CLUB LEADER WHITEWATER SAFETY

Who Is This Course For?
Many people, through clubs or youth organisations, are involved in introducing others to Canoesport, developing their skills and introducing them to whitewater.  While progression through the governing body coaching scheme is recommended, we recognise that within club and youth organisation structures, which use specific locations and rivers there may be a shortage of qualified coaches.

This ‘White Water Safety’ course is provided for those involved in youth organisations, university and college clubs and other organisations that work within a specific structure.  You will be an experienced paddler, but may lack any formal qualifications. You may be involved in running basic white water sessions and leading others on classic ‘grade ll’ rivers for those within your organisation or club.   You would like to develop your awareness of safety and rescue, and develop an understanding of the issues surrounding moving water as a medium, form the point of view of safety and risk assessments.

Course Aims
This course has a number of aims, including:

• To refinement personal skills
• To reinforce safety and rescue protocols
• To develop of generic risk assessments
• To introduce and clarify ways for passing skills onto others
• To provide pointers for future development and accreditation

Skills Covered
When the staff meet the group and discuss aspirations and previous experience, they will decide on a more accurate structure for the weekend.  This will ensure that all participants will have the opportunity to learn new skills at a pace that suits them.  It will also bring course participants into the planning process, looking at the current weather and what is forecast for later in the day. 

A variety of skills and topics will be covered during the weekend, including:

-           Consolidation of basic personal skills

-           White water – what are the risks, can we understand them?

-           Introduction to leadership, rescue and safety

-           Rescue techniques

-           Passing on skills to others

-           Equipment appropriate to this environment

These are some of the essential skills required to be able to understand the issues involved in ensuring that using white water is as safe and enjoyable as possible.  These skills are relevant whether you want a one-day taster experience, for a group, or be involved in a more long-term programme for your club or organisation. All of these areas will be covered in a practical way during the course of the weekend programme, giving you the opportunity to learn from the staff and other course participants alike.

The format of the weekend will be altered to suit the specific needs and backgrounds of those on the course.  However, considerable time will be spent ensuring that all participants have a sound platform of basic skills from which to work. 

Outline Programme

It is important to note that the above outline programme is a guide.  Times may vary due to weather conditions or other reasons.

Our Staff
The instructor(s) who will work with you are all highly experienced and qualified.  Tollymore prides itself in the knowledge and experience that its full time and part time staff bring to its courses.  The staff who will be working alongside you are all keen paddlers.  They have a range of white water, sea and surf experience, and all enjoy working with others, when they have the opportunity to pass on ideas and skills, as well as learn form you.  You may well have met them on the water in the past or will bump into them in the future on days when they are not working!

All are obliged to attend annual staff updates and training courses

What do I need to bring?
The following list is a suggestion of what you should bring.  Kayaks, canoes, paddles, sparydecks, wetsuits and buoyancy aids may be borrowed from our extensive stores, however if you have your own personal kit, we would recommend that you bring it with you.  You will have the opportunity to use borrow relevant kit from our stores, if you would like to try something different.

We recommend that you bring the following.  Items marked with * are available from the Tollymore Mountain Centre stores.

Tollymore Information
Tollymore Mountain Centre, on the edge of the Mournes, is Northern Ireland’s National Centre for Mountaineering and Canoeing Activities.  It is funded and managed by the Sports Council for Northern Ireland as a National Centre. The Centre is an attractive, purpose-built facility of log construction with accommodation for 30 people in 2, 4 and 6 berth bedrooms.  Quilts, pillows and bed linen are all provided.  The Centre is well appointed with toilets, showers, modern kitchen, lecture room, workshop and drying room.  Outside there is ample parking space, a ropes course and a floodlit granite-climbing wall.  A modern indoor climbing wall is open year round.  The centre is ideally situated on the edge of the Mournes, with quick and easy access to the hills.

The Central Council for Physical Recreation opened Tollymore Mountain Centre in 1969.  In 1974, it passed to the newly established Sports Council for Northern Ireland Trust.  In 1995, Tollymore achieved the management standard BS EN ISO 9001:2000 for the quality systems it operates.   However, as part of Sports Council for Northern Ireland’s ongoing commitment to the development of the National Centre, Tollymore will be undergoing a major redevelopment, commencing in 2007.  The facilities will be improved and expanded, to ensure that Tollymore remains as an example of best practice in the provision of mountaineering, hillwalking, climbing and canoeing courses in Northern Ireland.

Accommodation
Your course is a weekend course, and you will be staying and comfortable dormitory accommodation.  You will have access to a good drying room and lounge area to relax in after evening sessions.  There is a wide range of videos, DVDs and reference books that you are welcome to use during the course of your stay in Tollymore Mountain Centre.  Tollymore has a number of comfortable meeting rooms, where the instructors will meet the group prior to the start of the course.  We will also meet here for formal evening sessions and at the end of the course to discuss the course and what to do next (over a cup of tea or coffee).

Catering
Your course is fully catered, so you will be provided with all meals from breakfast on Saturday morning, through to lunch on Sunday.  You may however wish to bring your own personal snack food for use during the course.  You can fill a flask with tea or coffee at the centre if required. You are free to help your self to tea and coffee at any stage during the weekend in the centre.

What next?
‘Whitewater Safety and Rescue’ provides you with an insight into to basic skills required to lead groups on moving water, identify issues of concern and deal with scenarios and situations as they arise, on water up to including that encountered on classic grade ll rivers in normal conditions, within a defined structure.  However, the training undertaken does fall short of that which the governing body would recommend for professional instructors.  It does provide a useful framework from which you can further develop your own skills, but the obvious ‘next step’ would be to progress toward the governing body courses, such as 4 star personal skills courses, and more specifically Level lll coach qualifications

Useful Books

Recommended by and available from Tollymore
British Canoe Union Handbook, published by Pesda Press

Useful contacts:

Canoe Association of Northern Ireland

Unit 2

Rivers Edge,

13 – 15 Ravenhill Road,

Belfast,

BT6 8DN

Tel: 0870 240 5065