Lake Jocassee, South Carolina tn-coaching-1024x683[1]ACA Instructor Certification Course

Diving-Keowee-Large[1]      Lake Jocassee , South Carolina

kayaking-jocassee1[1]

KAYAK INSTRUCTOR’S CLASSES IN PARADISE!

Travel writers call Lake Jocasseee the most beautiful lake in the East. National Geographic named the
Jocassee Gorges, into which Lake Jocassee is nestled, as ‘one of the world’s 50 last great places-
destinations of a lifetime’. The Jocassee Gorges region has nearly a hundred thousand acres of
undeveloped wilderness, the greatest botanical diversity in North America, and the highest number of
waterfalls per square mile in the U.S. It is a region like no other in the Southeast. With only 37 houses on
90 miles of wild shoreline, 9000 surface acres, and nearly 400 feet deep, Lake Jocassee is Caribbean clear
and mountain cool. It is the Southeast’s grandest natural setting. No sharks, by the way! No alligators
either. We thought you might like to know.

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Dates 2017:  September 15, 16, 17

Prices: $375 /3 Days ( Special $300/ea , with 2 registrations)

Put-In Locations:  coming

Courses:  ACA L1-L2 ICW’s 
Weekender,
Teach & Trek ,
Practice Perfect ,

Local Outfitter & Contact: Lake Jocassee Kayak Tours

Local Information Resources:

Maps:   Topo Maps
Weather:   Local Forecast
Winds:    Data Center
 

Camping Info: Here

Lodging: Here

Pictures and Videos

Restaurants:

Local Useful Links:

 

 

 


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General Requirements for ACA Instructor Certification:

  • Instructors shall be at least 18 years of age
  • Maintain current ACA Membership and SEIC dues
  • Maintain an appropriate level of First Aid and age appropriate CPR trainings

Instructor Certification Process:

Participate in an Instructor Development Workshop (IDW) and pass an Instructor Certification Exam (ICE). These courses are offered either as separate courses with time between for skills and presentation development and practice, or can be offered concurrently (at the discretion of the Instructor Trainer) as an Instructor Certification Workshop (ICW).

  • Perform paddling skills consistently with demonstration quality
  • Demonstrate effective teaching skills
  • Demonstrate technical knowledge of paddlesport
  • Demonstrate appropriate safety & rescue ability
  • Demonstrate effective group / course management and positive interpersonal skills

Registration Process & Dues:

All Instructor Candidates must be a current member of the ACA prior to the start of the course.  Any membership type is valid, except the 6 month Introductory Membership.  If an individual is registering with the ACA  for the first time with the sole purpose of taking an upcoming IDW, ICE or ICW, they can register online as an Instructor Candidate (which has all the benefits of a regular ACA membership).

Upon successful completion of an ICE or ICW, the new Instructor must then pay their SEIC dues.  This can either be given to the Instructor Trainer to submit with the course paperwork or done online afterwards.

Once the ACA office has received the course paperwork and dues are current, all Instructor Candidates who have successfully certified will have their membership status transferred to Instructor in the ACA database and receive their card and certificate.

Certification Outcomes:

Pass – an Instructor Candidate can become certified at the highest level of the ICE or ICW

Pass – an Instructor Candidate may become certified at a lower level (aka receiving a Level 2 certification even though it was a Level 4 certification  course)

Continued – most, but not all of the requirements are met to certifiy at a specific level.  They do not have to retake the entire ICE or ICW, but  they must be ‘checked off’ by an Instructor Trainer at a later date before certification is awarded

Failed – the Instructor Candidate did  not pass at a desired level and the deficiencies were such that they must retake the entire IDW, ICE or ICW

An Instructor Candidate can receive a Level 3 certification and be continued at Level 4

If an Instructor Candidate is either failed or continued at a certain level, the Instructor Trainer must document the deficiencies to the Instructor Candidate and the ACA National Office in writing

Participation in an ICE or ICW does not guarantee certification

Review the Instructor Criteria documents for  the appropriate discipline and level of certification

A complete policy manual is available on the  Safety Education & Instruction Council web page

The Instructor Development Workshop

The IDW is designed to be a stand-alone learning experience that will help prepare candidates for evaluation and certification .  During the IDW, candidates will be assessed on their personal paddling skills to ensure core competencies and readiness for certification.  However, the focus of the workshop is on developing your skills as an instructor.  Thus, the primary focus of the IDW is the refinement of teaching techniques and proper modeling of paddling strokes.   To that end, participants will be asked to create teaching exercises for both academic content and on-water content, for the purpose of generating feedback.  You will also receive instruction on all strokes and maneuvers that you might later be expected to teach with an emphasis on breaking down skills into core components (body, boat, and blade).   We will use videotape review and critique to assist you in your learning process.   This process should provide you with a benchmark from which to evaluate the level of your own skill/knowledge, and help you to identify those areas where you need work before attending the ICE.

Successful completion of an IDW (including a skills assessment) within the appropriate discipline is required in order to participate in an ICE.

The Instructor Certification Evaluation

The ICE is designed to evaluate the instructor candidate regarding their skills as an instructor.. Each candidate must be proficient in:

1) a general knowledge of paddle sport; to include the technical knowledge of coastal kayaking and equipment with elements of history and safety;

2) teaching ability; which includes the appropriate application of interpersonal skills, task/group management, modeling and feed-back skills, the use of standardized terminology, technical understanding and the ability to break down skills and concepts into their component parts;

3) on-water skills, to include demonstrated proficiency in maneuvers, strokes, braces, rescues, towing and the Eskimo roll (L3), an acceptable level of comfort in variable conditions and an incorporation of the skills you will teach into your own paddling style.

Needed at Start of Course: