ACA Instructor Programming
Many people come to an exam with lots of personal kayak experience… maybe some guiding experience for a recreational club or even a professional outfitter… but just being able to make the moves, doesn’t mean someone can teach those moves effectively. Taking on the roll of Instructor requires a lot of practice and dedication in both personal and teaching skills.
Instructor training is appropriate for paddlers with established personal skills, who would like to share their love of kayaking with others. Whether you plan to teach friends, help develop skills within your paddling club, or work as a paddling instructor, ACA Instructor training and certification are a rewarding path that will help you become an effective learning-centered teacher, as well as improve your own depth of knowledge and paddling abilities. Liquid Sky Kayaking offers Instructor Development Workshops (IDW) and Instructor Certification Exams (ICE) up to Level 2 that utilize our varied local paddling venues. More information about Instructor training can be found at the ACA Instructor Criteria document page.
Please check HERE for currently scheduled Instructor programming.
ACA Skills Assessments
Skills assessments provide paddlers with a benchmark of their abilities, helping you to ensure that you have attained a level of proficiency appropriate for paddling in a certain environment. These assessments can also serve as evidence that you know what you’re doing when renting sea kayaks or when registering for more advanced courses. All participants will leave with an individual action plan, to help them further hone their skills, and successful candidates who are ACA members will receive a skills assessment certificate from the ACA. (ACA membership can be purchased at the assessment.)
Skills assessments can either be ongoing, or a one-time thing. If an instructor is able to work with a student regularly, they can make ongoing assessments as to their progress. If someone wants an official Assessment, it’s exactly that: a check-and-challenge of all skills required for a specific outcome. At Level 1 and 2, official Assessments are rarely done; at Level 3 and above, they are mandatory before taking any Instructor-level courses; this is less for the flow of the courses, and more for the safety of the candidates. Liquid Sky offers Assessments up to Level 3.
ACA Trip Leader Assessments
The American Canoe Association has recently created a Trip Leader training and assessment program. These courses focus on the leadership, planning and group-management skills necessary to safely oversee a group of paddlers. Whether you are leading trips for your paddling club, working as a professional guide, or just paddling with friends, the ACA Trip Leader Award will ensure that you have the skills you need to be a competent leader. More information, including course lengths and pre-requisites, can be found in the ACA course descriptions on the Trip Leader criteria documents page. Liquid Sky offers Trip Leader Assessments up to Level 2.
Liquid Sky Kayaking 