CFA: check

Yesterday was the CFA Level 1 exam.  I took it.  Or rather it took me...for a six hour ride of page turning while searching for a question I knew the answer to.  Ok, it was not really that bad, but it was still pretty up there on my list.

The minute I took the GMAT this past September my attentions turned to the CFA Level 1 exam.  My goal  was to get it knocked out this December and move on to the second test in June - we will see how that pans out.  So for the past two months I have been attempting to cram two years of Wharton undergrad.  I will say that while the material itself is not difficult the sheer breadth of knowledge required is daunting.  I have lived in the library for full days for the past months except for the occasional brain meltdown which meant that I needed a break.  I even made kayaking a second priority to this studying, frustrating my training partners and coaches.  But it all ended yesterday at 5pm.  And I celebrated!

Once I get rid of the remnants of my celebrations it is time to train and reprioritize again.

Full Seam

I have been remiss in my blogging.  I am sorry.  Life has been a little bit crazy, but I am hoping that it will soon get even crazier.

Tuesday of this week was the last day of whitewater at the USNWC.  Earlier this season I broke my boat in several different places, but chose to put off fixing them until the end of the season when I would have more time and when the boat would not proceed to be beaten against cement and possibly broken again.  My plan did not quite work out, per usual.  One of the breaks began to get worse and needed to be fixed immediately.  In an attempt to catch the last water of the season I began vigorously working on the breaks.

The first repair involved the stern, which bottom drop had decided to claim since I refuse to get outrightly thrashed there anymore.  In order to make this happen I needed to remove all of the seam tape holding the bow and deck of the boat together.  Doing this however meant that I would be exposing a previous repair.  I decided that while I was fixing the stern I should seam the entire boat.  A wise tactical decision.  But a poor life choice.  Because I did not have much time each day to devote to this project I did it in stages.  I first ground everything down.  Then I patched the stern.  Then came the day for the grandiose seaming project.  I wanted one continuous seam up to the bow where it would meet a section of tape that was in great shape and had no reason for coming off.  Long story short, in a process of trial and error I managed to develop a system for seaming the boat that was rather ingenious, if I do say so myself.  However I was greatly aided by the fact that there was no sun and that it was roughly 60 degrees at the high that afternoon.  What then proceeded to hurt me was that with the low temperatures I could not get the resin to kick (or rather for the chemical reaction that makes the resin hard and stiff to take place).  In an attempt to not use a heat gun, which makes the resin brittle, I kept working the resin slowly.  However the resin just would not kick, which meant that I could not get the seams to stay in place.  Several people gave me ideas and tried to help - Thank you Paul Manning-Hunter, John Hastings, and Marian Davidson.  Finally, I decided to very carefully bring the boat inside and work from there.  Thank goodness I finally decided to go to bed because when I woke up I had a dry boat with brand new seams to paddle for the last two days of whitewater.

Normally I love to do boat repair.  It is a meticulous process with many different answers to a problem.  Everyone has their own way and little tricks that are extremely interesting and when all put together create an awesome knowledge of how to use power tools - or not.  Having raked peoples' brains about repairs each time I have to do one myself I believe I can safely say that I repair boats infinitely better than I paddle them.  Which might also be a result of all the practice I have been getting in repairing my boats. Regardless, I wish the process of seaming an entire boat on no one.  Moral of the story: Appreciate your seams.  Keep them in tact.

Fall

It is officially fall.  When I say officially I do not mean that we are long past Labor Day or that Halloween is right around the corner.  I mean that I now have to think about what layers I am going to wear paddling, when the whitewater is going to be on, and when it is going to be light and warm enough to get effective work in.  It also means the birth of creativity and technical perfectionism.  So begins the cycle again...

This fall, this video is my inspiration!
2010 World Champ Canoe Slalom Daniele Molmenti

North Carolina Fall. PC Marian Davidson

Home Sweet Home

A few days after the US National Championships I flew home to Colorado: my home sweet home.  I came home to not only see my family, but also to reevaluate and refresh.

Both photos were captured just outside of Lake City, Colorado.  My heaven on Earth.

When I got here my Mom gave me the biggest hug ever: I LOVE you Mom!  The first thing I did after being smothered was take a big, long, deep breath of air.  Not the city, east coast, humid air.  But the good, clean, fresh western mountain air.  I was home.  Finally.  For the first time in a year.  Mom and I definitely had our bonding time: working out, reading, running errands, and seeing all of the people that I haven't seen for the past year.  It was wonderful.

I have found that it is extremely important for me to take a couple of weeks throughout the year to get out of my boat and enjoy other things.  These breaks allow me to unwind both mentally and physically.  This year was especially important.  I came home fresh off a race and having taken the GMAT.  I am also regearing to take the CFA (I will fill you in on that a little later) and head into winter training.  For now though, coming home was enough.  I loved it and can't believe I'm not staying.  Such is life, but I will come home again to stay one day.

GMAT/US Nationals

A crazy week of paddling and life has come and gone and I have failed to fill in the gaps.  My apologies for being delinquent.

Last week was a whirlwind in my attempt at taking steps forward in life.  I have been studying for the GMAT for a very long time.  Many different things side tracked my studying and I finally laid down the law and told myself that I could not leave for GauleyFest until I had taken the test and aced it.  As it turns out, bureaucracy and red tape prevented me from even taking the test before GauleyFest, so I made the executive decision to stay home and study.  I took the GMAT on Monday!  And did miserably.  Well, miserably depends on your standards.  I received a score many would kill for, but am still not satisfied.  

Tuesday, Marian and I packed up and drove to DC - four slalom boats strapped to the roof with possibly more surface area than her little Honda.  Training at the DC Dickerson course was amazing.  The water there is unique and caught me completely off guard on Wednesday morning.  I think the course plays to many of my strengths as a paddler including demanding high speed, constant movement, and a forward lean that originates from the hips.  But to the more exciting part: the race.  I did horribly, but had a blast.  I raced both a kayak and a canoe.  Definitely a first time for everything.  Thanks to Nate and Jac for letting Marian and I crash on the floor for an entire week.

And now I am home in Colorado enjoying the mountains and some much needed time with my family.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Or rather hips, knees, and toes.  I have a general question to everyone for which I would love to hear opinions, thoughts, crazy ideas, you name it.

As paddlers we know that at our best we are able to separate our upper and lower bodies and allow them to work independently, yet in tandem.  Our upper body control comes from our core.  But where does our lower body control come from?  Does it come from your hips?  Knees?  Or Feet?

This thought came about when my training partner, Marian Davidson, was watching me do a set of short courses.  After the workout she noted that I exclusively use my hips to control my lower body and guide my boat.  There was no judgment passed, just an observation made.  She also told me that she uses her knees and that most people she has watched tend to use their knees as well.

I have never thought about this concept before.  I had merely separated the two parts of my body.  Now that I think about it however, when I am kayaking I do guide the boat with my hips.  But when I am in my canoe my knees are in control.  I have talked about this topic with a couple of people, but would love to hear what other people have to say.  What else is fall training for if not to experiment with new techniques and ideas?

So let me know what you think even if it is just something interesting to play with for a few weeks.

USNWC/WK Pro-Am Hometown Throwndown for First Descents

Thanks to Chris Wing and H2O Dreams for putting together some amazing video from the Pro-Am Hometown Throwndown for First Descents.

http://worldkayakblogs.com/throwdown/2010/09/06/h2o-dreams-pro-am-video/

Everyone should also check out the First Descents website - http://www.firstdescents.org/ They are an awesome organization "committed to curing young adults of the emotional effects of cancer and empowering them to regain control of their lives by experiencing outdoor adventure therapy through kayaking, rock climbing and other outdoor adventure sports."