Safety in Outdoor Adventure Activities
How oft, in spirit, have I turned to thee,
O sylvan Wye! thou wanderer thro’ the woods,
How often has my spirit turned to thee!
William Wordsworth
Introduction
Within the vacillations of the framework for environmental adventure education, it is of extreme importance that the instructor/evaluator be able to integrate the predetermination of participants into their scheme or objectives. In this way, the student guides the instructor into lines of necessity as well as the instructor laying ground rules for the future participation in outings or events. Additionally, the achievement protocol must become based entirely on the mental success of students as well as the substantiation of their prideful focus on these activities. The only growth potential for a student participating in adventure activities comes from the assimilation of new techniques and the mitigation of challenging evidence to the contrary of their own prideful and successful belief structure.
Environment
Prior to the approach of adventure travelers into this unique world of kayaking, it was important to access the environmental affecters which might change or determine the course of participation. Particular evaluations made prior to the event inception include the legislative comprehension, evaluation of the weather and potential natural events, and the ability to access the area of travel.
Legislation: Obviously, it is of significant import to determine if the government regulates any particulars of a given activity. In this situation, it was determined through research of the location, contact with the governing authority, as well as research via the internet, that there was no mitigating legislation which might inhibit our participation.
Weather: Secondly, it was of high import that on the morning of our event that I evaluate the current weather forecast in order to determine the propensity for travel during our given timeframe. Fortunately, on this day, there was only a ten percent change of rain and no other signs of negative influence on our journey. It was, however, an interesting indicator of the success for future adventure travel that the frequent variations in weather could potentially inhibit the safe travel and passage of my guests.
Accessibility: Finally, the ability to access the chosen area was necessitated by the current stratification of river bodies which occupy the housing of exclusive clubs and organizations. In this particular scenario, integration with the Wey Kayak Club offered ease of access into the determined junction and we were able to put in our kayaks without problem or negative event.
Safety
As the group set out for the kayaking expedition, it was the integral safety of this particular activity which was at the forefront of our situation. The Kayaks loaded onto our transport, my mind returned to the analysis which I had conducted prior to embarkation and the results propelled us forward. Significantly, the most important factors which would affect this expedition were the abilities of the adventurers, the quality of the equipment, and the pattern of the river.
The Adventurers: In this particular exercise, due to the beginner requirements of the River Wye, there is minimal training which must occur prior to integration into the waters. However, several basic skills must be mastered for the particular possibility of catastrophic events. These include the ability to rollover one’s Kayak in still water and the ability to paddle, determined by the comfort level of the user to rotate from control to free hand and integrate this motion into actual events.
Equipment: Obviously, the choice of equipment for beginner kayakers was essential to the experience of the adventurer as well as the integration of their skills into the required exercises. This choice was made based upon the structural stability of the craft, the ease of maneuverability, and finally, the portability based on weight. For this project, we chose the recreational kayak, as regardless of distance upon the river, the necessity of a touring, whitewater, or downriver kayak was not insinuated. It was through the simplified maneuverability and average weight of the recreational model was perfect for beginners.
River Topography: Essential to the affectation of a safe and enthralling kayaking expedition are the dynamics of the river traveled. Through careful analysis of entry and exit point, including the portability of the equipment, the expected encounter of rapids, and the re-transportation of the kayaks to the vehicles, essential standards were established for the decided location for participation. The unique makeup of the Wye river as topographically without rapid intervention, as well as the sustained current and comfortable beginner training area made for a well participated journey. Near the A3 just off of the Riverside Guildford offered a unique put in area, and nearly five miles downriver, there sat our retrieval vehicle for our expedient return.
Participants
Obviously, the essential integration of diverse participants into the leisure industry is entirely reliant on the ability to create and perpetuate the inclusion of exciting and varied events. Additionally, it is through the one on one coaching that the student may become inspired to the revision of pre-determined tactics. In terms of the kayaking exercise, it was essential for me to establish my own flow and abilities prior to begin to coach the ladies with their approach. Therefore, through acceptance of their instructor’s usefulness, students will continue to find their challenges lurk in personnel as well as their susceptibility to the norm when it should be through the modification of corporate structure that corporations actively seek out success.
Skill/Behavior: This critical area of adventure evaluation determined the extreme tasks undertake by our group of participants. It was essential for our success in this event that my perception prior to water immersion was integrated with the information provided by the group. Of those participating, there were two kayakers in particular who were at a significant disadvantage to the others, having neither paddled in placid nor rapid water. It was my primary objective to identify their weaknesses and instruct their advance in the tactics for water safety and effective technique. As I, myself, was challenged by the opportunity to move from test cycle to natural environment, it would become prudent that my water skills be tested and personally approved prior to leading the expedition downstream.
My noticeable flaw was my inability to maintain a consistent paddling rhythm, resulting in a circular motion unbefitting of an instructor. Through readjustment of my grip, from tension upon the control hand and an integrated relaxed method of my free rotating hand, I was able improve greatly within the first few minutes of water immersion. Ultimately, when kayaking, your control hand must hold the shaft with the knuckles lined up with the upper edge of the blade. The opposite hand now has the ability to relax and rotate. Importantly, one hand must release slightly from the paddle during strokes or the grips will be in direct opposition to each other’s movement. As my students watched my struggle, and eventually my success, their confidence was additionally improved and paddling techniques became more fluid and effective. It was essential to the group safety that this establishment of technique be a priority, regardless of the anxiousness of the more proficient participants.
I also noticed a particular flaw in several group members as their challenge of interactivity within the integrated setting set them off on tangents which drove their progress too far downstream. This safety risk and particular avarice to my instruction demonstrated a need for adaptable discipline, and as I coached them on their group progression, I showed group reintegration and the affectation of a common goal of the waterway traverse.
Confidence Development: Of particular importance to the adventure sports leadership is the response by participants to the activities and circumstances of their journey. The unique ability to watch as my group utilized peer support in order to affect skill development, coupled with the integration of a common objective was highly inspiring. I realized that as I utilized my maneuvers to coach and develop participants, they in turn were able to break away in order to perpetuate the growth of others. It was through this interaction that the group developed significant self-confidence, as their skills and application of environmental integration offered a high standard of pride and personal affectation.
As students were able to finally overcome the challenge of task integration into a mentally perceived practice environment, their speed, dexterity, and skill all became more proficient and inspired. In fact, their skills were excitedly exploited during one course of a set of small rapids as student participated in a group attempt to enact an individual rollover at the base. The perception was that through the group collaboration, in spite of the danger or challenge, that each student would be able to descend the current, come to a halt with a ? rotation spin, and cause themselves to flip over at the base of the rapids. They would then utilize their skills and technique previously acquired to upright themselves, and if there was in fact difficulty, I sat by, ready to rescue any stranded paddler.
Finally, the exit point offered a unique affectation of success to all participants, as they landed and exited from the soft current, renewed and rejuvenated in their decisive attempt to improve their mastery of a world sport. The integration of cultural pride into their own personal appropriation of skill and success substantially imbibes their demeanor with a noticeable happiness and achievement. This ability to watch all participants exit the water with jocular praise and ebullience was not only enjoyable but invigorating for me, as I knew that my attention to safety and the detail elements of this adventure were securely rooted in my learned skills and teaching abilities.
Takeaways
The significance of the appreciated takeaways during this adventure outing will be integrated into my future teaching and leisure travel techniques. It will become essential that I remember particulars of this event in order to further my own comprehension of the inspirational power of personal achievement. Additionally, I will continue to focus on the training techniques which I utilized during this outing and will modify to affect growth in future interactions.
It is essential to the success of future endeavors that the location of integration for any type of adventure group be established, evaluated for potential challenges, and cleared by the government legislation of that particular area. Additionally, while not addressed during my study, the group appreciation for this area will be determined by their ability to interact successfully with their environment, therefore, I will consider the challenge of engagement as a personal goal in all future endeavors. The integration of participants into the particulars of the environment becomes a unique opportunity to actualize individual affectation within the activities.
Similarly, it will become a personal objective to hone the skills unique to the event or venue optioned for integration into leisure travel management. This means that regardless of the outdoor activity, my own integration into the abilities required will continue to positively affect the morale and abilities of my students. People who decide to involve themselves in group outdoor activities are most likely not experts in that particular field, and therefore, they look for support from their leader to determine the path to success.
Conclusion
The utilization of outdoor entertainment for physical and mental challenge has become a highly integral industry in the field of hospitality and leisure. It is therefore of specific import that the technician of such events be able to strategically evaluate the potential for success through the location, abilities of the participants, and the environmental affecters. It is key to the confrontation of individual challenges that the instructor find the ability to effectively communicate objectives and strategies to his participants, in addition to encouraging individual growth and participation. Only through the full integration of the mindset and acceptance of activity, will the students find their experience not only rewarding but a stepping block for future challenges. And through the dissolution of mental blocks to the challenge framework, it is possible for the instructor to inspire great internal growth and a spectacular inclusion of a set of new and varied skills and abilities.
