Posts

Coaching Adventure

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Extended Diploma Adventure Sports Students lead beginner groups canoeing on the colleges’ 3 acres lake. Mick Keeling Level 3 Canoe Coach assessed them as part of their BTEC in Adventure Sports. “I heard lots of laughter from the group and the Student Instructor seemed to be enjoying himself, but the most important part was the beginners were safe. With our resources such as the lake, fleets of canoe’s, kayaks and sailing boats, we can offer our students a real head start in becoming instructors.”

In May the students get the chance to complete the British Canoe Union Coaching Qualification, Mick has already assessed them for their Canoe Star Awards.

Instructor Mick Keeling

Alpe d’Huez Adventure Sports study tour

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Level 3 Adventure Sports students and Richard Hathway having a powder day with ESF ski instructor in Alp d'Huez on the annual adventure sports ski trip

Level 3 Adventure Sports students and Richard Hathway having a powder day with ESF ski instructor in Alp d’Huez on the annual adventure sports ski trip

During January, twenty four students Adventure Sports students and three staff had the opportunity to spend a week in the resort of Alpe d’Huez, situated high in the Central Alps of France. The group travelled with Ski Plan and stayed in Club Hotel Beausoleil, a large hotel catering for schools and colleges right on the slopes of the resort. The hotel staff were friendly and accommodating, providing good food for ravenous appetites and nightly après-ski entertainment.

Ecole du Ski Francais organised the time on the slopes. The students were split into groups according to their level of ability and spent all day exploring some, if not all, of the 280 kilometres of runs on the mountain! The instructors encouraged beginners to gain confidence and progress quickly whilst enabling the advanced skiers and boarders to hone their skills both on the piste and in the park.

Conditions at the resort were mainly good with blue sky and all runs open. Only on a couple of days did the mountain show its more dangerous side with strong winds and icy patches which caused a few tumbles!

The group were able to learn about the winter tourism industry as well as spend plenty of time on the slopes developing their skiing and snowboarding skills. It was a great opportunity to see how a winter sports trip is organised and to experience life in a resort, including the reality of hard work and long days. A previous Adventure Sports Extended Diploma student was already working at the Hotel and, judging by the enjoyment of the week, there will be more to follow.

Here’s a short clip of student Josh Cook on the slopes…

Adventure Sports lecturer volunteers with Rescue Team

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Adventure Sports lecturer and instructor Matthew Daily-Hunt uses his outdoor expertise as a member of Staffordshire Search and Rescue Team.  SSART is a team of dedicated volunteers with specialist training to locate and rescue missing people anywhere in Staffordshire.  They train and work with the police and ambulance service to enhance their search and rescue efforts.

During the recent heavy snowfall Matthew and other SSART volunteers used the team’s 4×4 vehicles to support West Midlands Ambulance Service in the Staffordshire Moorlands where they helped recover stuck ambulances, transported essential medical personnel to hospital and responded to 999 emergencies in remote locations.

Tim Reeves, Head of Adventure Sports, Uniformed and Public Services said, “Matthew’s skill as a mountaineer, mountain bike leader and rock climbing instructor make him valuable to the Rescue Team. With his Rescue training he brings a whole new level into our college team.”

For more information on the team go to www.SSART.org or ask Matthew, who wears his badge with pride!

ssart adventure sports matthew daily-hunt

Survival School Skills and then the World!

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Mick Keeling used his international expedition skills and two decades of army experience to teach Reaseheath Public and Uniformed Services students survival skills.

Survival skills“The students paddled canoes along a flooded river”, explained Mick, who taught Survival Skills in Bavaria for the army. “Then they made emergency shelters using only the equipment they had and learnt how to light fires. They even made some simple food using a stove.”

“Despite the floods and wet weather the students managed to deal with every incident and learnt how it’s not just about surviving but doing it comfortably”.

Mick’s skills are much in demand. While not working at Reaseheath he trains leaders for World Challenge Expeditions who have just asked him to fly out to Peru to train Expeditions Guides. Reaseheath students benefit from Micks skills and qualifications, he leads student trips on rivers and mountains in Scotland, Wales and Cumbria, this year he is leading a student expedition to North Africa.

“We’ll be climbing the highest peak in North Africa and traveling through desert regions, even though we’ll only be a few hours flight from Europe it’s a different world, high mountain huts, ancient markets and the ruins of lost cities”.

Greg Houghton, Public and Uniformed Services Course Manager added, “Experienced NCO’s and Expedition Leaders like Mick are brilliant on courses like ours. Those decades of experience,  rank and qualification  make a real difference to our students giving them the real skills you need to work in a public or uniformed service. No other college can offer students experience like this!”

survival skills

survival skills

Self Defence, Rope Rescue Skills and abseiling into buildings?

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These are all part of the practical skills Uniformed and Public Services students have been learning in January.

Former Warrant Officer, Shropshire Light Infantry, Mick Keeling took a group of students to the Lee Mathews British Military Martial Arts Academy.

“They learnt how to deal with a bigger attacker and suppress an assault” described Mick Keeling, who after teaching Survival Skills and Adventure Training in Bavaria for the Army works for Reaseheath and leads international expeditions.

The next week the students looked at Improvised Rope Rescues and abseiling. Greg Houghton, Uniformed and Public Services course manager described it, “They might find themselves having to use ropes to rescue people who have got onto steep, dangerous ground or to abseil into a building to resolve an incident. At Reaseheath we have the specialised staff to teach survival or ropes skills. In their second year they’ll get extra training for Dog Handling and Horses. That is what is so great about Reaseheath, we have such specialised staff and resources to make our courses exciting and increase student’s employability.”

Public Services lesson

Public Services lesson

Public Services lesson

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