Canoeing Merit Badge Requirement 10 10 Discuss the following types of canoeing. (a) Olympic Flatwater Olympic flatwater canoeing is also known as sprinting. Sprint races usually are on a straight course, with divided lanes, on calm water. They are usually over distances of 200 meters, 500 meters, and 1,000 meters. Sprinting can be done in a canoe or a kayak. Canoe sprinters typically kneel, while kayakers sit. Sprint races include singles (one person), doubles, and four‐ person. (b) Outrigger An outrigger canoe is a type of canoe featuring one or more lateral support floats known as outriggers. Outriggers are fastened to one or both sides of the main hull. Using an outrigger can greatly increase the stability of the canoe, but the wider hull makes it slower. (c) Marathon Marathon canoe races are similar to sprints, only they cover a longer distance, typically on rivers, lakes, or open sea. The minimum distance for international races are 20km for men, and 15km for women. 1 (d) Freestyle Freestyle canoeing is the art and science of quietwater paddling. It emphasizes smooth, efficient flatwater paddling and precision boat control. Freestyle can be applied to all canoeing situations. (e) Whitewater Whitewater canoeing is the sport of paddling a canoe on a moving body of water, typically a whitewater river. It can range from simple, carefree gently‐moving water to demanding, dangerous rapids. River rapids are graded like ski runs according to difficulty, or severity, of the rapids. Grade 1 is the easiest, and grade 6 is the most difficult or dangerous. (f) Canoe Poling Poling is when the canoe is propelled by pushing against the riverbed with a pole. This should not be confused with a gondola, which is propelled by an oar rather than a pole. 2 .