Random tandem thoughts

By Bruce Kemp

Bruce Kemp

Random tandem thoughts

Tandem paddling from a FreeStyle perspective

It is axiomatic that the bow and stern work together as a team in tandem canoe paddling. Each paddler has a set of responsibilities and a repertoire of strokes, moves, techniques to execute those responsibilities. When combined, this makes for efficient and effective handling of the canoe. This is particularly true in whitewater paddling, but it is equally true with Interpretive FreeStyle.

I have two ‘mantras’, if you will, about tandem paddling – whether that be in a FreeStyle interpretive routine or in everyday paddling down some river somewhere. They are – ‘the bow paddler is running the show’ and ‘the stern follows the bow’. While here I am talking primarily about interpretive FreeStyle or paddling a ‘routine’ to music, it all applies just as much to tandem paddling in any situation.

First lessons

From the very first lessons that Anita and I took together, it was quickly and abundantly clear how very dominant the bow paddler (Anita, in our case) is in ‘running the show’, as I often put it. One of my very early, off-hand/short-hand attempts to speak of the stern’s role in forward moves went something like, “I just try to do whatever I think I need to do, or can do, to help the stern follow the arc that the bow’s describing.” It’s a bit simplistic of course, but there’s a lot of truth to it. As we progress in our ongoing learning, I try to get better at doing that in my technique and efficiency, and add what I can to that arcing with my initiations, placements, and conclusions; also try to maybe add a bit of grace or style to it. But the basic point remains – the stern follows the bow.

Disadvantage

‘Follows’ in just about every way. In some ways, for the person running the show, a bow paddler is working at some disadvantage relative to the stern paddler, at least in Interpretive FreeStyle. In a certain sense, Anita can’t see very much from where she sits – a couple of feet of the boat, and a lot of water, is about it. She (usually) can’t see me back there and, to a degree, doesn’t know what’s going on behind her.

From the stern, I can see lots of helpful things – I see the whole length of the boat (it’s easier to judge sideslips, for instance – sort of like sighting down a rifle – or see if we’re moving straight in a stroking sequence). I can also see how close the rail is to the water during a manoeuvre; I can more easily see where we are in the arcing and where 180˚ (or 225˚, or 270˚) is; and of course, I see every move she makes. These are all valuable things for a stern paddler, any tandem paddler, but Anita, in the bow, can’t much make use of them.

Much of tandem paddling is being in sync with each other. Since Anita can’t see me behind, it is up to me to match/mirror her moves as much as possible. I paddle to her cadence; catch the water when she does; recover when and how she does; match my shaft angle to hers; co-ordinate my initiations/conclusions with hers and try to match her degree of ‘oomph’ in those strokes where that matters. Almost everything is keyed off what the bow paddler is doing; it’s all synced to Anita. The stern’s following the bow.

And all of this applies just as much to reverse moves as forward. Even though the stern is ‘leading’ as we take a few strokes to get some sternway, it’s still Anita in the bow who’s mostly guiding the boat with reverse J corrections, not me in the stern. And she’s doing so without the advantage of that boat-length to sight along (she uses a shore object and our bubble/wake trail, but she lacks that useful ‘sightline’ the boat provides). Anita still can’t see me, so all of the syncing still has to come from me watching her. Even moving backwards, the stern STILL follows the bow.

Recreational paddling

As we were learning and practising the various FreeStyle manoeuvres, we realised how well the techniques transferred into our recreational paddling on rivers and creeks and the dramatic improvement in our paddling they produced. As I said earlier, It’s axiomatic that in tandem, both in FreeStyle exhibition and on the river too, you’re a Team. Bow and stern each have their tasks and responsibilities. While the more extreme elements of Interpretive FreeStyle – heeling to the rail, or 180˚ rotations, for instance – are rarely used on a stream, the fundamentals are employed all the time. And that teamwork between bow and stern is a constant.

Anita will employ one of her repertoire of strokes to get the bow moving in the direction she wants the canoe to go. In the stern, I am often able to anticipate what she will do and be ready to help facilitate that in whatever ways I may be able to, while also controlling the degree of rotation of the stern and being mindful of keeping the canoe properly aligned (‘sighting down the rifle’) for whatever is just ahead on the water. But still, for the most part, I am syncing what I do to what Anita is doing. When bow and stern are clicking, it can be a joy.