{"id":22689,"date":"2020-04-15T10:00:03","date_gmt":"2020-04-15T17:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/community.nrs.com\/?p=22689"},"modified":"2020-04-15T13:15:37","modified_gmt":"2020-04-15T20:15:37","slug":"my-roll-broke","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.nrs.com\/duct-tape\/2020\/04\/15\/my-roll-broke\/","title":{"rendered":"My Roll Broke"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we towed the boat in, my friend (a very competent Class IV paddler) sat drenched and wide-eyed on shore. She thanked us, stated how \u201cnot okay\u201d the swim was, and then said with defeated and shaky resignation, \u201cMy roll\u2026 it\u2019s broken.\u201d<\/p>\n

Later that evening, I listened to her rationalize why she shouldn\u2019t kayak anymore through a succinct outline of supporting evidence\u2014from her perspective.<\/p>\n

It went like this: Last fall, she had acknowledged insidious trouble with her roll. The next spring, she was consciously taking it slow, practiced rolling a lot, went to friendlier waves and stretches of river, everything one would think to do to cure a troubled roll. But despite all that, here she sat today after another \u201ccompletely uncalled for\u201d swim in \u201cflat water\u201d behind a wave, during the swell of spring\u2019s high water. So the \u201crational\u201d conclusion was to say goodbye to kayaking and call it. \u201cNot being able to roll as an intermediate\/advanced kayaker is just not okay<\/em>,\u201d She said. After all, there are lots of other things to do out there, and swimming frequently \u201croyally sucks.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Ultimately, there is no reason for the \u201cmy roll broke\u201d phenomenon. To clarify its definition, it should be noted that this phenomenon happens after having a solid roll. You\u2019ve had it\u2014for a day, a year, a decade, three decades\u2014and then, one day\u2026it\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n

While it doesn\u2019t happen to everyone, it happens more than you would think, and it feels completely demoralizing, frustrating, stifling, confusing, and really<\/em> embarrassing.<\/p>\n

Personally, I\u2019ve experienced a couple of broken roll stages in my kayaking career, each lasting various lengths of time. The first happened when I was nineteen, just back from taking a semester off and spending it on the Futaleuf\u00fa River in Chile.<\/p>\n

I began to learn to kayak when I was twelve, growing up going a couple of times a year with family, and then finding my own groove with kayaking friends in college. During my freshman year, one of the guys I paddled with came back from a spring break trip to the Futaleuf\u00fa River, and after seeing a short video of the insanely blue waters and non-stop waves, I decided right then and there I had to go.<\/p>\n