How the repetition of a single river leads to progress - Hannah Musgrove

Hi, my name is Hannah Musgrove and my blog is about how the repetition of a single river or section leads to progress and success.

When you do a river a lot of times, you obviously become aware of the nature of the water. You feel more comfortable which allows you to take more risks. If you are worrying about getting hurt or about the hazards below, you are less likely to throw a kick flip or a wave wheel. If you know about where the risks on a river are, you leave larger margins for throwing tricks and having fun. Additionally, after you do the same section a lot of times, you know where which tricks work best. You become an expert on catching specific waves and which tricks work on each wave.

On the other hand, running the same section multiple times has the potential to become risky. If you’ve already done a trick in a risky spot before, your brain basically eliminates the risk factor in your head. You think, “Well I already did it once and nothing bad happened, so what’s the worst that can happen?”. Repetition of the same section also makes you more comfortable, leading to someone maybe forgetting the danger of the river. Finally, when we get bored of the same features, we might go searching for something more dangerous, for the thrill.

So while paddling the same section many times almost guarantees improvement, it also leaves room for error.