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July 31, 2006

Dear EJ,

I would just like to thank you for making the video on rolling and bracing. You made it easy to understand the concepts of what needed to be done in order to be successful at rolling and bracing. Rolling was something I wasn’t comfortable with because I had a hard time putting emphasis on the hip snap when all I wanted to do was pull down on the paddle.

Just over a month ago I watched the DVD and had borrowed a friend’s Dagger to try out the techniques I had seen in my pool. While I couldn’t get the hang of rolling, bracing was a little easier. I knew that I was very interested in purchasing a 2Fun which definitely seemed to be the best boat on the market. I ended up buying a 2005 2Fun in Sacramento and watched the rolling and bracing video again to get a better idea of what exactly I needed to do once I was upside down. The results have been amazing! I would have never guessed that keeping my head down and back would have such an impact on the success of my roll. The combination of the techniques you teach and the incredible boat have been tremendous in the learning experience.

Over this past weekend I went kayaking on the Kern River and Sunday was my first experience with river running. Saturday had been a scary day for me as the water was a lot faster than the Kaweah which I had only played on twice before. I took only one warmup roll and then went down river in the park – needless to say I came out of my boat after two unsuccessful attempts at rolling. It turns out that yes, I had lifted my head. I was timid the rest of the day and played in the eddy instead of venturing out into the current.

Because of Saturday I was nervous about river running but was with a group of experienced kayakers so I knew I had a lot of support should something happen. Toward the middle of the run I hit a section of whitewater and ended up coming out of my boat because I had again lifted my head and prevented myself from a successful roll and got scared. After twenty minutes or so of bailing out my boat, I got back in and decided I didn’t want to do that again! It wasn’t until the last water feature that I got thrown upside down again and this time patience prevailed and I was able to focus on setting up right and keeping my head down and back. I ended up snapping up so hard on the first roll I went back down again, then came up a second time only to be thrown back down by the next wave. Three rolls later I was definitely happy with how comfortable I felt underwater – waiting patiently to be set up for a strong roll. A few hours later we all tried the run again and the initial section I had swam when I got scared threw me under again but I managed to wait patiently upside down until I could feel that I would have a successful setup and roll. The group I was with laughed in amazement at how far out of the water I was setting up my paddle each time.

I still need to work on bracing but feel confident about rolling in rougher waters. I’ll admit that at first I was unsure of how helpful a video would be but my boyfriend was insistent that I watch it first and I’m glad I did. After all, it was the same video that helped him learn to roll three years ago. (He recently transitioned from a 4Fun to a Super Star and loves it) Thank you for a great video and an incredible boat, I love my 2Fun and am so impressed at how well made it is compared to all the other boats. I laugh when I see other people getting out of their kayaks dripping wet from the waist down and I’m still dry! I know this was a long story but I think it’s necessary to thank you for your great work.

Sincerely,
Megan Minnich

p.s. Now I need to watch your video on river running