Hi all,

Some great news. The BCU Freestyle Awards are going live with the introduction of the 3 Star Award. For those of you wondering about the freestyle awards here is some info that may help;

What are the benefits of freestyle star awards?

I guess the first thing to say is that the BCU awards in general provide a hub for gathering the current thinking in paddlesport skills and techniques. This allows the star awards to draw on the knowledge of high-end specialist coaches and athletes from around the UK and pass this knowledge onto all levels of participation from grass roots club coaching to future national team coaches.

The freestyle star awards provide a clear development pathway. They offer recreational paddlers the opportunity to gain a range of core skills that provide a foundation for the latest moves in freestyle and allow them to benchmark their ability against a national and international standard.

For those who involved in freestyle competition, the new awards and the supporting coaching modules will provide improved training and support services, either through direct participation in the awards scheme, or through the indirect precipitation of coaching techniques and resources that will surround these programmes.

How do I get involved at a coach level?

In order to register as a BCU 3 Star Assessor coaches are required to complete a provider logbook as per the other disciplines. This includes;

Updated BCU Coach, with one of the following qualifications;

  • ‘old’ Level 3 Inland Kayak Coach
  • BCU MWE White Water Coach
  • BCU (UKCC) Level 3 White Water Coach

Links to your home nation; England Link, Scotland Link, Northern Ireland Link  and Wales (awaiting web release)

I’ll keep you in the loop (pardon the pun) with the release date for 4/5 Star as it happens.

Happy paddling