Instruction

Although the Outing Club is a great way to experience outdoor recreation and meet tons of neat people, our primary mission is educating our members and the community in outdoors skills. Not only do we teach beginner and experienced learners about the outdoors, but we also provide the opportunity for our members to learn how to teach. All outing club lessons are taught by volunteers, and as such we encourage new people to help out in whatever way they feel comfortable.

Everyone teaching lessons in the Outing Club does their best to make sure that everyone gets the instruction they need and feel comfortable with the atmosphere and overall experience of the lesson. That said, all Club lessons are free and included with your memberships. The Club isn't an "instructional service" as much as it's a group of individuals learning together. This means you will be expected to pick up your own gear, accept that some lessons only occur sporadically, and in general cut your hard-working, volunteer instructors a little slack. After all, one day you may be instructing also!

If you're ready to give back to the club by passing on skills you've learned, or if you are already an experienced instructor who has just joined the club, we've tried to assemble resources here to help you instruct in the Club. The best way to get started is to assist an instructor during a lesson that you have already taken. You can also contact either the Instruction Coordinator or Activity Chair for the activity you'd like to teach to find out more.

Through instructing, you can meet new people, clear your conscience of so many people having dedicated their time to teach you, and free up more experienced instructors so they can coordinate more advanced lessons and lead ambitious trips. It's important to note that the lessons below don't begin to cover all the lessons held by the club. These are the most frequent lessons which usually give a rating of some kind or are required for trips or equipment use. Click on the lesson of your choice to see the club requirements, recommendations, and info to improve your instructing skills (both technical and personal).

Paddling

• Kayak Lake Lesson
• Prairie du Sac Dam River Trip
• Canoe Lake Lesson
• Sea Kayak Skills Lesson
• Sea Kayak SK1 Lesson
• Beyond the Lake(announcing trips and getting WSC permission)

Other Activities

• Bike Maintenance Instructor Cheat Sheet