About our paddlesports instructors and programs for Saint Mike's students and community:

The Saint Michael’s College Adventure Sports Center offers a variety of paddling opportunities, including sea kayak touring, rough water sea paddling, surf kayaking, river canoeing, and whitewater kayaking. In addition, we offer instructional opportunities for beginner through advanced paddlers. Our student centered programs focus on core principles of movement in context. Our staff and student instructors are trained to industry standards in their respective disciplines. All lead paddle sports instructors are:

• Certified SOLO Wilderness First Responders or Wilderness EMTs

• Have completed personal skills/leadership assessments through either the American Canoe Association or the British Canoeing

• Participate annually in a seven day whitewater/coastal kayak staff training in Vermont and coastal Maine.

• Certified ACA Level 3 Coastal Kayak Instructors (sea/coastal kayaking).

• Certified ACA Level 3 or 4 Whitewater Kayak Instructors (river/whitewater kayaking).

Many of our programs require no prior experience, and the Adventure Sports Center provides all of the technical equipment; this includes kayaks, paddles, helmets, wetsuits/drysuits and PFD’s. In addition, expedition programs are outfitted with state-of-the-sport camping equipment.

Instructors at the Adventure Sports Center begin their pathway through a direct entry into the Mountain Leader Course (MLC) that occurs during the Fall semester at Saint Michael's College. The MLC serves as a general foundation for skills and knowledge required of leaders operating in backcountry and outdoor settings.

Following the MLC, individuals apply to the Instructor Training Program (ITP) that resembles an apprenticeship, and it occurs throughout the Spring semester. The ITP involves augmenting the skills and knowledge developed during the MLC. The instructor candidates of the ITP elect a technical discipline to pursue. Paddlesports is one of several technical disciplines at the Adventure Sports Center. Paddlesports instructors can be involved in the following paddling disciplines:

• Canoeing

• Sea Kayaking

• Whitewater Kayaking

The general progression of American Canoeing Association courses that ASC paddlesport instructors will undergo are outlined in the bottom graphic to the left of the page.