22 Trial Lawyer • Spring 2022 By Derek Johnson OTLA Guardian Reach. Catch. Power. Release. Recov- ery. At its most basic, paddleboarding is a dance with five steps. If the stroke was the most important part of paddleboarding, you could just master those five steps and glide off to paddling enlightenment. Well, no. The heart of paddling is the stoke, not the stroke. Sure, some paddlers get into racing or endurance contests, but for most of us paddling is a beautiful, chill way to get out and move our bodies in nature. The stoke comes from doing, not from winning. As a wannabe surfer, the first time I saw paddlers I was inspired. Here was a way I could catch waves and explore the surf, travel to exotic islands, and camp on the beach. Nope. It turns out that Derek Johnson most of my paddling is on flat water around Eugene. Nevertheless, that first surfing vision was the hook. For some beginners, standing on a board on liquid is intimidating. It never was for me. I love the water —ocean, lakes, rivers. And I knew the worst thing that could happen is that I would fall in and get wet. On my first adventure in the bay at Santa Barbara, I did just that, over and over again. When I finally found a board that was stable in the slow rollers, I bought it right then from the shaper’s Quonset hut one block from the beach. Balancing act One of the beauties of paddling is there are so few barriers to entry. You can rent the gear, the water is free, and with a little encouragement and a couple tips, off you go. And if balancing doesn’t come easy to you, just sit on the board and chill. You’ve probably heard of “work-life balance.” If there is any activity to which the phrase applies, it is paddleboarding. Hard to avoid the obvious metaphor. Balancing on the board requires relaxed, accepting, focus. Relaxed so your body doesn’t fight or overreact to every ripple and accepting of the limits of your control over water, wind and tide. Just staying upright demands enough attention there is no psychic space for check lists, scheduling worries or depo prep. That first board I bought in Santa Barbara was a hard board made of carbon fiber and fiberglass. One reason I love having a hard board in my garage, in contrast to an inflatable, is because it is so easy to go from office to water– no unpacking or pumping. I can shed the office, toss my board on the rack and arrive at my local water in 15 minutes. I slip the board into the canoe path by Autzen Stadium, take two strokes, and the willows, cottonwoods and creek side reeds provide green sanctuary. The only confrontations I have to worry about are territorial red-winged black birds dive bombing me from their nesting sites on the bank. When I’m done, I can strap the board on my car and be at the local brew pub quaffing an IPA while my friends with inflatables are still deflating. Paddlers share the water with other watercraft like kayaks and canoes. Better yet, we share it with a lot of wildlife like geese, great blue herons, mallards, the odd king fisher and beavers. I even paddled around with a family of otters on the canoe path one late evening as the sun set and they began hunting. The curious pups kept popping up right next to my board. Fellow paddlers have been universally friendly and welcoming. Paddling is accessible to people of all ages, fitness levels and athletic ability. You probably ought to know how to swim, but you don’t really even need to stand up. I’ve shared water with lots of folks kneeling or sitting and drifting right PADDLE ONWARD
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