Hear from Penelope who’s been running the Paddle Awards and White Water Award 

One of the things I like best about the Personal Performance Awards is the emphasis put on new paddlers to be a bit more responsible for themselves. So for the Paddle Start Award, we have youngsters collecting their own kit and checking fittings. We have already discussed safety at the site we use and got them to have a look about!

For the White Water Award…

I’ve always thought it was important for paddlers to be able to make some sort of informed judgement on rivers they paddle. The award does exactly that. It’s also good that a paddler comes to the coach with things they want to work on. I like the continuous development where the next time you see the paddler, they tell you want they want next. The feedback each time means you can tailor for exactly what the paddler wants which goes down very well.

The paddlers really well to choosing what they want to work on and to take as long as they like on each skill. I generally work with more nervous paddlers who enjoy grade 2/3 and aren’t interested in the higher grades. Many people prefer to consolidate before moving onto the next bit and the ethos of these awards allows this. I like them!

The paddlers want to do the award so they can be more reliant on a river trip…

Without the need for other people to ‘look after’ them. They’ve wanted to understand what skills are needed to enjoy grade 2/3 water safely, so they can be confident about selecting rivers if paddling with peer paddle groups. One of the strengths of the awards is the emphasis placed on being able to find and interpret information. Too many people end up on grade 4s that scares them and they never come back.

As an ex teacher I find the new ethos much more suited to the way I taught anyway. I never liked the idea of a test where you pass or fail on the day. The idea of building skills in a way individual paddlers prefer and then receiving the award feels much gentler and user friendly.

The eLearning was excellent and I’ve no problems with the £15 charge especially as it covers 3 years of CPD! My candidate was really chuffed to have her certificate immediately. Much better than loosing bits of paper in the post was her verdict!

Find out more…

The 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 all of 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 10 CPD points, and a range of logos for your marketing!