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Greg Stamer, 46, is the
president and founder of Qajaq USA, the
American chapter of Qaannat Kattuffiat ( the
Greenland Kayaking Association). Greg has
enjoyed exploring kayaking for almost 20
years. Greg is a prolific writer of
Greenland-style technique, and travels
world-wide to teach. Although Greg is a very
vocal proponent of the Greenland-style, he
is careful to avoid proselytizing; "kayaking
to me is all about freedom, and a large part
of that freedom is picking the methods and
skills that you enjoy, while giving others
the same consideration and respect".
Greg started learning Greenland-style skills
in 1988 and credits the late kayak
historian, John Heath, and six-time
Greenland champion Maligiaq Padilla, as his
primary mentors. At the time, instructors
teaching these techniques outside of
Greenland were few, and Greg learned the
skills on his own from studying videos by
John Heath. "I would draw the starting and
finishing positions of the rolls on a
waterproof tablet and work out the mechanics
on the water. It wasn’t until I attended a
week-long training camp in Greenland, in
2000, that I discovered that many of my
techniques needed refinement. I had a lot of
work to do, but it was amazing to learn from
the Greenlanders in the strikingly beautiful
fiords near Nuuk, the capital city".
In 2000, when the Greenland kayaking
championships were first opened to
"outsiders”, Greg was among the first to
participate. In Greenland he met fellow
participant Harvey Golden, and the two have
remained close friends. "The first
competition was especially interesting
because we weren't 100% sure of the schedule
or what would be demanded of us. It really
took a leap of faith". The Greenland
competition lasts one week, is physically
demanding, and covers many kayaking skills
-- much more than rolling. Greg won his
overall age-group, including the individual
rolling event for his age-group. Hehi
returned to Greenland to compete
successfully again in 2002 and looks forward
to visiting again. “I have remarkable
memories of the people, the culture, of
going on a seal-hunt, of spectacular ice
formations and of having whales surface
close to my kayak. I would love to paddle a
large portion of the SW Greenland coast,
learning from kayakers, including old
seal-catchers along the way".
When asked what attracted
him to traditional kayaking, Greg responds,
"I'm a minimalist and love the Greenland
philosophy of working with the water, using
balance and finesse rather than force.
Although I do consider Greenland-style
kayaking to be a “wet sport”, there is much,
much more to Greenland-style than just
rolling or playing in the water. These
elegant, sophisticated paddles are
well-behaved and easy to control in even
appalling wind conditions. Their shape is
all about form, ergonomics and function.
They are very powerful when used with good
technique. I expect to see their popularity
continue to grow among all skill levels,
including for expedition use".
"The fascinating culture and history behind
traditional kayaking adds incredible
richness and depth. Imagine a culture where,
not so very long ago, someone was largely
judged based on his or her kayaking ability.
There is still a tremendous amount for sea
kayakers today to learn from these
"professional kayakers””. Greg really gets
excited when he talks about
cross-pollination of ideas among kayakers of
all disciplines. "It's fascinating to
compare the Greenlander's techniques and
solutions, with what is normally taught
mainstream. It’s very easy to overlook
alternative solutions, particularly for
things that we learned very early in our
kayaking education. As a simple example,
instead of “hanging a knee” to lean the
kayak into the wind to combat weathercocking,
the kayakers in Nuuk simply shift their
weight toward the windward side of the
gunwale to passively lean the kayak. This
enables you to paddle in perfect comfort and
symmetry. Brilliant, and so simple! There
are many more such gems of information to be
learned".
Greg has recently taken a leave from his
corporate job to pursue other interests,
including longer trips. "The first few
paddle-strokes at the start of a new trip
quickly blend into the strokes from my last
trip, as if there was no interruption in
time between them. All trips become one
continuous kayak journey. Although I have
made many multi-week trips (including the
spectacular Pukaskwa area of Lake Superior),
I am excited to now have some time to plan
much longer trips. Freya Hoffmeister and I
are teaming up for these adventures, please
stay tuned for more details"!
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