Coaching at Newark Canoe Club is organised within the framework of the two BCU paddling award schemes, PaddlePower and the Star Awards. In addition there is a new scheme which has been launched by the BCU called the Cross Stream Challenge. Finally there are the coaching awards for those wishing to qualify as coaches. An overview of all four of these schemes is provided on the coaches information page.

A few years ago the BCU decided to review all paddling and coaching awards and as a result we are currently in the middle of a complete realignment. The impact of the changes and what this means for anyone either holding awards or for people who aspire to gaining awards in the future are summarised in the sections on the Coaches Information pages. If you want more information the best place to start is the BCU website. Committee members will also be pleased to answer any queries (if they can).

There are several reasons why this was done (apparently) but one of the main ones is to enable the BCU to have access to generous government sports grants. As most of us are aware, sport is very political these days and it is necessary to belong to the overall UK coaching fraternity in order to be able to apply for government grants. The BCU therefore had to have their coaching awards endorsed by UKCC (UK Coaching Certificate) which meant they had to be changed (and made more complicated obviously). At the same time the BCU also decided to review all the Star Awards. Not necessarily a bad thing.   

It should all settle down within...hmmm...5 years or so.

PaddlePower sessions for 2008 are on Thursday evenings starting at 18:00. Please check specific dates on the Events page. If coaches are available we will also coach Star Awards on Thursday evenings. The intention is that instead of watching from the bank, parents and guardians have the opportunity to have a paddle themselves. 

Costs for PaddlePower are £5 registration including log book. Equipment hire charges apply. 

On some Sundays there will be Star Award coaching. This will start on the water at 13:30 so we recommend you arrive soon after 13:00. Please contact us via the Forum (Training) to ensure the session is running.