One key thing that stands out for me after all these years at the centre is the quality — and quantity — of instructors we have seen over the decades. Face it, a large portion of what we do relates to teaching you something that you have voluntarily come to us to learn. Sure, we all like the shorter programs like “How to Convert Your Hoover to a Fully Automatic Rifle”,” Cuticle Crafts” and “Cat Hair Macramé”, but where we shine is teaching you a skill or life altering ability, like how to swim or taking charge of your own health and fitness. One constant through all the years is that the instructors bring a level of passion to their teaching, in varying degrees, but they all made the decision to take the required training and certification to be able to teach.
The downside is that, like the sands of time through the hourglass, so is the ebb and flow of instructors. So, let us look at encouraging you to become a part-time fitness instructor. If you ask one, they will tell you that it is quite gratifying, that we are able to work around your schedule to a certain extent and you would be part of a great team. (Of course it’s a great team — we’re all on it. Who wouldn’t want to be part of that?) You get to motivate others to be stronger, healthier and happier, plus you get to see those results in front of your very eyes. You get to lead youth, teens, adults and seniors in active programs and even get some creative freedom (safety first, of course) which could get new fitness trends happening right here in our little valley!
We, in turn, will provide you with support, networking and leadership, plus there may be opportunities to access some financial assistance for set-up training. You, of course, will be outgoing, enthusiastic and passionate about health and fitness (which you obviously are or you would have stopped reading in the first paragraph). Whether you want to specialize in specific modules such as aquatics, weight training, Osteofit, yoga, Pilates or the range of possibilities under group fitness leader, you will have to spend some time in the learning process. This is where I recommend you talk to our very own experts, Andrea Peet and Tia Wayling, who have walked the walk and can talk the talk and, quite frankly, are the constants in our dryland fitness programming, growing it exponentially over the past years along with the assistance of other skilled teachers.
So, if you are sufficiently intrigued, no matter your age, give one of the girls a call at 250-428-7127 or email them at crestonrec@rdck.bc.ca. There is no better way to stay fit than to teach it yourself!
Neil Ostafichuk is the recreation supervisor at the Creston and District Community Complex.