PADDLESPORTS NORTH AMERICA INC

Paddlesports North America delivers British Canoeing Performance Awards. These are suited for paddlers >16 years old. 1 star and 2 star awards are multi-craft (canoe, kayak and SUP), encouraging paddlers to experience the various disciplines in paddlesports, with paddlers 'specializing' in particular disciplines (i.e. open canoe, freestyle kayak, sea kayak, whitewater kayak, whitewater canoe, surf kayak, touring canoe, touring kayak) in the 3 Star Award. The emphasis of the 1, 2 and 3 star awards is developing personal skills and gaining independence.

This British Canoeing training course aims to provide paddlers with the key safety and rescue skills required to operate safely and to be able to deal with common emergencies. Conducted over the course of a day with eight hours of teaching time, the award has two purposes;
• To provide the paddler with the necessary skills which will enable them to ensure the safety of themselves and others
• To provide the paddler with the appropriate rescue skills which can be used to help themselves and/or others in difficulty

These two courses are designed for those paddlers carrying out coastal journeys including islands up to two nautical miles offshore in areas of tidal movement up to two knots, or for those paddlers carrying out challenging sea journeys including open crossings in areas of strong complex tidal movement (in excess of three knots). However, anyone wishing to undertake journeys on the sea using a kayak would find the technical and theoretical aspects not only useful, but essential for safe travel in the marine environment.

Coaching Paddlesport Courses are delivered via a ‘Paddlesport Coaching Delivery Center’. Paddlesports North America is a Delivery Center for coaching levels 1-3 in North America. The Paddlesports North America Delivery Center is monitored (external verification) by the British Canoe Union Awarding Body, but also operates a process of internal monitoring and verification to ensure that appropriate standards are maintained and that consistency is achieved both in terms of delivery and outcome.

Leadership awards and enable paddlers to lead groups in appropriate conditions. Paddlesports North America offers Leader and Advanced Leader training and assessments in discipline specific craft (e.g. Sea Kayak, Canoe, Surf Kayak, White Water Kayak, White Water OC1).