Ala Mallinder
Course Studied: Watersports Instructor Training NVQ2
From: The Lizard
I was interested in watersports and found out about the course at Falmouth Marine School from my cousin who also did a watersports course here and he really enjoyed it.
I really liked the course from the start. We went on a three day trip to The Roseland as part of induction week, where we did team building activities, which was a great way to make friends.
The tutors are more like mates then teachers, which makes learning a lot easier. There is a lot of activity in and around the water. The week long field trip to Pembrokeshire in the first term was really good as we got a chance to do a lot of the activities that are not part of the course like abseiling.
After the course I'd like to teach watersports aboard - somewhere hot!
Ala is also in the Penryn Gig Rowing club and took part in the World Gig Championships last year. After she took part in the Indoor Rowing Championships in Eaton, she received a letter from the Olympic Kayaking Squad asking if she wanted to try out for the sprint kayaking team. Ala was deemed too small to try out for the rowing team but her performance impressed the selectors who thought her perfect for kayaking.
In mid April, along with 95 hopefuls selected out of an initial group of 1200, Ala attended the four day trial and training at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham. The trial included going through all the stages of all types of kayaking to find out which event would fit her best.
At the beginning of May Ala found out that she had been selected for the K4 England Team. If she decides to take up the place, she will put on a fast track training course to get her ready for 2012.
