First Annual Fall Swimming Championships

[ScottH]

The Saline at Dierks is running at the big end of the scale (850+) which should make #2 a great wave and #3 a monster hole. It should run at this level all weekend.

I think we are going to do something I have been wanting to do for a long time. A couple of us have decided to take both play and creek boats and have some fun. Figure we will start off with the play boats and have a little throw down session, then at some point get in the creekers and try to get comfortable in uncomfortable situations . Big hole punching, deliberate power shading, Inverted surfing, trying various hole exiting techniques, and anything else you want to do. This could also lead to folks getting throw rope and boat assisted rescue practice. I plan to exit my boat a couple of times this weekend.

Water should still be warm, air temp is suppose to be around 80, video will be rolling, debriefing will happen after each “scenario” so some fun and learning should take place.

Saturday afternoon for sure and maybe Sunday as well. Come join us if your ego can handle it.

Scott

[hdh]

Carnage fest 2008...wait, thats been the stock market!!!

Adam (kayakn) might go he likes to swim!!!!!!!!!!!!

Harlan

[Fish]

Man this sounds like a heck of a lot of fun. Can't make it down though and shouldn't even if I could (trying to heal my abs up, and creekboat rodeos doesn't seem like a good way to do that!). Y'all have fun but not too much fun!

- Fish

[Ryan Center]

Dang Scott, I would love to enter this compettion. Unfortantly, I'm suffering a really bad staph infection I got the night sleeping along Boss Hollow. I was ingnoring it until it put me in the Dr's office on Tuesday.
By the way, staph SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[us75n]

Oh YEAH!!!!!!!!!

It's sink or swim....I'm in well I guise you knew that since your my ride there.

Love this place you can go a bit crazy and there are no orocks to harm aor trees to pin... just good old rodeo fun.

J

[ScottH]

Well, all you folks missed out. Ended up just Heath, James and myself playing in the big hole. Jason and Sabrina were there but did not want to play with us.


It was a liberating day. A day in which you could “Free your mind”. It was awesome and so much fun. We played about 15 minutes in #1, about 30 minutes in #2 and 3+ hours in #3. The water was warm the air temp was super nice and the hole was actually a little flushy for what we wanted to do, but still very fun.


The 3 of us went there not with a goal of throwing down our best tricks and looking “cool” for each other, but with the purpose of facing our fears and getting ourselves into situation we were uncomfortable with and learning from them. These goals were accomplished by all, and I think each of us became a little better paddler then we were before.


We started off with the playboats. James had never been in anything like this hole before. So he faced his fear of just getting in it. He got hammered the first couple of rides but soon learned how to calm down and move around in it. Even threw a few set up tricks. Heath and I have played in it several times but Heath admitted he has never been comfortable in it. And I over time have gone to just dropping in, throwing a trick or two and then getting out. I was afraid of staying in there too long, getting winded and then not being able to get out, gracefully. :roll:

After 30-45 minutes we started just swimming through the hole and jumping right into it. Then we broke out the creekboats. Punching the hole was easy and I just could not even get the Hero to plug it, so we moved on to getting into it sideways. Getting in and out took some work but we figured out different tricks. After that we started just upstreaming ourselves and loading the bow and stern on purpose. This would flip us and get us all out of position and force us to roll up in weird ways. By the end of the day we were dropping into the hole in creekboats, sideways, with no paddle. Just bare hands. :shock:

We all swam a couple of times. Some swims were on purpose, some were not. But it did not matter, It was all so fun. I had the video camera running but it ran out of battery long before we ran out of fun. I will try to edit it down to just the best hammers and moves and get it posted. But remember we are deliberately doing many of the things to ourselves.

We were at dinner by 5:15pm. We all were really starting to stiffen up as we all were complaining about being sore. I feel like I had been beaten with a rubber hose. It is a lot of work getting worked. Today my lower back is hurting, think it could be because of this?

All I can say is you missed out and life is good. Headed to the Gauley in 4 days, staying gone till after the Cheoah on October 4.

Scott

[bryanpin]

you really had me. this whole thing has to be a sham' to get us to watch your Big Awsome Creekboat Loop!

beatdown practice sounds fun, I hope I can wait and practice the beatdowns at Dierks, instead of the Gauley!

[Heath]

this had to be one ofthe best things for improveing my boating. i have always played in that hole a little, but was very timmid about swimmimg or getting worked.

Before the day was over it was pretty much what ever happened was ok. one of my worst fears in boating is holes I am not that comfortable on big water because of them. playing the hole at dierks has now helped with that issue.

I can honestly say that if anyone was concerned that the hole is dangerous they are wrong. not once did any of us get recercd after coming out of our boats, as scott said earlier we were trying to body surf the hole at times but as soon as you went under you were out.

ther is more to tell but I will let others do that

later Heath

[dcheshier]

Scott, that move was awesome! Looking forward to seeing the rest of the footage.

I was sorry to miss the swimming championships this fall. Had to work the weekend so I could have time off to be able to get away and play at the Gauley this weekend! I think that swimming (and playing?) the hole would really be a great way for me to work on my fears. Hope to get the chance next time we have warm temps and water, although some one might have to nudge me a little to get in there with my creek boat.

[jmdauf]

just flat missed this one - does anyone know how long it will be flowing?

[RandyJ]

Looping the Hero? Nice - props.

[Verno]

Sorry I missed that day, also. That hole at that level is truly a HOOT.

My 1st year paddling there, I'd jump into the "rowdy monster" knowing
I had a 50/50 chance of having to swim out. Never recirculated once out of the boat, and if I could'nt hang on to my boat, it would wash up on the beach just downstream>

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped to enhance this wonderful place.

Vernon

[CAPTAIN ALEVE]

Mitch,

It looks like the lake is dropping about 0.3 feet per day and is 5.6 feet above the normal pool level of 526. It could very well run for more than the next two weeks. Just my guess, haven't talked to anyone at the Corps.

Captain Aleve

[Fish]

Getting into a big hole you are uncomfortable with has to be the best way to improve your boating skills in a big hurry. You gain confidence, combat bracing and rolling skills, understanding of holes and how to escape them, and, yes, swimming practice.

However, I wanted to stress that you need to KNOW the hole is safe - that is that it can be easily exited by a swimmer - before you get in. Ten years ago, we used Buck-N-Flush on Lee Cr. for this purpose - a notorious keeper/beater when you were in your boat, but it let go of swimmers almost immediately. I think my personal record was five minutes of trying to exit, half of that time spent trying to roll the boat back up! Deflated egos littered the banks downstream, but physical injuries were very unlikely. Now Buck-N-Flush hole is tamed down a bunch, but the hole at Deirks serves this purpose as well. Just remember than not every hole is this friendly. I've been held underwater for longer than anyone would be comfortable with by a hole, so I just thought I'd remind folks that there are good holes and bad holes and you have to make sure you know the difference before getting in.

- Fish

[us75n]

Swim fest...
WOW...what fun this was and I am ready to go again. Like Heath pointed out the third hole at Dierks is a lamb in wolf's clothing and like Scott said it was such a good that you could not wipe the grins from our faces.
The hole had lesson after lesson to teach and lucky for it we were just dumb enough to enter the class room. After the 2 minute ride from hell that I had gone through with the multiple power shades and then watching it handle the others... life just can’t get any better than this. Now I would like to point out I thought the rule said that you entered then stay there till you swim, so I started the swimming from the play boat while the other's decided to wait for the creek boat session. Even then Scott tried to pull a fast one, by popping the back of his skirt then peeling out into a loop and ejecting from the boat(so we deducted one swim from his total). I think the official results are as follows:

First Place
Heath with 4 swims

Second Place
James with 3 swims

Third (LAST)
Scott with 2 swims and one

From all this did come some great paddle lessons on how to get myself out and how to read the water and recognize the needed skill to apply.
If anyone has ever wanted to feel what it is like to have a bull run you over, then head to Direks with your creeker and have fun.
J