I’ve also blagged some spaces with SCC previously. They quite often have vacancies in courses which you can top up to.
Also, dont be afraid to look outside your Wg or Rg. I spent a lot of time working with other Rg who were far more active than ours in paddlesport and offered a really good foundation to help us build up from.
@Giggling_fish consider trying your local canoe club too. When I used to take the kids a lot it was only about £30 for the year for the whole family and you will get access to coaching, loaned the kit and get to try different boats. They will also normally do pool sessions for a nominal fee over the winter. They are generally really good value for money, local activity centre at the time was £10 per person so attending the first session for us covered the membership fee.
Covid tax at the moment on the used boats out there is ridiculous!
How did you go about this? I’ve heard of people doing it but struggled to find anyone with the answer or a contact.
Followed them on Facebook then asked! Simples.
Definitely this!
Which region? I’d bet there are still plans in place, it’s probably just being scuppered by changing guidance.
Unfortunately this was probably about 2 years ago so not a Covid casualty.
More than happy to look outside Wing/region it is just knowing where to look!
Ah, fair enough then!
Have you done the BCU Discipline Specific Module? It’s just a 1 day course, and can be used as CPD if you already have one of the leadership awards
Yes - Fairbourne’s CI wouldn’t let me take cdts out on SUPs without having done that 
as someone who has very recently been deferred on a discipline specific award, I’d agree with this! (not that I’m bitter about my assessor or anything…)
SUP DSM is really only designed for older existing coaches (i.e. old Level 1/Level 2 coaches). I get the impression from the post that they don’t already hold an award.
I have a question - I did the paddlesport instructor course with the content of the old level 1 coach syllabus but the new name. I had to do kayak and canoe skills and it wasn’t craft specific. Obviously now the same named course has a different content and is craft specific.
What remit do I operate under? And how do people know that without any differentiation on the name?
Out of curiosity, why isn’t it designed for the new awards? (This could be me totally misunderstanding the new remits - I’ve tried reading about them but BCU seem to overcomplicate everything and I can never unremember all the old awards…)
Because the SUP DSM was a sticking plaster bought in when we were only just starting on SUPs and older coaches hadn’t really touched them before. It was supposed to phase out eventually, but seems to be persisting.
Now there are a suite of SUP Personal Performance Awards, which are much better to help new Paddlesport Instructors / Paddlesport Leaders demonstrate that they have the skills to lead from that craft. The PPAs are assessed as well, which gives a little bit more rigour to the standards. SUP DSM is just an attendance course.
Both are currently perfectly allowable under the current policies, but the SUP PPA will give you much more knowledge as an instructor, and the Paddlesport Instructor Course Guide now references the SUP Sheltered Water PPA as a suitable award to extend the qualification beyond the craft they took an assessment in.
The remit of the qualification you hold - effectively the Level 1 coach IIRC.
They don’t unless they are switched on enough to know there are possibly two flavours of ‘Paddlesport Instructor’ and when the first one was phased out. So the only way they will know is via the date it was achieved. If you get a challenge, you’ll just have to do some explaining I guess.
Even I can’t remember when it was actually phased out (end of 2018 maybe?)?
Remits remain largely unchanged. The only subtle difference is Paddlesport Instructor is limited to very sheltered water, and the instructor is limited to the craft they are assessed in.
Paddlesport Leader / Sheltered Water Coach Award = Sheltered Water
Leadership Awards beyond PL / Discipline Specific Coach Award = Moderate or Advanced Water.
Happy to explain more/answer specific questions if you want!
As someone new to paddling an idea of what might come under each type of water would be handy as it seems very subjective.
This is the document you need:
https://www.britishcanoeingawarding.org.uk/download/331/
Broadly:
I just tell everyone I hold the old level 1. It’s less hassle than explaining that weird interim period.
Isn’t there a Fg Off in North region who’s got Advanced Canoe? (you probably know who I mean)
