ACA SUP ICW - Portland Maine

This marks my 3rd course in Portland Maine and my sixteenth course overall.  Not bad considering I usually offer only 2-3 courses per season.  Last year this course was full with 8.  This year we struggled to get only 3 and ended up dropping it to a 2-day Level One course, which turned out to be the right move because the candidates weren't ready for Level Two just yet.  Cathy, Caitlin & Emma all did awesome and Portland Paddle is lucky to have all of them as instructors and guides.  Big thanks to Portland Paddle for hosting me again this year!

East End of Casco Bay is a tough venue when looking for Level One conditions.  Turned out that we had to make our way into Portland Harbor each day to work in a small pocket of perfectly flat water, quite nice spot to teach actually.  I enjoyed this because it gave me a real good look into each candidates skills while paddling in wind on the way to the harbor and back.  What was only a 5-10 minute paddle gave me tons of insight into their experience and comfort level on a board. 

The course was awesome.  Super fun, beautiful weather and some great progression.

What really stands out though, is that I realized Level One courses are way more appropriate these days.  Most courses I've run in the past have been combined L1 & L2, which is great when you have paddlers filling out the spectrum.  What often happens though, which I dislike, is that some paddlers assume they're paddling at L2 standards just because we're covering it.  They don't always understand where they fit on the L1/L2 spectrum and it's hard to tell them they're not as skilled as they think they are.  The other thing I really don't like that has happened over the years with combined courses is that some people are meeting L1 standards, not quite L2, but might be close enough to send them home with a workplan to meet those standards quickly.  Typically we call this a continuation.  Sounds great right?  It can be, but most often what happens is people go away with a continuation and never really put the work in to meet the standard, and my time gets wasted.  What's the takeaway?  I'm not offering combined levels anymore. 

ACA SUP ICW - Cape Cod

I returned to Cape Cod this year to train SUP Instructors for Mike Morrison at Rideaway Adventures.  Rideaway is an awesome paddle sports outfitter in the Cape with multiple locations, serving paddlers and bikers with classes, tours and rentals.  All of their sup and kayak instructors are ACA certified.  This year Chris, Kara, Katie & Jase wer going through the program in a combined Level One/Two Instructor Certification Workshop. 

It was a fun course, as usual and as expected.  If these courses aren't fun, I'm not doing my job.  In my experience, learning comes easier when a group of people get comfortable with each other quickly, and fun is a way to do that.  I felt a bit off at times, but it's early season and it takes a bit to warm up again, right? 

I'm happy to have been joined by Adam Mayer of Go Paddleboard CT.  Adam is a past student and a highly skilled teacher and paddler.  He is a teacher by trade and has a knack for helping people understand things quickly, which is one of the biggest challenges coaches have.  I hope to work with him again soon, because he's incredibly easy to work with and has great ideas about the sport.  If you're in Northwest Connecticut, take a class with him. 

We spent three full days on Peter's Pond in Sandwich, going over a huge range of paddling strokes & skills, working on leadership and practicing teaching skills.  The candidates were fairly diverse in terms of experience and skill level coming into the course.  All improved a vast amount during the course, which makes me so happy to see.  I love to watch people improve their paddling, and these courses are the best way to do it.  When you're on the water and focused on paddling for two to three days at a time, you have enough time to progress slowly & build skills steadily and build a strong set of foundation skills to pull from. 

After hours we spent a little time visiting Naukabout & Lambert's Farm Market - I will return to Lamberts at some point in my life.  It's a must in that area.  Then, I even got in a quick visit with my parents, who happened to be visiting the Cape that weekend, staying at their friends family cottage. 

Anyways, CONGRATULATIONS to Katie, Kara, Chris and Jase! 

The crew, from the left: Katie, Jase, Adam, Kara, Me (Matt), Chris 

Peter's Pond.  Perfect Day.

Playing with fins.

Adam Mayer is so comfortable on a board.

ACA SUP Certification Workshop Portland, ME

Portland Maine is a wonderful paddling destination.  This year I once again ran a Level 1-2 American Canoe Association SUP Instructor Certification Workshop in Portland.  Nine instructor candidates, myself and an assistant spent June 8-10 on Portland's East End completely geeking out on standup paddleboarding.

It's so fun to meet new standup paddlers and one thing that blows me away is now I'm seeing way more candidates who are getting into paddling via sup.  It used to be that kayakers and canoeists were trying sup, but now the majority are coming from non-paddling backgrounds.  That speaks volumes about how appealing standup paddling is, for very different reasons to very different people.

Thank you to Portland Paddle for hosting us!  Check out the pics of this fun weekend on Casco Bay and the next two courses are May 31-June 2, 2019 on the NH Seacoast with Seven Rivers Paddling and June 21-23, 2019 in Portland, ME.

beautiful weather on Casco Bay

Sarah Graham from Wild Craft Yoga in front of Fort Gorges

the crew lining up for some challenges..

With Mike from Rideaway Kayak and Leah from Forever Wild Yoga

Here's the whole crew!  Sarah, Hannah, Dan, Elyse, Mike, Peter in back.  Sarah, Matt, Leah, Ashley & Maddie in front.

Elyse Curro from Paddle Hamptons, Leah Titcomb from Forever Wild Yoga, Peter Sawtell from Seven Rivers Paddling 

yes!

Mike, Leah & Elyse

Sarah & Peter strategizing before our next challenge.  Fort Gorges is a wonderful place to coach sup.

ACA SUP ICW @ Bar Harbor, Maine

Matt, Cosmos, Allison, Curtis, Jessica & Wendy

Congrats to the newest ACA Certified SUP Instructors in Maine!

This is the 2nd year I've travelled up to Acadia SUP in beautiful Bar Harbor, Maine to run an ACA SUP ICW with Chris Strout, owner of Acadia SUP.  He runs a great operation on the edge of Acadia National Park and is focused on quality instruction and safety.  Next time you're up there, stop in to take a class, do some sup yoga, rent a board or visit his shop.  He's the only dedicated SUP retailer in Maine and introduces thousands of people to SUP each season.  

Great Long Pond, Bar Harbor, ME

Wendy flips Cosmos back onto the board

Learning knots

ACA July Instructor of the month

I've been working hard in the paddle sports industry for 15 years.  In that time I've never considered it a career, although it has accounted for a large percentage of my income each year.  I've met many wonderful people through this sport including many of my best friends.  I've helped people achieve paddling goals and it's felt wonderful.  I've had paddlers injured under my watch and it's felt terrible. I've failed and succeeded.  I've won a couple races.  I've taken trips to incredibly beautiful places and pushed my paddling limits over and over.  I've guided.  I've coached.  I've managed events.  I've worked hard on my personal skills all these years.  I've been mentored.  But most importantly, I've learned. I've learned a great deal about myself and about others while working in this industry.

So, I'm honored to have been awarded the American Canoe Association July instructor of the month.  Kokatat sponsors the program and has graciously sent me a new PFD as a gift.  I'm proud of this award and of all the work I've contributed to the paddle sports industry.


ACA: What drew you to become an ACA certified instructor?

Palmariello: In 1999 I was finishing an internship in the ski industry and looking for a summer job on the coast. Without experience, I was positive I'd like sea kayaking so I bought some equipment, taught myself the basics and talked my way into a guiding job for the summer. I quickly realized how much I didn't know and sought out the best training I could find. That led me to the ACA. I was hooked after that first course and on a mission to become a competent well-rounded paddler. That summer job was the beginning of a new lifestyle and my introduction to the ACA and paddlesports.


ACA: Do you have any memorable trips, events, or stories that stand out as your ‘favorite paddling moment?’

Palmariello: One of my most exciting and most memorable padding experiences took place in 2013 when I entered a 100 mile river race in California. In a field of one hundred twenty paddlers, five of us accepted the 100 mile, 1 day challenge on standup paddleboards. I approached the race with the goal of finishing but just 25 miles into the race my competitive side took over. A paddling colleague, Michael, was clearly racing hard and took a lead over me by a few minutes. I chased him for a long time and thirty miles later I was only thirty seconds behind him. For another fifty miles we battled downriver within a minute of each other. In the end we finished that 100-mile race in 12 1/2 hours and just five minutes apart. The real enjoyment, however, came from the paddling community that embraced each other and the people I met that weekend. I bonded with Michael on the water that day and was so impressed with the camaraderie that I became involved with the non-profit group that runs the race.


ACA: Have you participated in any particularly meaningful paddling programs, outreach events, educational sessions, or projects?

Palmariello: From 2009 to 2014 I managed the Golden Gate Sea Kayak Symposium. Bringing an amazing community of paddlers together once a year to celebrate sea kayaking made me incredibly proud. Witnessing all those people paddling outside of their comfort zones and achieving success was very rewarding to me. More importantly, a diverse group of people with various backgrounds were making friends and memories on and off the water. I've met some of my best friends through paddling and it has been such a meaningful piece of my life.

ACA Level 2 SUP Instructor Certification Workshop - February 27th - March 1st

Fifteen years ago when I was in my first year of paddling I got some great advice from a mentor.  "Don't worry about the certifications" he said, "focus on your paddling."  From that point on I've never taken an assessment until I was absolutely, positively sure I was ready and able to pass.

• personal paddling skills
• teaching skills
• technical knowledge
• rescue ability 
• safety / judgement / leadership ability
• ambassadorship

These are the six criteria we're using to judge where people fit on the ACA SUP instructor scale.  It's a difficult job assessing multiple candidates over multiple days on multiple things.  It's difficult to decide whether a candidate really has their skills down or if they just seem to be paddling well at that time.  Will they stick with it and maintain their skills or will they get certified and become complacent, neglecting to improve any more.  

Assessments are subjective and difficult.  I do my best but many times it's not black and white.  When it's questionable, I'm now in the mindset to make the candidate work harder, reinforcing their skills and making my decision less questionable.

This past weekend, Mitch Silverstein and I ran an L2 Instructor Certification Workshop in Half Moon Bay for 6 candidates.  Fun people, fun conditions, fun course.

Whitewater SUP Road Trip

It's 6am and I'm in the backseat of my station wagon, wrapped in a sleeping bag at a rest area in Weed, California.  I'm as happy as I've ever been in my life.  I'm on the road, traveling with paddling equipment with a very loose itinerary and it feels great.  I love traveling by car and I love roadtrips and this one will bring me to Portland for a 3-day American Canoe Association whitewater SUP course put on by Next Adventure.  I got a last minute notice for the course and quickly jumped on it, as these aren't offered too often in the West.

I was already scheduled to be in the Redding area on Nov 1st, so adding this to the trip seemed logical.  Monday morning I slowly got my act together, got a few hours of work done at the local Starbucks and drove a few hours north.  Without any rush, I stopped at just about every rest area to stretch and take in the views.  Lassen and Shasta were snow-covered and this beautiful day was coming to an end.  Wanting a sunrise view of Shasta in the morning, I opted to sleep close.  Unfortunately it didn't pan out and I woke to clouds and rain.  Shit.  May as well head north.

Without coffee or breakfast, I began driving north towards Portland with no particular destination in mind.  Again, stopping at most rest areas and taking my time, I enjoyed the drive probably more than any other time on this route.  Going slow is pretty rad and easier on the body.  After a few minutes on google I picked my stop, a state park just southwest of Portland on the Willamette River.  Arriving in the afternoon, I booked a yurt for two nights and made myself at home.  Now, as I sit here snacking on hard cider, cheese & bread I'm reflecting on my present life.  I'm happy.  A bit directionless, but happy.

At the very beginning of 2014 my twelve year relationship came to an end.  Five months ago I moved out of my apartment in the Bay Area, put everything I own in storage and have been living on the road ever since.  New Hampshire, Tomales Bay, Pebble Beach, Arizona, Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, Maine, Canada, Sacramento and now Portland.  Work and play have kept me busy.  I'm living out of three pieces of luggage - a duffel with paddleboard and full paddling kit, another duffel full of clothes and camping gear and a backpack that serves as my office with computer, internet, chargers, cameras and notebooks.  It's simple and I'm loving it.

Every couple weeks or months I make it back to the Bay Area to visit storage, re-pack for the next leg of my trip, check my mail, visit my cat and see some friends.  It's fun, but California isn't home anymore - it's just a place to keep my stuff.  I still find it incredibly beautiful, but I desire to live somewhere I belong and I don't belong in the bay any longer.

Fast forward to 11:30pm on Saturday.  I'm back at that same exact rest area in Weed, California. Quick stop for a stretch and a 2-hour nap in the backseat.  I wish I could've stayed in Oregon longer, but I'm committed to a course in Oakland and need to get back for it.  On the 10-hour overnight drive, I'm still buzzing from a fun weekend and a future filled with standup whitewater.  I passed the course and got certified to teach ww sup.  There is a whole new venue opening up for me and I'm excited to think about new places to go and new challenges to take on.  Standup paddling the river makes me feel like a kid and that's an awesome feeling.  I'm now thoroughly hooked and looking forward to more.  But first I need to make it to Oakland by 7am.

ACA SUP Instructor Certification Workshop - October 24th-26th

Awesome course!  A great venue, a great assistant and ten qualified, well experienced standup paddlers added up to one fun weekend.  I think everyone walked away super stoked on standup paddling with a bunch of new friends and energy for our sport.  For three solid days we worked on personal paddling skills, teaching skills, rescue skills, safety, judgement, leadership and ambassadorship for sup.  I feel really good about my delivery and am already brainstorming on how to improve for the next course.

photo by Tim Chandler / trystandup.com

photo by Jeff Burton / paddlestandingup.blogspot.com

photo by Jeff Burton / paddlestandingup.blogspot.com

photo by Jeff Burton / paddlestandingup.blogspot.com

Tomales Bay SUP Instructor Certification Workshop

Tomales Bay is an incredibly beautiful Northern California paddling destination loaded with wildlife on land and in the water.   It's a spectacular hiking and paddling destination with a diverse climate and weather conditions.  Wind is usually on the menu after 11am and downwinding is one of the best activities on the bay.  Jeff Burton paddles Tomales Bay a ton and runs a great paddling blog called Paddle Standing Up.

This week Jeff assisted me on a 3-day Instructor Certification Workshop at Blue Waters Kayaking, the leading paddlesports provider on the bay.  Collectively, it's the youngest group I've worked with yet and their energy worked wonders helping them progress a ton in a short time and soak up info quickly.  We struggled at times with low tides and wind, but that didn't change the amount of fun we had.  Each time I run one of these workshops, they seem to get better and better.  This one flowed smoothly the entire time in an effective and efficient manner and I feel pretty good about my delivery.  Nice paddling in Tomales!

bluewaterskayaking.com

photo by Jeff Burton.

Daniel, Chandell, Liz & Dallas.  photo by Jeff Burton

photo by Jeff Burton

ACA SUP Instructor Certification Workshop - Newport Beach, CA

On Wednesday we began a 3-day SUP Instructor Workshop in Newport Beach with 9 Instructor Candidates with a wide range of skill and educational background.  Candidates came from all over California for three intensive days of paddling, teaching & learning.

These courses are designed for experienced standup paddlers with solid Level two skills.  Over the course of the workshop we attempt to progress each candidates skills by breaking strokes & maneuvers down into pieces and reinforcing paddling concepts.  

We work on:

• Forward strokes (standard, canted, cross)
• reverse strokes (standard, reverse J)
• draw strokes (standard, sculling, sideslip, cross-nose)
• turning strokes (sweeps, rudders, pivots)
• braces (low, high, sculling, heelside)
• footwork
• rescues & towing methods
• group management & leadership
• trip planning & navigation

We also cover a ton of theory related to paddling concepts, teaching & learning theory, learning styles, delivery methods, teaching models and much, much more.  

This course was funded by a US Coast Guard grant with the intentions of better educating key personnel managing & delivering on-water standup paddling programs.  Candidates included waterfront directors, college sport providers, municipal recreation managers, adaptive program facilitators and non-profit organizers.  

ACA SUP Instructors Certification Workshop

What a fun weekend on San Francisco Bay!  Cindy & Steve Scherrer came down from WA to help me run an American Canoe Association Level 1/2 SUP Instructors Certification Workshop for 6 potential candidates.  We had a great team of paddlers with a ton of learning going on and super support from all.  In the end, we certified four new Level 1 Instructors and two new Level 2 Instructors - success!

Congrats to Adrianna, Kelsa, Jeff, Alon, Michael & Mitch!

One of the best venues I've ever worked in

Instructor Candidates from Massachusetts, Colorado & California

Near perfect conditions all weekend

The ACA SUP Instructors Program was created on the foundation of 40 years of paddling instructor development.  Since 1972 the ACA has been developing curriculum and implementing best practices for paddling instructors from canoeists to kayakers to standup paddlers.  

The common question with the 3-day SUP Instructor Workshop is "what are we going to do for three days?"  The answer usually consists of something like "we'll do as much as we can, but really we need 4 or 5 days."  The way this program is designed, candidates need to have already developed their personal paddling skills before coming to this course so they can focus on the how-to of teaching.   More often than not, candidates need personal skills training during the instructor training and aren't quite ready for level 2.  

In order to get certified, candidates must demonstrate proficiency & knowledge in a couple different areas like teaching & learning theory, safety & rescue, strokes, maneuvers, technical knowledge, group management, leadership, trip planning and more.  There's much more to know than just how to pivot turn and go fast.  

The essence of the course is to help candidates become ready to develop a paddling program.  The three major segments of that program are:

Strokes & Maneuvers.  Can a candidate exercise full control over their board all the time?  Do they have the cognitive skills to decide what stroke to use when?  Are their strokes efficient?  Is their body position safe?  Do they understand the main paddling concepts?  Do they know the names of each stroke and how to break them down into smaller pieces?  Are they able to develop teaching progressions?  Do they understand the different ways people learn and can they adapt their teaching methods to foster success?  

Rescue & Recovery.  Can candidates deal with the unexpected?  Are they safe?  This includes things like towing, paddler recoveries, unassisted rescue, rescue protocols & signaling.  Candidates are required to be certified in CPR and venue appropriate first-aid.  Candidates must demonstrate the strength and technique needed to respond quickly and appropriately.  

Journeying.  Is the candidate a good leader?  Can they manage a group of paddlers well?  Do they exercise sound judgement & make decisions quickly?  Are their trip planning skills adequate?  Do they understand the marine environment & the weather?  Can they read water?  

My best advice for future Instructor Candidates is to review the Instructor Criteria, master the paddling strokes forwards and backwards, onside and offside, and increase your marine environment knowledge as much as possible.