Entry-Level Competitive Coach
The Entry-Level Competitive Coach is the first step to coaching marathon paddling in the competitive stream. Find courses offered in your community by viewing the Calendar or contacting your Provincial Paddling Association. Multisport courses can be found through your Provincial Coaching Association.
COURSES
Competition-Introduction Multisport Workshops
These are introductory workshops for becoming a competitive paddling coach. ELCC candidates must take the following NCCP multisport workshops before the ELCC core workshop:
- Making Ethical Decisions
- Plan a Practice
- Basic Nutrition
- Teaching and Learning
More information regarding the workshops can be found at coach.ca.
Format: Workshops offered in either classroom or online format
Prerequisite: None
Marathon – ELCC Core Training
The core training Entry-Level Coaching Course includes the practical and theoretical components of coaching marathon paddling. Coaches will learn how to effectively plan practices focused on building endurance according to various energy systems and utilizing the creeks, rivers and lakes to their fullest capacity. Coaches will explore the concepts of training, preparation, race tactics and strategies, reading water and paddling safety. The course includes an overview of technique for traditional marathon canoe paddling and will also touch upon technical components of kayaking if there is interest from individual participants.
Format: 12-16 hour course
Marathon – ELCC Module
ELCC modules are add-on courses for coaches who have already completed ELCC core training in another area including sprint small boats, war canoe and dragon boat. The marathon module is a shorter slimmed down course which would include the marathon specific coach training without repeating the theory learned in core training.
Format: 5-6 hour practical course. This course is in development.
Pleasure Craft Operator Card
To learn to operate a motorboat safely, coaches must obtain their Canadian Pleasure Craft Operator Card. The exam can be taken online or through an approved course. This is not part of the ELCC process but a practical component to becoming a coach.
Certification
After completing Competition-Introduction Multisport Workshops along with the ELCC core training, coaches are considered “trained.” While trained coaches have acquired the necessary knowledge, certified coaches have demonstrated their competence through an evaluation. To become certified, coaches must contact their provincial paddling associations to schedule an evaluation. Before the evaluation the coach must submit a practice plan and emergency action plan. The coach also needs to complete the online Making Ethical Decisions evaluation. At the scheduled evaluation the coach and evaluator will meet before and conduct a debrief after. The evaluator will observe the coach running a practice and evaluate certain criteria. The evaluation will take approximately 2-3 hours in total. When the coach passes, the evaluator will sign off and paperwork will be submitted to the Provincial Paddling Association, then to Canoe Kayak Canada and finally to the Coaching Association of Canada.
Additional ELCC Modules
ELCC modules are add-on workshops for coaches who have already completed ELCC core training. Coaches may supplement their certification by taking a module in another discipline, including sprint small boats, war canoe, dragon boat, marathon or whitewater. For example, a coach who took core training in marathon may wish to take the sprint small boats module. The module is a shorter, modified workshop which would include the sprint small boats specific coach training without repeating the theory learned in core training. Format: 5-6 hour practical workshop.