Another Year

James Wardlaw · 2019-11-18T22:07:24.031Z

This weeks AGM marks the end of another busy and successful year for the club, although perhaps this year was not quite as hectic as the previous year, where there were over 90 trips, sessions and expeditions. The club has a small pool of active coaches and leaders, a number of whom this year have been updating and progressing their qualifications, unfortunately this commitment has meant they were unable to run quite as many events. Happily, we now have a new advanced canoe leader, a couple of sea kayak leaders qualified or about to qualify, two knew canoe leaders and a few paddle sport leaders in training. If you ever wondered what it takes to become a coach or leader here is an idea of the time the volunteer coaches have put in since last year to gain their qualifications: FSRT – 1 day (8 hours), WWSR – 2 days, First Aid – 2 days, core coach training - 2 days discipline Specific Training – 1 to 2 days, practice & experience – 10 to 20 days, assessment – 2 days The last few months of training, by necessity, become quite self-centred as personal paddling is fine-tuned, and rescue skills are honed ready for assessment. Even though, we still managed to run weekend trips to the Tweed, Loch Etive and Arisaig. Day and evening trips to rivers, 8 evening sessions at Loch Venacher and a couple evenings at The Meadows in Callander over the summer holidays. Sea trips to the Forth, Cumbraes, Clyde, Loch Lomond. Not forgetting the 38 pool sessions throughout the school term. Above are just the club trips and don’t include the ad-hoc peer trips which run all year, usually attended by some of the coaches and leaders.

This weeks AGM marks the end of another busy and successful year for the club, although perhaps this year was not quite as hectic as the previous year, where there were over 90 trips, sessions and expeditions.
The club has a small pool of active coaches and leaders, a number of whom this year have been updating and progressing their qualifications, unfortunately this commitment has meant they were unable to run quite as many events. Happily, we now have a new advanced canoe leader, a couple of sea kayak leaders qualified or about to qualify, two knew canoe leaders and a few paddle sport leaders in training. If you ever wondered what it takes to become a coach or leader here is an idea of the time the volunteer coaches have put in since last year to gain their qualifications:
FSRT – 1 day (8 hours), WWSR – 2 days, First Aid – 2 days, core coach training - 2 days
discipline Specific Training – 1 to 2 days, practice & experience – 10 to 20 days, assessment – 2 days
The last few months of training, by necessity, become quite self-centred as personal paddling is fine-tuned, and rescue skills are honed ready for assessment.
Even though, we still managed to run weekend trips to the Tweed, Loch Etive and Arisaig. Day and evening trips to rivers, 8 evening sessions at Loch Venacher and a couple evenings at The Meadows in Callander over the summer holidays. Sea trips to the Forth, Cumbraes, Clyde, Loch Lomond. Not forgetting the 38 pool sessions throughout the school term.
Above are just the club trips and don’t include the ad-hoc peer trips which run all year, usually attended by some of the coaches and leaders.