It’s a chicken and egg argument. If you want recognition you can't complain when you get recognition, but by the same token you can't complain no one recognizes you if you don't want recognition.
I feel boating for 95% of us is done for personal pleasure, whether paddling a Grumman aluminum canoe on a lake or running gnarly class 5+. There are some professional/top level armature canoers who are pushing the sport to new levels. It is these athletes who get the press and show the world what potentially can be done with a boat (certainly not in my hands).
In reality it is the masses that sell boats and provide the larger companies a base for expeditions, paying pro paddlers and R&D. There just is not, in my person opinion, a large client base supporting the white water canoe industry. Based on our non scientific survey it appears we don't want recognition which is fine for most of us since we all have a few screws loose and want to do our own thing.
My personal opinion is yeah it’s nice to have some factory backed recognition but I certainly don't need it. I have been paddling for years making my own outfitting and I will probably paddle for many more years with my own outfitting or some hybrid mixing of personal outfitting on a factory platform. Over in the Jackson out fitting thread I have been a major proponent of the new out fitting Jackson offers. I do like knowing some company besides dagger, 10+ yrs ago, is willing to take a stab at c1 out fitting. I feel like outfitting a k1 conversion to c1 is like dressing up your cat. Who knows what you will end up with and everyone is slightly different. Just my 2 cents.
Do we need to be recognised?
Moderators: kenneth, sbroam, TheKrikkitWars, Mike W., Sir Adam, KNeal, PAC, adamin
Re: Do we need to be recognised?
Some great answers here and I think the question has been answered quite thoroughly, but I'm sure at least one of us has more to add.
Like me.
I'll simply say that age plays a huge roll (get it?
) regarding the need for recognition. When a boater is young and is developing some gnarlly skillz, the tendency is toward competition to test and see how well one compares to his/her peers (whether it's slalom, freestyle, dancing, or whatever) and possibly win an event and get recognized in a water rag (who might write an article on this gnarlly skilled boater) and get interest from boating manufacturers who just might toss them a boat every now and then (or gear or paddles). Then there are the go-pro video adonis's'. They record almost every run they make, edit the daylights out of the footage, add special-effects then post it on facebook/twitter/flicker/etc. for everyone else to see and hopefully subscribe. Keep paddling 10-20-30-40 years and the interest becomes more about actually getting out in the boat then walking home after the day of paddling has ended. But that is more about self-recognition at this point.
My $0.02 since Krikkit asked.
Like me.
I'll simply say that age plays a huge roll (get it?
) regarding the need for recognition. When a boater is young and is developing some gnarlly skillz, the tendency is toward competition to test and see how well one compares to his/her peers (whether it's slalom, freestyle, dancing, or whatever) and possibly win an event and get recognized in a water rag (who might write an article on this gnarlly skilled boater) and get interest from boating manufacturers who just might toss them a boat every now and then (or gear or paddles). Then there are the go-pro video adonis's'. They record almost every run they make, edit the daylights out of the footage, add special-effects then post it on facebook/twitter/flicker/etc. for everyone else to see and hopefully subscribe. Keep paddling 10-20-30-40 years and the interest becomes more about actually getting out in the boat then walking home after the day of paddling has ended. But that is more about self-recognition at this point.My $0.02 since Krikkit asked.
C-boats Moderator
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
"Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing-absolutely nothing-half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."
Re: Do we need to be recognised?
I've thought about wearing a mask on the river so I'm not recognized... but I realize if I'm the only one sporting a mask everyone will know who I am.
JD