After my 2 star experience… here comes my 3 star training.
The 3 star syllabus is challenging and you realise that you are no longer a novice kayaker struggling to keep your kayak straight. Every stroke demands some kind of tilting or edging the kayak. You also discover a new group a muscles that are aching… the torso muscles because you keep using them and the knees to edge the kayak. Capsize drill is such a norm that you can comfortably stay under water and overturned. But most importantly even if you complete this training course, it doesn’t mean that you are a certified 3 star kayaker. You have an assessment!!!!!!
So, here’s a short revision on the stuff i learnt in 3 star: New gears used: goggles + nose clip New skills to learn: Eskimo roll New Strokes: hanging draw, sculling draw, draw on the move New survival skills: towing, eskimo rescue
Of all the skills, i feel the Eskimo roll is the most challenging. Actually, i was really dejected yesterday. I simply couldn’t come up during the Eskimo roll. I capsized over 30 times …so many times, orientated myself under water, my partner helped me guide the paddle… still cannot. But then my instructors showed us the 4 star requirement and a video about it. I was inspired. I want to do what they showed me in the video… i want to surf the waves of the sea with the rougher waves… with the gush of the choppy waters all around me.
But first… hope i can blog an entry the day i can do the Eskimo roll! My instructor took 6 months to do it… i hope i also can one day!! So i left the club with an uplifted mood :D It was late and the sun was about to set along the Changi beach. So the sky colour as you can see was changing fast. I tried to catch all the shades…
Uhhh… what a way to end my 3 star training. Hope i can pass the assessment one day!