The American Canoe Association, also known as the ACA, is a non-profit organization that offers insurance for water events and races, educational programs for a variety of water sports (SUP, Kayak, etc) and serves as the National Governing Body for paddlesports (Sprint, Slalom and Paracanoe) for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and as the U.S. National Federation to the International Canoe Federation. It is an organization that has been around for over a hundred years.
The Ohana Paddle Club uses the ACA insurance for all the events that we host and we are grateful for their support and guidance. Several of our members teach SUP and have received various levels of ACA certifications. We are proud that our members take the time to go through this certification since it helps us to maintain a safe paddling environment for our members. Plus, it allows us to offer our members lots of opportunities to learn and improve their paddle skills in our weekly Fitness and Race Leagues, adventure and social paddles.
There is no better way to share your love of Stand Up Paddleboarding than by teaching and the best way to become a better teacher is to pursue your ACA Stand Up Paddleboard Instructor certification. Certifications symbolize your credibility and expertise and ACA certification standards mean that no matter where you come from, you will teach to the same high level of ACA members across the country.
The next ACA Level 1: Introduction to Stand Up Paddleboarding Instructor Candidate Workshop is coming up at Folsom Lake, July 30-31, 2022 and is being hosted by NorCalSUP. The cost is $300 for the 2 day workshop and you will learn a ton - REGISTER NOW to join the fun! Here are some of the materials from the ACA to give you an idea of what the requirements look like:
If you can’t make this workshop, there will be another workshop in Alameda hosted by Mike’s Paddle on October 12-23, 2022. Level 2 will also be offered a month later on November 4-6 and Level 3 is offered on November 18-20, 2022. Even if a career in SUP instruction is not your career path of choice, these workshops are fun, interactive, and you will learn a ton!
A little more detail…
This ACA Level 1 course trains both new and experienced instructors to teach and guide beginner to intermediate paddleboarders, in flat water conditions. New instructors learn the tools they need to safely and effectively teach, while experienced instructors will increase their level of skill and understanding in teaching and paddle theory that the ACA uniquely provides.
A strong focus is given to learning teaching skills in their own right, to develop a sense of this all-important part of a SUP lesson. Throughout the course, candidates will learn and practice ACA’s proven, modern teaching models and skills, enabling them to deliver safe, effective and fun lessons to beginner to intermediate paddlers.
Each day of the 2-day course, instructor candidates will learn paddle skills and theory, have plenty of time to practice teaching, and receive personal feedback for their own improvement. Additional topics such as equipment review, weather and water condition forecasting, risk management and water safety and rescue, take place throughout the course to further build knowledge and skills during the course.
In this course you will have the opportunity to earn certification from the ACA as a Level 1 Intro to SUP Instructor. The course will include 2 days of on water learning with virtual and eLearning sessions pre and post course.
Mahalo!
--chris churilo