To grow our community of paddlers, the Regional Activity Council (RAC) is hosting a competition for instructors in all ACA disciplines who are teaching Level 1 and Level 2 courses. The goal of this initiative is to encourage our instructors to safely welcome new and prospective paddlers to the community by teaching a few more Level 1 & 2 courses this season.
Every Level 1 or 2 course taught between December 1, 2022 – October 1, 2022, is eligible as a contest entry. Enter the contest by submitting courses to the ACA Course Management System (CMS) by 11:59pm EST on October 1, 2023.
Contest Categories:
- Instructor
- Instructor Trainer / Educator
- Paddle America Club (PAC)
There will be a Grand Prize for the highest performer in each category. There will also be a new prize category this year! Instructors who rank in the Top 10 after the Grand Prize Winner will be honored as the “Honorable ConTENders.” There will also be prizes which are awarded based on random drawings. The more courses submitted within the CMS, the better chances to win one of the random drawings! All winners and prizes will be announced during the ACA annual meeting this fall.
Contest Prizes:
Grand Prizes:
- $500 for the Instructor with the most entries
- $500 for the IT/ITE with most entries
- $500 for the PAC with most entries
Honorable ConTENders:
The Instructor Contest Prize Committee will be securing 10 prizes for the “Honorable ConTENders” and winners will get to select a prize from the list in the order they ranked.
Random Drawings:
- 5 drawings for $100 each
- Free year of ACA membership + SEIC Dues
- Free year of PAC annual membership
- Special Feature on ACA Website & Monthly Newsletter
- Special Feature in ACA Paddle eMagazine
How to Compete:
The following course submissions will earn contest entries (chances to win). Any entry that is earned from a PAC sanctioned course will be attributed to the individual instructor as well as the PAC. The ACA will post informal leaderboard reports in July and August on the ACA website. These informal leaderboard reports will be based on the number of students reported via the CMS.
One Contest Entry:
- Teach a Level 1 Skills Course Student
- Teach a Level 2 Skills Course Student
- Teach a PSF Course Student
- Teach a Level 1 Skills Assessment Student
- Teach a Level 2 Skills Assessment Student
- Teach a PSF Instructor Endorsement Candidate, Level 1 or 2 Instructor Certification, Update or Upgrade Candidate (For ITs/ITEs)
Two Contest Entries:
- You enroll as a PSF Endorsement Candidate
- You enroll as a Level 1 Instructor Certification Course Candidate
- You enroll as a Level 2 Instructor Certification Course Candidate
- You enroll as a Level 1 Instructor Update Course Candidate
- You enroll as a Level 2 Instructor Update Course Candidate
- You enroll as a Level 1 Instructor Upgrade Candidate
- You enroll as a Level 2 Instructor Upgrade Candidate
FAQs
Q: How do I access the CMS?
A: Go to the ACA website, look under “Education,” and select “Course Management System.” From that page you can login. The CMS uses your existing ACA membership username and password.
Q: The CMS says I am an INACTIVE instructor but my dues and certification are up to date. How do I fix this?
A: The most common issue is that current CPR and first aid credentials have not been uploaded in the system. Once logged in to CMS, go to the bottom of the dashboard page and click the link to upload documents. When uploading first aid and CPR credentials, use either a WORD or PDF file, not a JPG photo file.
Q: How do I report a course?
A: From the CMS Dashboard page, click the tab on the left called “Course Creation and Management.” Select “Course Registration/EZ Reporting.” Enter the relevant course information required, including course level, type, date, water venue, city, state, and postal code. When asked the question, “Is this a non-insured EZ skills course?” click “Yes,” and then enter the number of participants. Scroll to the bottom of the screen, add your signature, and the click “Submit.”
Q: If I assisted another instructor with a course, do we get both get credit for teaching?
A: Yes, both instructors receive credit! However, please DO NOT report the same course twice.