Did you know here at The Official Test Centre our RYA courses are inclusive of all abilities! Instructor training is for everyone, even our Team Riders have to start somewhere and this week OTC Team Rider, Scott Norman talks about his experience on our RYA Start Windsurf Instructor Course. You will find the ultimate instructor training experience for all levels with our RYA Courses. Here at The Official Test Centre we have a course for everyone! Progress your skills and make your windsurfing faster and more fluid. Get on course and set sail for new horizons!
By Emma Nicholson.
I started off asking Scott why did he choose to do the course with us at The OTC? He said: "The main reason I chose to do the course with The OTC is the coaches that surround me, I knew that the course wouldn’t just give me a qualification, but also teach me realistic skills and techniques that I could use when instructing, and that’s exactly what it did!"
What did you get out of doing the course? He said: "The main takeaway from the course were the small points and tiny changes to make when demonstrating to students as these are the main factors that can influence a students engagement and technique they take on the water, and after all the students are the main focus!"
Where will you use your qualifications? He said: "Only here at The OTC! The atmosphere that is has and the community surrounding it is unmatched! but by having this qualification at could allow me to go to places such as club vass and teach there for a season, which is so nice having the options available for the future."
Who will you be teaching? He said: "The list is endless, i’ll have the ability to teach people of all ages and backgrounds which makes me feel so good that i’ll be able to teach new people about this hidden gem of a sport."
Would you come back and do another course with us? He said: "Without a doubt The OTC’s course layout was so organised and professional yet still keeping it light, easy to understand and enjoyable, the next step of the course was always clear which is always very securing to have especially when it’s a pass/fail situation."
What was the best bit of the course? He said: "For me being the competitive lad I am, the moderation day was the best bit for me, as it’s a good way to find a benchmark on where I was and ultimately was the time to show what I know and how to demonstrate it to students in a safe manner."
What did you enjoy the most? He said: "The quizmaster at the start of each day was a great way to show how much (or little for most of it) I knew about the sport and the history behind it, those 6-8 questions were a great way to start the day."
Why is the location of The OTC a great place for learning? He said: "As Maurin and Tris mentioned many times, here at the otc we have a glorified pond, so for beginners it’s ideal because it provides a safe location for them to have their first sessions and get comfortable before they progress into different conditions and on different kit, and also brought to our attention by Maurin, was the diversity of levels here is like no other, as there’s really not many places in the world where you have people having their first go at a sport, and 5 meters away is a bronze medalist like Emma Wilson rigging up to go and train at the highest level of competition the sport has to offer."
Would you recommend The OTC to other people who are looking for RYA courses? He said: "Without a doubt I would, not only is it a great place to learn to do a sport, but it’s also a great place to learn how to teach it, purely because of the facilities like having the OTC sat on the waterline, making it so much easier for courses to be ran and allowing the to-be coaches to get a grasp on the basics."
What was your proudest achievement when you completed the course? He said: "The proudest achievement I got was completing the course and being told I passed, meaning I have an internationally recognised qualification which means I can give back to The OTC and the sport I do for everything they have given me."