Me in a wetsuit.

On Monday morning about 16 of us got into two vans and left the hotel to go to Idaho River Sports (IRS) where our certification course was taught.  That morning and every other morning the temperature was below freezing and we could see our breath in the air.  Once we arrived at IRS we immediately started our training.  It turns out that most of the things our instructors did were things we would need to do to teach paddling in our own courses.  So, much of the training was simply watching the instructors very closely.  We learned about legalities like consent forms and incident reports, as well as effective ways to teach paddling using the four following steps: Sell It, Show It.  Do It.  Review It.

The first two days were the development workshop as we reviewed the things we would need to teach on day three.  We ended up in the water on day one as we were required to tip our canoe over and rescue the individuals who fell in.  It was a pretty fun drill and not too bad as we had wet suits on.  Day two we did not end up getting wet, but did spend some time shooting rapids and practicing ferries and peel-outs.  We also had an opportunity to present on several different topics related to canoeing.  My topic was proper paddling attire.

Day three was the actual exam.  As soon as we showed up at IRS, we suited up.  The instructors randomly selected individuals to teach each part of the morning as we progressed down the river.   Right away, two of us were selected to lead the process of getting the canoes out and ensuring they were ready to hit the river.  We carried our canoes about 1/8th of a mile and Corey (my partner) and I were asked to lead stretching and ensure nothing was left out of the canoes.  Others instructed different parts of the morning.  Later I had the opportunity to teach the back stroke.  We closed the river time with a river rescue where each student had to jump into the rapids and be rescued by a rope thrown from the shore.  By then the water was refreshing and a number of us enjoyed getting in.

The course ended with a one on one time for each candidate with the instructors.  Things went pretty well and I came home with my Instructors certification.  Thank you so much for your prayer as I was in Idaho.  It was a wonderful time and I look forward to sharing such a great sport and my love of Jesus with the Croatian people.

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