, lol)...

...keep looking at the swimming area at a local park - need to start making use of it! and the bike...and skates...and really need to get back into yoga (seriously so!)...humph, think I've got more "gotta-dos" than "done"s at the moment!

 

[Pequenita]

If your Scrabble partner has deserted you I'll play. But I've only played Words with Friends, since i'm not on Facebook.

She has me stumped right now.

But I'll play Words with Friends with you, too! How do I find you? I'm intermittent during the workday but embarrassingly available on Friday & Saturday nights.

 

[Jenny]

I'm an evening player - iPad stays at home during the work day or I'd get fired!

Screen name there is CaledoniaJenny.

 

[BackCountryGirl]

In May I took a whitewater rafting guide training course. I loved it! It was hard work, but we spent all day on the water for a week and I came out of it a registered Maine Whitewater guide!

I did that a few years ago; it was fun. I never really wanted to work as a guide. At my age, living in the Forks in a tent for the summer isn't really what I want to do, but I am so glad for the experience. Isn't it great up there?

 

[Sheena]

Lots of divas doing cool stuff this summer.

I feel like such a slacker. I felt accomplished by riding 2 miles on flat road around my neighborhood yesterday. LOL.

this is something I would love to try:
https://rockwellrelay.com/ladies-pamperfest-challenge/

But I 1) need a road bike 2) need a group. But it looks like a ton of fun.

 

[abc]

I never really wanted to work as a guide. At my age, living in the Forks in a tent for the summer isn't really what I want to do, but I am so glad for the experience. Isn't it great up there?

A lot of guides work only part time, mostly on weekends.

In fact, that's unique about Maine. Rivers down south most guides were full time guides.

 

[Pequenita]

I feel like such a slacker. I felt accomplished by riding 2 miles on flat road around my neighborhood yesterday. LOL.

Hello, you're incubating twins!! That's not slackerish!

 

[marymack]

I did that a few years ago; it was fun. I never really wanted to work as a guide. At my age, living in the Forks in a tent for the summer isn't really what I want to do, but I am so glad for the experience. Isn't it great up there?

A lot of guides work only part time, mostly on weekends.

In fact, that's unique about Maine. Rivers down south most guides were full time guides.

Haha, yes it is a very cool place to live, such fun people and a surprising amount of things to do up there if you of the go with the flow mind set (hiking, swimming, play runs on the river, bon fires). There are definitely a variety of living options that the guides use, everything from tenting (what I do since I'm only ever up there for a few days at a time), to campers, staying at Inns in town or renting cabins for the summer. BackCountryGirl, I will admit part of going through training was just a "prove that I could do it" and any work that came out of it was kind of going to be icing on the cake. So I'm very glad that I did it and hopefully will get to enjoy some time up there, but I don't think I could see myself doing the raft guide in the winter, ski patroller in the winter set up. While fun, its not exactly a recipe for financial security.

 

[SkiBam]

SkiBam, if rotating your torso when paddling leaves you feeling tippy, you need to work on "separating" your upper & lower torso - loose hips is the key! Practice rocking your boat side to side with your hips (and, yes, some complimentary thigh/leg movement) while keeping your upper body upright & still (helps if your boat has thigh braces - if not, brace your knees under the cockpit rim for this exercise...actually, if you are not bracing with your thighs/knees when paddling, it may be part of why rotating feels tippy - you want good connection with your boat when paddling with torso rotation, otherwise all that movement shifts your weight around too much)

Thanks WWG. Had a great session tonight with some one-on-one coaching, which helped a great deal. Plus the lake was dead calm (felt like skiing on the freshly groomed). I'm not sure I'm able to brace with thighs/knees – but the coach was explaining how using my legs can help balance (so a similar thing perhaps) and I could feel it. Without the proper leg action, the rotation was causing tippiness – so I feel I've had a bit of a breakthrough.

 

[geargrrl]

I don't think I could see myself doing the raft guide in the winter, ski patroller in the winter set up. While fun, its not exactly a recipe for financial security.

its great when you are 20.
Get your own gear and just go with friends. DH guided for a few years way back when. We got our first raft in 88, been "private boaters" ever since.

 

[Moongidget]

Not an official sport per se, but its so hot here I finally convinced DH to engage in some old fashioned tom foolery this afternoon. Running through the sprinklers, kiddie style.

 

[Downunder Diva]

MG... So cool literally... lurve it. You win the style award and your DH is quite the aerialist exhibiting skill in not spilling his beer! Is he more more practised than you've led us to believe . Wow... these pics of yours bring back so many memories of how to have fun with just a hose!

 

[Moongidget]

MG... So cool literally... lurve it. You win the style award and your DH is quite the aerialist exhibiting skill in not spilling his beer! Is he more more practised than you've led us to believe . Wow... these pics of yours bring back so many memories of how to have fun with just a hose!

Quite the opposite actually. Every summer when it gets this hot I beg him to run through the sprinklers with me to cool off, and he says no. Today I begged harder, cajoled and lured him in when I said we'd capture it on film. He's nutso for capturing antics on the camera. The run with the beer was his first, and when he landed the beer immediately started overflowing. He lost most of it, but it made for a super photo.