Re: [Paddlewise] FW: Need help for new club.

> 
> 
> >>
> Does anyone have a suggestion as to how to rate trips, paddler skills,   and
> equipment? I would like to present this to the club so that we can place
> people and equipment on the right trip.
> I am aware that the BCU rates skill level by their One Star, Two Star,
> etc... Are there any clubs out there that use this system or something
> similar now? If so do you rate trips in the same manner?
>    
> Looking for any suggestion and trying not to reinvent the wheel, last   time
> it came out square!
  
One of the better examples of what you're looking for can be found
at the Atlantic Kayak Tours site at http://members.aol.com/KayakTours/
The do BCU assessment and training and use the star ratings as
prerequistes for some of their trips.  They group the trips into
Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced and require certain levels
for the upper level trips.

Someone else mentioned allowing "level 2" paddlers to go on
level 3 trips and balancing it out by getting some level 4 paddlers
to go and that a level 2 paddler should be allowed to go on a higher
level tour because it promotes improvement.  I disagree with that
notion.  In the case of the AKT trips the advanced level trips
*require* advanced skills and are not the place to learn them.  They're
primarily long crossings in demanding conditions.  Someone taking one
of those tours that doesn't have the necessary skills might not only
be dangerous it could also ruin a trip for someone that has those
skills.  If the trip leaders are nursing people along in some cases
the tour might not ever be completed (ie. the circumnavigation of
Manhatten, a 10 hour paddle).  If someone wants to practice advanced
skills in advanced conditions a tour where other people are paying
for it is not the place to do it.


--
John Fereira
jaf30_at_cornell.edu
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