When you pass / Planes / QUESTION

Walter & Group........

Some of you didn't receive a very important message from Jim Valle.  Those of you who did get it, bear with us.    Gordy :-

 

Gordy & Group,

 

Just received the first email on the question of When You Pass – What Next this am ..

 

This question is probably the best question ever asked in the group as far as getting to the true essence of the Masters Program.

 

We all know and understand the goal and the amount of time we spend preparing for the test. The commitment and the obsession with Passing the test.

Every Master including myself has written or stated “the test is just a Milestone” … and everyone that is working on getting past that milestone hears it… but doesn’t get it! …I didn’t either! Probably true that you really can’t understand it till you have gone past that milestone and turn around and look back and then and only then do you realize how much road there is still ahead.

 

I will absolutely state without any hesitation that I have learned many, many  times more since passing my masters than prior to that magical date. I can also say, as I look back, that every failed attempt at the Masters gave me the real opportunity to “Understand all that much more” which I now value very highly. I once gave a CCI exam to a candidate that did very well but for some reason could not throw the distance that cold day…. A few days after I wrote him and encouraged him to pursue the CCI  because he was going to be a great instructor and by really working on the distance he would find that distance will become his specialty, that’s just how this FFF Instructor program works…. Few months later I received an email that said he had passed and in the process learned more than he ever thought possible on distance casts and rod loading.    

 

So after the Master’s Milestone ….

I tell my grand kids … “It’s really important to do something really well in this life” and the Masters is certainly one of these things. The next phase is meeting and casting with the greats in the fly casting world, and better yet becom9ng friends with all these great people. Lefty once told me that there are no better people in the world than a fly fisherman and I have found that to be true. They value the outdoors and beauty of our sport, there is an intrinsic common value that draws us together… bottom line is that just being around these people is an education and they all have different things to share and they do!

 

So first you will  learn so much more than you ever imagined and it comes faster … You thought process will be challenged and elevated.

 

Responsibilities after passing:

I think everyone knows I am a believer in the Mentoring process. For me it is the way we pass on and share our FFF culture. So that’s the first responsibility after passing … you have to look at your students and CI’s and find ways to bring them along.

 

It’s your professional responsibility to learn more, be up to date on the latest (and it’s changing all the time). As new CI’s and MCI’s enter the program they are tuned to the latest theories and understandings  and it’s your responsibility to stay up to date. That’s the reason I value Gordy’s group and really support the Continuing Education Programs that are just starting to develop. You will invest time and money in your profession. For me I think the Conclave is the greatest opportunity to share and learn. I have met and cast with people from all over the world and I am fascinated by every one of them and their abilities.  That has made me a better Master.

 

You will volunteer to teach, run shows and be involved on committees and to examine.  Don’t take that last one lightly, it can be gut wrenching to make that hard decision, I know some Masters that can’t sleep the night before administering an exam.  Gordy has said it many times and I will say the same thing every Master and BOG take this examining very seriously… it’s harder to fail someone than to pass them.

 

Your Masters will be what you make it. For me I can’t get enough of it. One thing leads to another and just like the mountain we have to climb because it is there so we are compelled to go higher.

 

Above all else the personal satisfaction of learning, achieving and sharing continues to satisfy my soul.

 

Hope this helps,

Jim

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Jeff Barefoot on discussion of tracking, casting planes, and loop planes.  My comments in his text in bold red italics        Gordy:-

 

Gordy, Understood. So within the context you just described I am on board. I

can vagely remember Me and Tom White discussing this very topic in great

detail on this forum. I guess we have to have some common point of

reference [a benchmark]in which to work off of and I think Tom never did get

the chance to explain it to me as you just did. Of cource I'm always

carefull of my audience when going into a given level of detail and within

this group I assume the sky is the limit. And you are correct in that I seem

to be a "stickler" for the planer details.

Yes, indeed.  On this Study Group, the sky is the limit.  No holds barred !  That is what makes it so much fun as well as a learning experience for all of us !    G.

 

      For me looking at things in this

way seem to more easily explain why the line reacts to the rod tips

movements. For me it actually uncomplicates things. But what confuses me is

why this perspective of this seems to be in the minority. I just don't see

the concept coming up that often within the instructors circles. The entire

spectrum of casts can be easily quantified this way. A random example......

A Belgium cast...Off vertical to horizontal rod plane.... Loop cast under

the tip on the back and over the tip on the delivery. How in the world does

the word "Belgium" quantify this cast? Now somebody needs a history lesson

instead of simple explaination of how to draw a path with a rod tip. Do you

see where I am going with this?

I do.  To stay generic, we probably should ask for an elliptical cast ...... but historical things to tend to remain as we apply common names to casts and moves of various kinds.    G.

 

 I have shared Spey lessons without ever

mentioning the word "Spey" or "Single,double,snap T, ect". Why use

instructors jargon when you can ommit it and only use tip path descriptions.

I flinch when I heae teaching concepts described with peoples names such as

Lefty, Joan, Mel, style of casting. To me it might expose an instructors

lack of depth of understanding. To me it is using words that don't quantify.

Descriptions such as over and underpowered, vertical, 45 deg off vertical,

horizontal do quantify. Not to say that I always use math related words to

teach. I have diagnosed faults and taught presentation casts using analogies

such as "this time throw the loop off the rod tip more like a bluegill not

a flounder" [while unrolling my arm vertical]

 

Well.... there you are doing something different ... using a word picture to help a student understand.  I do that especially when teaching kids.  Works great.      G.

 

Here's a question for the Group: -

 I use the drawing of a bow as an analogy often in sharing lessons

w/students. It's not mechanically accurate, but none the less mostly very

effective. OK, here's the question for the group. How do you think I might

use this bow analogy in teaching roll casting?

Good question. This the "bow" analogy  beyond our discussing this analogy for a forward, "straight line overhead cast" which we discussed a short while ago.  (Glad you pointed out that it isn't 100% accurate .... but a useful teaching tool.)

Gordy