"Keenan Wellar" wrote in message
. ..

"Melissa" wrote in message
...

snip

Even though I feel quite confident with my current skills for the
types of water I paddle on, I know that I could still benefit greatly
from the types of advanced training offered by ACA and BCU, and
someday, I probably will take advantage of one or more of these
programs. The actual certification isn't really the point for me;
just the training...for both the survival skills and just for the fun
of learning these techniques that would be new to me.

- --
Melissa

Hi Melissa, that's cool. I've seen this subject covered on different
forums many times, and sometimes there is an attitude (or it is actually
stated) that it is dangerous and reckless for someone to take up paddling
without first going through formal instructional programs. There are
different ways of learning and obviously formal instruction is one of them
that can be enjoyable and useful for people, but it's not compulsory, in
terms of becoming skills or becoming safe.


I agree wholeheartedly. I would even guess that the majority of 'lifetime
boaters' are primarily self-taught. Maybe they used something formal to get
started, but probably not. I think the type of person who needs the external
structure of a formal training situation is not the type of person to have
the self-motivation to keep at it. (The river slang for those folks is 'Boy
Scout' g) OTOH, the type of person who is willing to get in a boat and
'figger it out' will be the type of person who continues getting into a
boat, imnsho.

--riverman