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Discourse of Whitewater

What is a discourse community?

A discourse community can be anything. From a group learning to play guitars, written
about by Dan Melzer, to a group of kayakers on the river. They all share common goals and ways
of communication. By understanding the differences and unique aspects of discourse
communities. Students like you and me, can tackle the unknown, and be better prepared for the
future. The criteria of a discourse community agreed upon by both Melzter and John Swales is; a
shared set of goals, specific ways of communication, sharing of information and feedback, genre
specific to the community, language specific to the community, and presence of experienced
members.
I chose to look at the discourse community of whitewater kayaking. Kayaking is an
outdoor sport common in the Asheville area. As someone who currently lives in the area, I think
that it's interesting and valuable to understand the community more.

Overview of the community

Kayaking started to grow in popularity in the middle of the 20th century. Clyde Smith
became known as the first person to successfully make a white water trip in 1940, in the Snake
River Canyon. The 1950s gave way to the rapid classification system and other common phrases.
In 1972, whitewater was introduced as an olympic sport in Munich, Germany. This led to a huge
growth in fan base. From there things just kept increasing, books and guides were written, and
the sport became more popular.

Common phrases
When having a conversation or reading a guide about a section of river, there are
common phrases that will pop up. Class I to Class V, means easy to extremely difficult rapids.
With obstructions ranging from obvious bridges and islands to big standing waves and holes. On
that note, it's important to understand what a wave and a hole is. A standing wave is a stationary
rapid, caused by a large amount of water moving over a rock. A hole is when water drops off
over a ledge, and water is circulated back towards the ledge. An eddy is a calmer area of swirling
water located behind an obstacle or bend in a river. These are important to know how to identify
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and locate when paddling a river. The term “eddy up” is used to describe paddlers grouping up to
rest and conversate.
When talking about a kayaker's movement on the river, “piton” is used to describe
abruptly stopping or being pinned by a rock. A “boof” is movement over a flat rock, which
creates a loud boof-like sound. The act of “swimming” is when a kayaker exits their boat in the
middle of a rapid, after failing to stay upright. This swim is often followed by a “bootie beer”, a
(somewhat gross) southern paddling tradition of drinking a beer out of a wetsuit boot.
Non-verbal communication is used as well. Hand signals, like tapping the top of your
helmet can be used to signify being “okay” or not injured. Paddle signals can direct fellow
kayakers, motion left means go left, motion right means go right. Sign language has also been
used by many paddlers, to communicate effectively over the roaring noise of water. This
language has allowed kayakers to understand each other and stay safe on the river.

Platforms
There are many different ways to communicate information in the kayaking community,
websites, to apps, and social media accounts. Common websites are AmericanWhitewater.org
and Paddling.com. AmericanWhitewater has detailed river guides, and information about river
safety and conservation. Apps such as RiverApp provide normal and current river levels, which
are important to look at and understand when scoping out a river. Social media accounts for
events like the NRS Green Race (@greenrivernarrowsrace on instagram) give information about
specific paddling locations and gatherings..
Because the internet is a recent development, there are physical ways of sharing
information, such as guide books like Whitewater of the Southern Appalachians by Kirk
Eddlemon. Postings on bulletin boards at the beginning of trail heads and paths provide technical
information about boat launches and landmarks.

Genre
A common genre in the whitewater community is the analysis of river features. These
reviews often include the name of the rapid, the kayak launch/takeout site, and directions to/from
those locations. They can also provide the level (I-V) of whitewater present, the optimal CFS
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(cubic feet per second) of water, and any other technical information about the river. This is an
example of a description of the rapid “Go Left or Die” courtesy of AmericanWhitewater:
“Go Left is the first of the Green's 'Big Three' (the others being Gorilla and Sunshine).
Here, proceed down the same as Squeeze but head left instead of right. You then boof
over a log, skim merrily across a foamy plateau, and drop six feet towards a narrow slot
at the bottom… Overall, Go Left is as good a place as any to pretty much have your shit
together. Missing your line and hitting the right slot at the bottom is a fine way to piton
before being worked, but passage is allowed over there too, depending… The rapid is
normally scouted from the right. Tragically, Go Left had its first fatality, and the river's
third, on May 5th, 2018, with the loss of Matt Ray, who pitoned and flat-pinned in the
center area of the drop. Things change a little at high water --- and at really super-duper
high water”

Discourse of Whitewater
In summary, kayaking is a discourse community because of the shared goals. All
kayakers want to have fun and improve their skills. But they do that by being safe on the river
and being knowledgeable of the area before paddling it. Whitewater websites and information on
rapids are genres specific to this community, giving them access to important information
necessary to be safe. There is language specific to kayakers, such as an “eddy” or “bootie beer”.
All are welcome in the whitewater community, from olympic level athletes to those who have
never stepped foot in a kayak.