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===== didn' we talk about this? =====

**Reivers Dustin** \\
02/20/17  #20692

What I would like to know is how do you not paddle behind or next to someone if you are both going the same place?  Pretty much one guy will be ahead and the other guy behind, right?  Is there some reason the guy behind needs to go visit his aunt martha a few feet over?  Just so he doesn't disturb the front guy's inner harmony?

Some of you kids need to have paddled next to david back in the day.  LB you should drag up that phot-shopped image of David in his battleship.  Not to bruise anyone's tender self image, but dang guys.  There is not a race EVER that had no drafting.  It can't be done, I don't care how many rules you write.  When Joost did world marathon's he came back with some stories about how abusive other paddlers get.

One of my early races was in Dease Slough just across the border.  I was dicing really hard with these two really cute girls in a pro-boat.  We came up to the bridge piling under Hwy 99 there and these gals tried to KILL me.  If I didn't want to drown I had to give way.  After the race I talked to them.  You know, being the smooth guy I am, I said, "uhgn,  ...you know you gals race kinda tough up here. ... hehe."  They smiled so nice and laughed and said, "yeah boy.  what were you out there doing?  It's a race!"

Then there was a Whatcom Classic and I had set up great behind an OC-2.  Another OC-2 worked up alongside and used their amma to squeeze me off my ride.  I was hot.  I thought I would go hard and show these guys.  Instead I blew up trying to hang with them.  Found out later they were world class paddlers.  Here's the thing about that.  I had it in mind to flip their amma and dump them.  The problem with that plan is that they were probably good enough to come back from it and cause me some trouble later.

Get LB to tell you about drafting Greg B. in a big race, where they tried to knock him out with tree branches.  And then when he saves their paddle for them they don't say like, "awefully good of you, what?"  "thanks ever so much", ... more like here's a sand bar, let see you break off your rudder.

You guys making a thing out of drafting need to talk to one of the big dogs.  I guess it matters when you gain advantage from a boat out of your class.  More important: I really value sportsmanship.  Especially around newer paddlers.  However, some of the talk coming across is a lot like whining.

hmm.  was that a rant?  did I kinda go off there?  sorry guys.  but dang.  there's no crying in paddling!!!!

rd
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