Canoe/Kayak

·Two types of boats are used in this sport: canoes and kayaks.

·Canoes are usually open at the top but kayaks are closed. The paddle of a canoe has one blade; a kayaker’s paddle has two.

·In canoeing you kneel on one knee， but in kayaking you sit.

·The names of the different events depend on the number of canoers or kayakers. So “C-2” means a race with two athletes in each canoe and “K-1” is a kayak race with one athlete in each kayak.

·Sprint events take place on a straight course which is divided into lanes， on calm water.

·There are nine lanes and any boat leaving its lane is disqualified.

·Slalom events take place on a course of between 20 and 25 gates， which are suspended above the water.

·Athletes must go through different gates depending if they are going downstream， or upstream.

·If a boat touches a gate it is penalized(處罰) five

seconds， and if it misses a gate it is penalized ten seconds.

·The fastest time， after adding on penalties， is the winner.

What do you know about canoeing and kayaking?

Not much， though I remember reading a poem about a native American called Hiawatha(朗費羅的長詩《海華沙之歌》的主人翁) who was very good at using a kayak.

No， canoes are usually open at the top but kayaks are closed. Also， the paddle(劃槳) of a canoe has one blade(漿片)， whereas a kayaker’s paddle has two. Also， in canoeing you kneel on one knee but in kayaking you sit.

No， no. “Calm water” means the water isn’t moving—like a lake. That’s where they hold the sprint(靜水比賽) events.

And the events where they have to go through the gates?

You mean the slalom(障礙回旋) events. They are held on moving water called “white water(激流).”

Hmm! I don’t suppose they have canoe races without paddles， do they?

No， of course not. What a funny question!

Yes， it’s just that I think Hiawatha would have been very good at that type of race.

Why?

Because in the poem it says， “Paddles none had Hiawatha， Paddles none he had or needed， for his thoughts as paddles served him.”