Paddlers must simply avoid running rapids too nasty for their skill level. My first one was at a big race in Carlton, Minnesota, in '93. I wasn't quite ready to be racing on such big water, and I admit I was scared. That was my first problem. Without an aggressive attitude, the river will defeat you every time.
Kayak racing is power, focus, skill, control, and attitude all rolled up into one.
I love it. At the bottom loomed a huge, nasty hydraulic closely resembling the recirculating white froth seen at the bottom of a large dam. As I started to clear the lip of the drop, I caught sight of the churning froth awaiting me below, and my stomach began to churn with it. Holding my breath, I tried to punch through the hole with a powerful stroke. But it was like trying to go through a brick wall.