This is my 1st blog, written on the 24th of june 2004. ok la.. i blog something abt my 1 star course with Republic Poly.
I reached the Changi Sea sports club feeling very happy, because i will be coaching 1star with 2 senior coaches Darren and Laimum..... My senior asked me to give a general briefing, and they told me that my chief coach wants to train me for level 2 coaching and he wants me to practice to be the main coach for this 1star course.
At that time i really could not get used to it lor.., because i usually teach students from sec sch and i have nort taught poly students for a very long time already.felt realli different!
When the course started, Darren ask me again if i am comfortable or not? i told Darren to make a start 1st lor.., lol... i thought that he would starts the general briefing, but,darren just stood in front of everyone and ask: "its everyone here already,?" the RP student said Yes.... Then Darren pass it to me rite away. I was lik "oh shit!".. I thought he would cover the general briefing! lol..., luckily i was calm as i am used to coaching the 1 star course already.
At 1st, i was almost lost.., But i just relaxed my mind. 1st, i wished the RP students Good morn and then ask them their condition and their self medical history all that. Their reply made me start to feel warmed up and i started to relax myself. After dat, i briefed them abt the club orientation, Parts of the kayak, bouyancy, parts of a paddle as well as carrying of kayaks. and the safety of handling equipments.
After all the briefing, the students and me went to the wet store to collect our paddle and test the boyancy size. After everybody completed wat they needed to do, we proceeded to the kayak rack to carry all the kayaks to the beach, and then unload it. After unloading the kayak, we formed a circle to do the boyancy test.
After the boyancy test, everybody gathered at the shore. I explained and showed to them how to embark,disembark and to do the capsize drill.
After the demo and explaination, we started to spilt the students up into the individual coaches. Frm there, i randomly picked 9 student. They are : Jessie, Liling, michelle, Jamie, Nora, seroy, sslim, James, yew lee.
We started our capsize drill. The rest of them were still ok. But Jessie, wahahahaha she was pointed by everyone of them the 1st person to do capsize drill , at 1st she huh.. ok lor..., then she started embaking her kayak. That time, she looked confident and then the next moment, when i asked her to capsize, I can see that her face totally changed and she was starting to get worried that she will get stuck in the kayak...she started to throw me lots of question abt the capsize thing.
That time i just let her asked, but hor... I also dun realli understand wat she was asking, but i can sense that she is worried that she would get stuck inside the cockpit. I just told her not to worry, the cockpit is big enough for u to push urself out frm the kayak.
But she started to get realli worried. I sensed that something was wrong. i asked
her to disambak, and ask for next one. After that, all guys was doing well, especially the SSlim, he really capsize and then tap 3 time on the kayak hull, after that he eject out smoothly! a nice one.....
Abt the girls, the one that left the deepest impression in me is michelle.., this lady, i guess she has kayaked before, yesh she has, Her capsize drill was the best in the grp. When her capsizing its much more better then the guys and gurls. Swift and smooth for a begineer 1star kayaker.
ok ...the best part start here, everybody has finished the capsize drill. For Jessie, i can see that she is was quite stressed, i think its due to peer pressure ba? At 1st she still did not want to try the capsize drill. Everyone started to ask to do the capsize drill, but she still insisted on nort doing it. I had no choice, thus i have to tell her that if she was nort going to do her capsize drill.., she might not clear the 1star course. coz actually capsize drill is very important for all the 1star kayaker. Everyone in my grp went quiet and was worried abt her, 3 mins later our Baberoy voiced out, he said that: EVERYONE HAS THIER'ER 1ST TIME, and i added yes.. IN THIS WORLD ITS NOTING TO BE DIFFICUIT ONE, UNLESS U THINK ITS DIFFICUIT. I guess she was convince also, finally she did the capsize drill. Although the capsize drill that she did was not as good as others, at least she tried her best to do already and i considered that Jessie had cleared her capsize drills.
After the capsize drill, we brought the kayaks up to the shore, away frm the waterline and capsize the kayaks properly. We brought the paddle back to club by ourself,and went for lunch.
After our lunch, my 2 senior coaches decide to go behind the small flat water river. hehehe actually i personally also not comfortable to go behind one lor...
I was gathering everyone walking to the shore, 1st I was sharing with them how to griping the paddle and forward paddling as well as reverse paddling on the shore, surprisingly all can get very fast. And i also share with them how to do the directional control.
After our dry paddling, I tell them wats its the rafting up sign and then we started to lauch off. when i reached the location I wanted to be, I just bring up the paddle vertically. After not a while most of them rafting up already. thats fast...
but in the morning Jessie facing the problem of capsize drill, but Jessie managed to kayak well. Now became Nowa~ facing directional control. Nowa~ she is keep going mary go round wahhahahahaha.. but she still enjoying happy go lucky lor, still ok la.. she managed to came into the raft, at least i managed to share with them all the flat water skills, beside the side draw and Low support recovery I was leave it to sec days of the lesson. All very fast learner.
After we paddling up and down its abt late afternoon 3.30pm, I ask them to disembaking to the shore, then i demo and expaining the Rafted X Rescues to them, 1st i them the task of the resuer and vitims. Most of them get it very fast, but wasted Nowa she not even want to try, because of maybe she think she cant make it ba. but i told her nvm tmr morning make sure u have to do, she happily said ok.., so wat the babyroy doing over the whole course he keep toking toking until I and the whole course mate dont bother him wahahahaha.
After our Rafted X Rescues, we emptied water frm the kayak and paddle pack up to the club, due to next day we still have course so we need not washed the kayaks. But our paddle and boyancy vest we soap inside the water with our own, and then put back inside the wet store.
After our bathing, we waiting for everyone back to the open class room for debrief. Once everybody back darren was asking them any feed back, The baberoy he toking again, he comments me that i nver let them paddle much, I replied him said dont worry tmr u will paddle lots one, because of today we learn basic. After this we call it a day.
Conclusion on the 1st day of lesson: I coaching 1 star for abt coming 1 yrs, nver meet such of grps so motivating 1, jia u wo...
