Re: [Paddlewise] Group Dynamics thread revisited

John Winters wrote:
--snip--

> I believe that one things we learned by doing it the hard way was to
> acknowledge and respond appropriately to fear. This, I believe is
> something
> the creditocracy method often neglects.

--snip--

About four years back a fellow came to the Sudbury Canoe Club looking
for an internship (I can see where this post will be taken already).  He
needed to complete a practicum as part of his Outdoor Adventure
Leadership degree.  He said that he was certified by the Ontario Wild
Water Affiliation (OWWA) as an instructor.

To check him out, we brought him along with a novice trip on the
Ottawa.  To make a long story short, he swam eighteen times on the first
day, and wisely chose not to paddle the second day.  All the novices
together over the weekend only swam under half a dozen times.

For the drive home he was sharing a ride with one of the club's senior
instructors.  The last I saw of him before the drive, he was telling the
instructor (a petite woman) how to tie on the boats.  That evening I
received a call from the instructor complaining that this fellow had
been a back-seat driver for the entire five hour trip home.

I had a chat with the fellow later in the week, and learned that this
was his first time on wild water!  It turns out that the OWWA had
instituted a new series of hero-badges, including one which certifies
folks to instruct in a pool.  Needless to say, everyone at the club
(except for the instructor who had to put up with him on the drive) had
a good laugh over this, but we were also concerned that here was a
fellow who was running about collecting hero-badges as part of his
degree, and who hoped to gain professional employment based upon these
qualifications, but who had never bothered to put in a few years
"learning the hard way".  Big mistake on his part, and a bigger mistake
for anyone who trusts in hero-badges when hiring.

Richard Culpeper
www.geocities.com/~culpeper



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