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 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 @ Portland, Maine

beautiful days in Maine

Seven candidates and another awesome course.  My favorite thing about offering these courses is getting to meet so many cool people and making new paddling partners.  

This group was no different and I've already spent time paddling with some of them.  We had a pretty intense session over three full days with some very skilled and knowledgeable personalities.  Group learning at its best!  Portland Paddle hosted us at their location at East End Beach, which turned out to be a fantastic venue for the course.  When you're in Portland Maine, visit them and take a trip on Casco Bay, home of some incredible paddling opportunities and rich with history.

Last season I did a Jewell Island Trip on Casco Bay that you can read about here.  Definitely recommended!

Shane talks about boards

Casco Bay

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 3 SUP Surf - Dana Point, CA

Back in November last year Tim Chandler of TRY Standup and myself started talking about an ACA L3 Surf SUP Instructor Certification Course in California.  California is known for surf and this course has never been delivered in this state.  A few months of back and forth emails and Tim was at work organizing and hosting the course.  Because the ACA SUP program is still fairly new, we had no choice but to fly-in an instructor trainer to deliver it.  Keith arrived last Thursday and on Friday morning our group of four candidates met up with him to get started.  

For the next three days we surfed, learned, taught and discussed the extremely intricate and physical aspects of technical surfing all day long and into the evenings.  The waves weren't perfect but did allow us plenty of wave time.  The group of folks was awesome, full of positivity and contributions to the course.  

I entered the course without many expectations.  I love to surf and I wanted to experience an L3 course just to know what it's all about.  L3 is the logical next step after L2, so knowing what students may go through after L2 would help me better prepare them.  I definitely have some material to work with and modifications to make the next time I deliver an L2 course, so mission accomplished.  Personally, I have some things to work on when it comes to my personal surfing skills.  I have a solid base and am working towards surfing at a higher level.  

Keith and I splitting the peak.  Photo:  TRY Standup

Photo:  TRY Standup

Maggie, myself, Tim, Keith & Mitch.  Photo:  TRY Standup

taking our spots in the lineup.  Photo:  TRY Standup

Tim shredding the low volume JP. Photo: TRY Standup

photo: TRY Standup

SUP Instructor Certification Workshop May 1-3 San Diego

When three days disappear in a blink, you know it's fun.  We had a solid group of eleven made up of eight candidates and three Instructors.  The real kicker for this weekend is that every single person brought something to the course, most notably their fun personalities and willingness to learn and contribute.

It's difficult to measure the outcome of these courses.  You can't just say he or she got certified.  The certification shouldn't be and isn't the most valuable piece of these workshops.  It's really about improving skill, learning new teaching methods and becoming better instructors for our future students.  Candidates dial-in their personal skills as much as possible.  They practice with coaching models, they learn and review safety & leadership.  They gain awareness and become safer, stronger paddlers.  Hopefully they leave the course inspired and stoked for more.

I get better at delivering these courses each time, but I still ask myself 'were we safe?' 'Did we improve our measurable performance?' 'Did we have fun?' 'Was it valuable to the candidates?' 'What could I have done better?' Yes, yes, yes & hmmm.  That's the question - what could I have done better?  After every course I run, lesson I give or trip I lead, I'm immediately reflecting on the experience and taking notes on what worked, what didn't work, what will I change next time, what could I have done better.

We have a new group of ACA certified SUP Instructors in the US and I'm pretty certain everyone left the course with new paddling friends and a renewed appreciation for the SUP community.  That makes me feel pretty good, even though there are lots of things I'll do better next time.

Thank you Mitch for assisting, thank you Tim of Try Standup for assisting and thank you Jen of Aqua Adventures for hosting the course.  Fun times!

Chris, Alex, Matt, Paul, Erin, Tara, Dylan, Mitch, Tim & Wendy.  photo by Erin O'Malley.

double trouble

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.