General volunteer

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This is an essential role and a great starting place for many volunteers. Some tasks might include:

• Assisting with equipment

• Helping skiers get ready (promoting independence wherever possible)

• General motivation & encouragement from volunteers – new skiers can often be anxious

 

Observer

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• We never send a skier (or skiers) out without a trained observer on the boat

• The observer is responsible for the safety of that skier (or skiers)

• This role should be discussed in greater detail in a practical setting

• A separate training presentation gives information on the boat set-up and safety procedures

• An observer must complete a minimum of 3 training sessions on the boat with a qualified driver before being signed off

 

Assistant Instructor

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• The assistant instructor is there to assist the lead instructor

• That can mean assisting them on-land with the equipment set-up as well as on the water helping them support the skier

• You need to be a fairly confident skier before starting the on-water training to become an assistant instructor. The training includes mock-up scenarios, the lead instructor will decide when it is safe for a new assistant instructor to start supporting disabled skiers. The time this takes differs for each individual

 

Lead instructor

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• Becoming a lead instructor takes a lot of practice & time on the water with different skiers

• It can't all be taught in a couple of sessions, but can only come from experience seeing various challenges & potential solutions

• The lead instructor is responsible for the on-water safety

• The lead instructor is responsible for the skier assessment & equipment set-up

 

Jetty Management

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• Coordinates the ski list

• Communication between the skier(s) and boat crew

• Prepares equipment & helps get the skiers ready

 

Driver

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• All our drivers have a minimum Ski Boat Driver Level 2 qualification from British Waterski & Wakeboard and hold a current First Aid certificate

• In addition to that, they have had experience driving specifically for disabled skiers & riders

 

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COMMUNICATION IS KEY for all volunteer roles.

Between the person on the jetty, the instructors, the observer, the driver & of course the skier.

 

Having knowledge of the disability awareness, adaptive equipment & skier assessment sections delivered as part of our training is important for all volunteer roles