ACA L2 Essentials of Kayak Touring Instructor

Join Ashley Brown and RiverCoast (Paula Scotney Castle and/or Lynne Andrus) for an Instructor Certification Workshop for ACA Level 2: Essentials of Kayak Touring Instructor Certification Workshop (4 day/32 hour minimum).  Note – limited registration

Course Description:  This course is to prepare candidates to certify as ACA Instructors in Essentials of Kayak Touring.  Although we teach from a fun and continuous learning approach, ACA Instructor Candidates must meet the Instructor Criteria and Assessments to certify (either during this workshop or subsequent check-off).  This course prepares Instructors to teach both sit-on-top and sit-inside kayaks on lakes and back waters.  It also serves as excellent preparation for those seeking further training and certifications in sea/coastal and river/whitewater kayaking.

Instructor Trainer: Led by Ashley Brown, the recipient of the American Canoe Association 2019 Excellence in Instruction Award.  The highly esteemed award is presented to an ACA member for outstanding contributions to paddlesports education and instruction.  Ashley shares her passion of teaching kayaking at all levels and challenging people to test their limits while learning and having a ton of fun. She earned the prestigious Level 5 American Canoe Association Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayaking Instructor Certification, and is also an ACA L2 Kayak IT, and L4 Coastal Kayak Instructor Trainer Candidate, Canoe Instructor, SUP Instructor.  Ashley’s credentials are detailed on Ashley’s website at WavePaddler.com.

Please review in advance the following ACA documents with these and other resources available on ACA’s Education Page. Please note that the links also have tabs for detailed information.

• How to Become an ACA Instructor
• Instructor Criteria
• Skills Assessment (not including teaching skills) and Skills Assessors Guide
• Sample Skills Course

Course Waivers: Please review in advance the ACA/RiverCoast waiver as all paddlesports can be risky.  Please contact Lynne (see info below) if you have any questions or clarifications or trouble accessing any links or other information that you may need.  Please feel free to contact your legal counsel in advance before signing this waiver or the COVID-19 waivers.

Course Dates:  All day Friday – Saturday – Sunday – Monday on June 28 – 29 – 30 – July 1, 2024.  We will meet no later than 9am on Friday and plan to conclude by 6 pm each day.

Course Location:  We begin each day at Austin Yacht Club.  A limited number of cabin or camping facilities are located on the grounds.

Course Venue: This primarily on-the-water course will be on Lake Travis.  Course conditions specify protected water near shore with winds up to 10 knots, waves up to 1 foot (0.3 meter) or current up to 1 knot.  We may move to a nearby lake if conditions warrant.

Course Ratios:  Five (5) Instructor Candidates to one (1) Instructor Trainer (5:1 ratio) with up to five additional Instructor Candidates with one or more assisting Instructors (10:2 ratio).

Prerequisites:  Completion of the appropriate level skills course, assessment course, or demonstration of equivalent skills. In addition, ACA requirements for all Instructor Certifications include:

• General Requirements for all Instructor Candidates:
  • Be a full ACA member
  • Be at least 18 years old
  • All participants must acknowledge personal compliance with and demonstrate general knowledge of the purpose and significance of the ACA Essential Eligibility Criteria (EEC)
  • Demonstrate general knowledge of ACA Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy and initiatives
  • Successfully complete an Instructor Certification Workshop (IDW and ICE)
  • Upon successful completion, register with the Safety Education and Instruction Council
  • Have and maintain first aid and age appropriate CPR
  • Demonstrate a general knowledge of paddlesports and the ACA
  • Demonstrate the ability to appropriately perform and teach all of the following material, unassisted, in the appropriate venue
  • Instructors are expected to be able to demonstrate, teach, and model everything on the official ACA skills course and assessment course outlines which correspond to their level/craft and in the appropriate venue

At Level 2, ACA allows for the Instructor Certification Workshop (ICW) to combine an Instructor Development Workshop (IDW) with – for those who are ready – the subsequent Instructor Certification Exam (ICE).

The IDW part of this workshop helps prepare participants on how to teach the skills with a minimal amount of time devoted to refining skills.  For evaluation as Instructor Candidates at the ICE, ACA instructor courses expect that participants should have the paddling skills, technical knowledge, rescue ability, teaching ability, group management, and interpersonal skills commensurate with this level of certification. Note that our approach is to help people succeed so often an Instructor Candidate can demonstrate incomplete skills at a later date (by meeting again or video submission).

Contact:  Questions or clarifications?  Feel free to contact Lynne Andrus at RiverCoast.com or at Lynne@RiverCoast.com, 512-917-0939 (cell/text) or voice message 512-292-9968 (office).  Registration accepted via the secure PayPal (or your credit card) below.  Misty Flores-Garcia is the Girl Scout volunteer coordinator for this event and can be reached at 512-576-3193 (cell/text).