Stay healthy forever. Period.

Around the world, paddling is considered to be a "sport for life." What does that mean? Well, it means different things for different people.

Paddling within the context of a team environment can teach your child discipline, personal responsibility, proper nutrition, work ethic, and life skills such as dealing with adversity. He or she can learn how to compete against oneself even as they learn how to compete with others at regattas and the like. And you never have to worry about your child having time to get into trouble!

Once those years are behind you, paddling can be a source of a healthy heart, strong muscles, flexible joints, and a strong social circle. These are the reasons I am such a proponent of the sport. It's wonderful to see my peers here at Lanier learning to paddle these boats, paddling team boats, and just hanging out. Strong friendships begin on the water and are fortified every time the group sets out onto the lake.

The club once had the gift of being coached by Olympian Shelley Oates-Wilding and her world class hubby Guy. They are from Australia, and that accent sounded like music to all of us. Anyway, Shelley was amazing. The first thing she taught us is that you take what you're given and go from there. She had been an elite runner, but her knees were pretty much destroyed, so she sat in a kayak. Voila! Instant Olympian! Well, not instant. You know what I mean. In the year to come, she also taught us "Wherever you look for an excuse, you'll find it." And "If you can believe it, you can be it." Lots of wisdom like that. Loved them. The ASPIRE
philosphy. More on that in future posts.

I had a student last year named Mr Church. He was right around 75 years old. First class it took me about 15 minutes to get him into the boat because he couldn't bend his knee. After that we had it figured out, but the point was he wanted to be in the boat, on the water. Replacement hips, knees, you name it. Once you are in the boat, you are on a level playing field with the rest of us. Once you begin moving the boat, joints are working, heart is pumping, lungs are breathing....you are improving your health and state of mind. Just like that.