Coastal Sea Kayak Award Goes Global

Hear from Ronny, who’s has been running the Personal Performance Awards in Norway.

I was looking forward to running the Coastal Sea Kayak Award but was also a little bit unsure how to run this award as it is new to me. I’ve now run two Coastal Sea Kayak Awards, one of them during the Sea Kayak Leader, as the candidates displayed the personal skills.

I decided to focus on some of the key elements that I already have in my courses to support the individual paddler. I start with establishing positive contact and then agreeing on what they want and need to learn. The goal is that they take ownership for their own development and become independent. I do my best to utilise the conditions, environment and incidents. I try to provide them with opportunities to develop decision making, awareness and strategies, as well as technical skills.

On this course we had perfect conditions. Nature took care of most of the tasks we needed to practice and perform.

I find all the questions in the resources “what I might need to know, consider, determine…” and so on, is very helpful in order to engage and reflect. I believe this includes the individual in a very authentic way and that they are learning for a reason. I’m personally particularly happy with the focus on the situational and environmental awareness in order to anticipate future water and weather.

Overall, it’s been quite fun to run two Coastal Sea Kayak Awards!

It’s more like a real journey and less like an assessment. The individual paddler is able to make choices on how to do things their own way.

One of the things most candidates seem to like is the focus on considerations and awareness of the environment. Being able to anticipate the future weather and waters are important skills in the ever-changing environment of the sea. They have said it makes them more responsible and they can make their own choices along the trip.

I have experienced different motivations to do this award. I believe most of them want to learn more about paddling in the moderate water environment. They also seem to want recognition for their level of competence. Some of my participants are working towards the Sea Kayak Leader, whereas some really appreciate this being a skill award, not a leadership award.

Start your Personal Performance Award today…

The NEW Personal Performance Awards are designed for paddlers wanting to gain recognition of their learning and development, in the craft and environment they choose. 3 awards are available in 12 disciplines including everything from SUP, Touring to Freestyle, so the choice is yours! Find out more about the Personal Performance Awards.

Interested in becoming a Provider?

Every Instructor, Coach, Leader, Bell Boat Helm and Raft Guide will be able to run some of the NEW Awards. Find out more about the Personal Performance Awards Provider eLearning, which providers 10 CPD points and a range of logos for your marketing!