The Power of Water offers a variety of American Canoe Association – ACA courses. ACA courses include ACA skills trainings and ACA skills assessments, ACA leadership assessments and ACA instructor certification. These courses are available for whitewater kayaking, stand up paddleboarding (SUP), canoeing, and sea kayaking.
ACA skills assessments range from Level 1 through Level 4 or 5 for most disciplines. Skills assessments confirm competence in increasingly challenging environments as you progress through the levels. ACA membership is required for skills assessments but not trainings.
ACA Sea Kayak Skills training and assessments are offered at Level 3 and Level 4 on many of our adventure trips including Rhode Island Ocean Skills Week, Tybee Island Ocean Skills Week, and Florida Ocean Skills Week.
Locally, there are Level 3 and Level 4 skills trainings and assessments offered at ACA week as part of the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium.
While not everyone is seeking a piece of paper, ACA courses in skills training and assessments provide the framework on which to build your development as a paddler. They can provide a benchmark to gauge your progress against an objective standard.
Whitewater skills training and assessments are available during both our spring and fall Southern Rivers Trips. and can be incorporated into our Yough Weekends as well.
ACA Courses – Instructor Certification
The ACA instructor certification process is divided into 2 parts and are available for sea kayaking, paddleboarding (SUP) and whitewater kayaking. The Instructor Development Workshop is typically carried out over 3 days for Levels 3 and higher and 1-2 days for Level 1 or Level 2. The IDW consists of skills refinement, exploring the coaching process, and practice teaching. Each candidate is given feedback and an action plan of areas to work on prior to attending part 2 of the process, the Instructor Certification Evaluation (ICE). Beginining in 2016, instructor candidates must have taken a skills assessment prior to presenting themselves at the IDW. This ensures that more time can be devoted to “how to teach” and not as much on “how to paddle”.
The ICE takes place over 2 or 3 days for Level 3+ and 1-2 days for Level 1-2. It is your chance to show your personal paddling skill, group management, leadership and instructional abilities. Level 3, 4 and 5 all have minimum environmental conditions that must be present for the the ICE to take place.
