Paddle NI’s Participation and Development Officer, Mark, travelled to Iceland after being invited to coach at the Iceland Sea Kayak Symposium, an event that brings together sea kayakers and coaches from across the world. The invitation reflects Mark’s growing expertise and the work he does to support paddlers and clubs here in Northern Ireland. Sea kayaking continues to be one of the most popular areas within our progressive paddles programme and opportunities like this help us keep our development work aligned with the highest coaching standards. The symposium focuses on sharing best practice, developing coaching approaches, and building the skills needed for safe paddling in moderate and advanced water environments, all of which directly supports our club work, leadership development and participation programmes. Paddle NI Head of Operations Rodger Hamilton said, “We encouraged and supported Mark to attend because staying up‑to‑date with the latest coaching methods and technical skills directly benefits the paddlers and volunteers he works with throughout the year. He has returned with new ideas, fresh perspectives and useful learning from working alongside international coaches”. We’re proud to see Northern Ireland represented at an event like this and delighted that Mark has come back with knowledge and connections that will strengthen our local programmes and the wider paddlesport community. Our next series of progressive paddles will run from September, keep an eye on social media channels for details.

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