British Cycling's BMX Commission run BMX related training courses over the winter months which may interest your club members.

Regional Officials Course.

A full one day course covering the basics of being a race official. The course is broken down into four main sections covering Child Protection, Administration and Preparation, Rules and Regulations and Race simulations. Following the course participants are expected to complete an exam paper - at home and in their own time before course accreditation certificates are issued by British Cycling. Normally these courses are limited to 16 participants per day. These courses are normally funded by the BMX Commission but any expenses for participants are to be covered by their club.

BMX Race Software Course

A one day course covering the setting up and use of the BMX Event Management Software that is used for all National and East Anglia Regional events. The course starts with a power point presentation but is mostly "hands-on" with participants working in pairs. If participants or their club have their own laptop with the basic specifications being Microsoft Office 2000 or later (but try to avoid Office XP / Office 2002). A minimum system of a 1Ghz PIII with 256Mb RWM is recommended. While the program will run on lesser systems, some patience is required. The venue costs for these courses are normally funded by the Region and a nominal fee of £10 per participant is charged.

In addition British Cycling Coach Education run the following Level 1 Coaching Award which may interest riders and parents alike:

The BC Level 1 Coaching award is an entry level award and aimed at people entering into cycle coaching for the first time. It is a generic course - not just BMX - but does give coaches the basic skills and knowledge to provide quality sessions to riders at the grass roots level. This course is a 2 day course with a period of about 4 weeks between each day. Participants are required to have a valid First Aid certificate or proof of enrolment on a suitable scheme. This course is open to anyone aged 16 years or over and at the end of day 2 and providing the participant has passed the theory and practical assessments they should leave the course able to begin coaching within the limitations of the course and providing you maintain membership of British Cycling and a valid First Aid qualification the insurance package will be available. Further courses following on from this are available and for more information about these please contact Coach Education at British Cycling. The Level 1 courses are only run when the numbers showing a serious interest are high enough. The cost of this course is £195 but British Cycling, through the Go-Ride Manager always try to get local funding to minimise the costs to participants.

If any of your club members are interested in any of these courses please ask them to register their interest in writing or email with Phil Townsend - 32 New Road, Melbourn, Royston, SG8 6BY or philtbmx@aol.com