Okay, so you’re pretty sure you don’t want anything to do with Competition… that’s understandable! But have you thought about maybe just showing off what you’ve learned, at whichever event you’re attending? Or take it a step further, and add a whole new dimension of FUN to your paddling? Then Exhibition is for YOU!!!
There are plenty of requirements for Competition that simply don’t apply to Exhibition… Let’s look only at what you need to know, to do an Exhibition-Level performance.
First and foremost, understand that you’ll be paddling in front of an audience that is incredibly supportive! Nobody’s going to throw anything at you, and the enthusiastic cheers and applause will be a great boost for your confidence! The phrase, “Friendly Audience” is an understatement… trust me! Remember when you were a kid, and you really didn’t want your Mom or Dad at your first ball game or band concert, but in the end, you were really glad they were there? It’s a lot like that… Nobody is expecting you to rail the maneuvers; people are happy to see your paddling skills progress. Best of all, even the top Competitors will applaud your efforts!
Everybody remembers their first attempt at Exhibition… getting started can take a leap of faith, but remember, we’re all friends! We’ve all been there, done that, survived & lived to tell about it! Once you start the routine in front of the audience, you’ll be pretty focused on the music and your canoe, and won’t really hear much of anything else anyway… Also note that the Wisconsin, Adirondack, and Midwest Symposiums have classes you can take, to work with someone who can really coach you through to whatever level you like.
So what do you need to do? Not much, really…
Starting at your “home field,” pick a piece of music that you like a lot, and paddle along with it. Having an MP3 or CD player in a waterproof container is advisable! As you paddle along with the music, find those places in the music where a maneuver seems appropriate… and start playing with it! Pick maneuvers and linkages that you find easy at first, and just paddle around, doing those. You’ll end up with a big grin, and you’ll say something like, “Oh… THAT was cool!” After a few more turns, you’ll be saying “I’m going to try this…” Then you’ll know you’re hooked!
Even if you don’t want to do exhibitions, paddling to music can be a helpful tool to improve your paddling skills, and make your strokes more rhythmic and fluid when you connect maneuvers in your every day paddling. It’ll help you feel comfortable with the maneuvers, and with linking those maneuvers. You’ll be doing maneuvers without even thinking about doing them!
Paddle with your music selection a lot! Get to really know it, and get to know what you can do with it. Once you get to an event that has an Exhibition, you don’t have to remember where each maneuver goes in the music… you can make it up as you go along, and nobody will know the difference!
You will need to fill out the Announcer Form, which tells the MC what to say when it’s your turn to Exhibit. It’s attached below… if there are parts of it you’d rather not fill out (hometown, whatever), leave them blank; nobody’s going to get worried about it. Don’t leave too many blanks, though… that gives the MC room to improvise… all in good fun, of course…
You need to provide the song, in mp3 format ONLY, on a USB drive, and the song must be the ONLY file on the drive; our PA system does not have a search function, and searching for anything takes too long, in any case. If you’re not sure about putting it on a USB drive, you can email it to Event Organizers several days before the event (preferred), or bring the CD to the Comp Committee folks the day before the Exhibition.
If your music is a file on your cellphone or other media player, send it to a computer where it can be moved to a USB drive.
If the music is from an internet music service (not saved as a file on the phone) there is no file! Also there may not be internet service at the event location! You must put the music on USB prior to arriving at the event.
Put your USB drive in a zip-lock bag with your name on it, fill out your Announcer Sheet, and hand it to whoever’s collecting them, preferably by the evening before the Exhibition. Late arrivals can usually be accommodated, but it’s easier for the Crew to organize the program, and especially to do their behind-the-scenes work, if they have some advance notice.
That’s about it!
As opposed to Competition, there are NO compulsory maneuvers for Exhibition, and you DO NOT need to have a pre-arranged and practiced routine, though if you do have that, it’s perfectly okay. If (like me) you have a hard time remembering which maneuver you were supposed to do next, you can either have your routine on paper in the boat with you, or just make it up as you go along!
As you progress in paddling to music, you may want to develop a routine. That’s not as difficult as you might think… it doesn’t have to be all that fancy, just let it develop as you go, write maneuvers down along with the lyrics, and see if you can start following the layout. Having a knowledgeable coach nearby helps. This is where the fun really ramps up! You’ll be bound only by your imagination, and the more you paddle to your music, the more boundless your imagination will be!
One last thing to note… Not all of our events have Exhibitions (Pine Barrens usually does not), but other events may have FreeStyle Demonstrations, which are like mini-Exhibitions. These include the Western Pennsylvania Solo Canoe Rendezvous, and the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association’s Upper Great Lakes Regional Assembly. Other events may happen to include some FreeStyle work, as well… keep an eye on our Events page!
That’s all! As an added feature, you’ll find out how much fun paddling with music, and Exhibiting, can be!