I like running through scenarios and team rescues with different partners, especially CLG newbies. They make interesting mistakes that wouldn't be so interesting if you were to make them in a real rescue; they also bring in new ideas and make you question your own rescue routines and philosophies. I really like how Siu Ming lets us explore and decide for ourselves what works and what doesn't. Stephen is a little more straight forward, he demonstrates and tells us how it's done, but he is also open to discuss and negotiate variations. He isn't pushy, so trainees had more room to take up the roles of leadership, instead of getting force fed information, peking-duck style. For me, this kind of learning environment works best.
I also had a chance to get to know Stephen Poon better. Funny I did a silly psycology test on facebook last night, it's supposed to match me up with a symbolic Miyazaki-anime character. I hoped against hopes that I would be matched up with Kiki the young witch, but I got matched up with Ponyo instead =_= (Why do I have to be a fish!!?) The interpretation says I'm too curious for my own good and can't help but to throw myself into adventures that are sometimes beyond my depth, the only saving grace is that I'm supposed to be, get this, "pure and innocent," so that people often come up to me and offer helps O_O
Ha! Pure and innocent my ass. I don't think I've acted innocently since my 9th b'day! But the rest seemed eerily accurate: people do come out of the blue to offer helps, no matter where I go or what I do. I had a lot of helps when I hitch-hiked Canada as a teen; I am also getting a lot of helps from fellow paddlers and hikers in Hong Kong. Today, even though I wasn't particularly hungry or thirsty, Stephen fed me water and snacks. (reminds me, a gweilo once fed me a can of soda on SK water too!) It's not a big deal, I suppose, but I've always pictured Stephen as a somewhat distant person who seldom shows interests in other's businesses. Respecting that, I also try to keep my distance and not be too rowdy when I'm in his company. So I was surprised today when he came up to me for no apparent reasons and extended his supports. He also expressed his interests in paddling TPC and checked to see if I feel up to it, that's a pleasant surprise -- because usually I have to force and coerce others to come paddle with me, in fashion similar to pulling teeth. This time, I have a willing victim :)
So I'm thinking, it's not that I'm brave to uproot myself and take up adventures on impulses; it's just that somehow, my world isn't that dangerous a place. I just happen be surrounded by nice, giving, supportive people all the time, wherever I go.
Course summary:
- Briefing, prereq-check
- stretching and launching,
- warm up (paddled to the opposite shore)
- Eskimo rescue - bow and paddleshaft, both sides, from 10m
- X-rescue, solo (CLG rescue swamed Europa) * * * Stephen commented that I should have moved the paddle out of my way when I empty the boat. I had the paddle tied to the painterline between my CLG and the europa; Stephen moved it to port side, which gets it out of my hair, and helps me balance my boat. * * *
- Bow-tow, stern carry (100m each) * * * not that it matters, but Stephen is the only trainer I've met who manages to pronounce "tow" properly. All the other coaches I've met say "tao" ^.^;;
- ABC rescues, rotate roles, discuss issues that came up. * * * my main flaw was communication. I thought I knew what to do and trusted myself to excell in every task, so that I didn't bother to talk to the other rescuers. As a result we wasted a bit of time trying to figure out what each other were doing without bothering to ask or say anything. On the brighter side, they also commented that I'm very detail-oriented.
- "dragonfly" self-rescue -- Stephen had us try to hold the kayak in draining position for at least 5 seconds, and also try to finish the routine with the rescuer on the sterndeck. I got a few really spectacular bruises from learning that move. The most painful one was jamming my right hand fingers against the handgrip as I try to reach for it while I flip the boat and throw my body onto the deck at the same time.
- Lunch Break
- One general issue in the team-rescue was that rescuer-A often had trouble negotiating his kayak when he tries to reach the patient, so we worked on boat handling and tried to come alongside a dinghy. Stephen had us practice CAS using stern rudder. Like Siu Ming, Stephen also points out that you can turn port or starboard with a stern rudder on one side. This trick must be in vogue.
- Discussion: different towing methods, towline handling, and their usages
- A long distance tow ... (to the white buoy, Stephen forbids patient to put in their oars, so I disappeared into the cockpit and tried to sleep when it was my turn to play the patient ^_^)
- Somehow we skipped the single-rescuer tred-water/ CPR rescue. Oh well.
- Break (I did a shitload of self-rescues, and taught two girls stern rudder, because they were having trouble keeping course in the wind on their tandem sit-on-top.)
- Paddled around the lake along the shore CCW once, then practiced team rescue, then paddled around the lake CW again, Stephen seems to think this helps us build up strength and endurance, which I agree are all important to a CLG rescuer, but seriously, two rounds around the lake ... that shouldn't even count towards warmup. Anyway, I then went back to practice the deep water self-rescue between the two runs, again.
- On land, we debriefed, practiced throw-line and throw-bag, went through the CLG arm signals, and were dismissed.
I also practiced rolling a few times, boy, I'm getting real rusty! I think, on top of my 20-30km routine, I also need to get some regular rolling practices going, because I don't think I'll survive a wet exit in the NZ surfs.
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