<br />With the pending changes in the BCU Coaching Scheme towards the UKCC awards this year, I was just wondering how coaches in the US and Canada felt out about?<br /><br />There appears to be a large number of coaches in the UK feeling in the dark about it, do you know what how it will affect you?<br /><br />Would be good to get some opinions on it

Hi Mark

I don't know what to think of the UKCC changes. From a coaching point of view anything that moves the science and our understanding forwad can only be good. It would seem to me though that implementation and roll-out is very slow, and information is difficult to come by. There is a lack of transparency in the proceedings. The BCU seems like any other large organisation - slow and overly bureaucratic in their proceedings.

I personally feel at a loss as to how to proceed from L2 to L3. Do i take an old style course and then upgrade at a later date (via modules that technically do not even exist yet!) ? Or wait for a supposed role-out late next year (though more than likely not available in North America before 2009!). No one seems to have an answer, and I often wonder if anyone does!

Here in Canada, Paddle Canada has a recreational focus. It is not affiliated with high performance paddling instruction as the BCU is with Canoe England and the various flatwater and whitewater disciplines. We have an entirely different entity known as the NCCP coaching awards which are activity specific in the mid to upper levels, and as such are governed by each sports national sanctioning body.

Since Paddle Canada is not involved in this sporting aspect, the development of coaching for paddle sports here in Canada is split amongst 2 different camps - those who work in the national, regional, and local club type olympic discipline programs (NCCP), and those who learn to become paddling instructors with Paddle Canada, whose focus is much more recreational than technical or sport specific like the BCU sea kayaking stream. I have to say it would be nice if there was some cross-over between the 2 to share ideas on coaching at an organisational level. I am sure some PC coaches out there have this type of background that they have pursued themselves however.

What I find interesting in all this is that the Paddle Canada program (only 7 years old at this time) was put together by 3 BCU coaches, Andy Stamp, Howard Jeffs, and Scott Cunningham.

The was long-winded and somewhat rambling and incoherent! I hope it made some sense.

cheers

Michael