April 2015 Bulletin

Dear Members and Friends,

It's exciting to see the snow melting and to know that paddling season is very near. Schedules for upcoming courses, day trips, camping trips etc. are now on our calendar with more being added almost daily. If you'd like to take a peek, you may see the calendar here. You'll also find the calendar under the "events" button on the club's website. Please note, some dates may be subject to change this early in season.

We're also excited that our new promotional post cards have arrived... be sure to ask for some when attending any of this month's events. They're a great way to introduce your friends, neighbors and/or relatives to Fundy Paddlers Club.

Also, not to be missed, Tom Raithby, a FPC member and photographer, will be our special guest speaker at this month's Club Meeting on April 21st. at the usual place, the Interpretation Center in Rockwood Park (See "On the Calendar for April" below for details). All are welcome. Feel free to bring a friend!

I mentioned only a few things happening this month so please be sure to scroll down this page have a peek at "On The Calendar for April" bulletin. :)

Looking forward,

Jayne Brawn Vandenberghe

Communications Chair, Fundy Paddlers Club Inc.

On the Calendar for April:

April 18th - LIFE LINE (Now Full)

As most of you know, FPC & Outdoors NB are jointly presenting LIFE LINE to FPC members and the public. We asked folk to RSVP this event as we can only house 40 attendees in the Interpretation Centre... It will be a full house and Jeremy has had to turn folk away this past week. If you said you were going but now cannot, please let Jeremy know on the Event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/763393333767853/), so that he can make room for others.

SARTECH Sergeant Ben House and JRCC Coordinator Donnie Billard will be providing information everyone on the water should know.

Safety presentation will include:

How Canada's rescue system works
How to increase your chances of survival and being found
Safety and emergency gear

Safety and emergency gear will be available on site for personal demos. A draw will be made for a 200 Lumin LED Lenser P5R Flashlight... be sure to get your ticket upon arrival.

April 18th - Hammond River - Canoe Day Trip

NOTE: Tentative until further notice. Day trip depends on weather and river conditions. An announcement will be made via email, on the website calendar and FPC facebook group.

Canoeing Skill level (equivalent experience): Intro–MW or Intermediate-Lake

Trip Risk Category: RG3

Activity Officer: Maurice Pigeon

April 21st - FPC Club Meeting - Photography On The Water

When: Tuesday, April 21st, 6pm-9pm (NOTE: Date has changed to Wednesday, April 29th)

Where: Rockwood Park Interpretation Centre

Admission: Free; everyone welcome, bring a friend

Not to be missed! Tom Raithby, FPC Member & Photographer, will be our guest speaker at this month's club meeting. This will be a presentation about capturing those special moments (and they are all special moments) on the water.

The images we capture help us share our stories and celebrate the great adventures we find in our travels. Whether it’s on Social Media, home videos or photos on the wall, pictures and videos are a great way to help our friends and family celebrate our adventures with us. And when the boats are resting under the snow or up high in the shed, it’s a chance to re-live a bit of the excitement in the warmth of home.

Tom will have a couple boats set up to demonstrate his approach to attaching cameras to canoes and kayaks. He’ll be sharing ideas on getting the angles and some tips and tricks about protecting the gear.

As he talks about shooting video and photos from boats, he’ll have a few slides as examples and a video to play on the projector.

Refreshments and snack will be served after the presentation. Hope to see you there!

April 25th - In Pool Canoe/Kayak Rescue Clinic

When: Saturday, April 25th, 12pm-4pm

Where: Saint John High School Pool

Instructors: Karen Vanderwolf and Jeremy Cline

Cost: $10 for FPC Members, $25 for Non-Member (Waiver must be signed)

The Fundy Paddlers Club invites members and guests to join Training Officer Karen Vanderwolf for an In Pool Canoe Rescue practice and VP of Kayaking Jeremy Cline for Solo and Assisted Kayak Rescue practice at the Saint John High pool.

This is a BYO boat affair although Jeremy and Karen will each have a boat (kayak & canoe) there for some to use.

Remember, an annual membership is just $15 per person ($20 per family) and it gives access to reduced price training, discounts at local retailers and best of all you have access to organized club activities (no more paddling alone!).

Please RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/952396088106761/

Just a Reminder - Club Dues are Due!

Time to send in your dues if you haven't already. Same rates as last year: $15 individual ; $20 family/household. Everyone - those renewing and new members - need to download and sign the waiver. (Printed applications will be available at the next Club Meeting, April 21st)

Download the club waiver and application here.

Fitness For Paddlers

With paddling season just around the corner, paddlers are often thinking about beginning a fitness routine to develop better stability and strength through the core, shoulders, back, and chest. Today's paddle fitness lesson is about torso rotation:

What is torso rotation?

Torso rotation is critical to paddling success. As instructors, we talk about it all the time. But what does it really mean, what causes it to happen, and most importantly how do you train for it?

Let’s start by defining where torso rotation comes from. When most people hear “the core” in relation to their bodies, they instantly think of the abs. While your abs are one part of your core, they’re just one part. The core of your body is composed of the lumbo-pelvic-hip complex and all of the muscles that attach to it. That means you’re dealing with muscles including the abs (rectus abdominis, transversus abdominis, and obliques), spinal erectors, chest, latissimus dorsi, hip flexors, glutes, and more. You’re using all of the muscles of the midsection of your body with exception of the extremities. These muscles are responsible for support all basic movement of your body. They keep you sitting upright in your seat. They keep you from collapsing as your walk. They’re responsible for bending, flexing, extending, and yes, rotating.

Now, let’s talk about what torso rotation looks like in a paddling situation. Picture yourself in your boat, eyes fixed forward and shoulders solidly positioned remaining perpendicular to your boat. You’re paddling hard, but all the power is coming from your arms. Now, picture yourself in the boat and placing the right side blade in the water at the 2 o’clock position. Rather than leaning forward to dip the blade to the water, you turn your body, from the waist up to increase your range of motion. The blade sinks into the water, but instead of just pulling with your arms you keep a slight bend at the elbow and rotate your right shoulder toward the stern while the left shoulder moves toward the bow.

That’s torso rotation in action. You’re using the power of the large muscles of your midsection to create your paddle stroke rather than the small muscles of your arms. Training for more efficient torso rotation involves a combination of activities to improve flexibility and exercises that load the body when performing that type of movement.

Here’s a quick and easy test. Grab a broomstick for this test.

Start by sitting cross legged on the floor inside an open door frame and facing the frame
Place the broomstick across your shoulders with your arms draped over the stick
Without moving your legs, rotate your shoulders as far as you can with your goal being to get the stick to hit the door frame

If you can get to the door frame, you have pretty decent trunk flexibility and mobility. If not, you’ll want to work on improving your these areas to help you use your core effectively. A strong core without good flexibility and mobility will always limit your movement.

Please let us know if you found this Torso Rotation instructional helpful.