"William R. Watt" wrote in message
...

"Bob" ) writes:

"get through" as in "survive"?

More a matter of sticking to it. A lot of people discover they just
don't
have the mental attitude necessary for the sport. It really is a sport
that
is not for everyone.

Just curious but how do you tell if they don't like the sport or just
don't like the lessons? (I know which it is I like.) And how do you
know they don't keep paddling on their own after dropping out of lessons?
Does some global paddling control organization follow up them through the
rest of their lives? Big brother, stationary orbital tracking, .... ?

You can tell a lot by their response to the class river trips. Some people
are having a lot of fun. Others are petrified of everything. The second
group you tend to never run into on the river.

I guess I make assumptions based upon whether I see them again on the
rivers. Our club has a lot of trips on the schedule. Enthusiastic paddlers
usually use those trips to get out, to meet new paddling friends, and to
discover new rivers. Then, you also just run into them on the river. It's
not that big of a community, and certain rivers tend to draw crowds at
certain times. I am obviously operating on a subset of local paddlers. Those
that take lessons through the commercial operations may respond differently.
I do know that the club class I've helped with is an exceptionally
supportive environment to learn in.

Personally, I can't imagine not liking the lessons. They speed up the
learning process significantly, allowing people to paddle, brace, and roll
quickly and safely. This allow people to relax on the river, because they
know they can handle most problems early in their paddling career. They are
an excellent place to find paddlers with your same interests/inclinations. I
even know several couples who married after meeting in the classes.

Bob