Organizing the Baton Twirling Foundations Practical Course

The CBTF Coaching Courses have been designed to be completed in stages. There are four stages to becoming fully certified at each coaching level:

  1. The first stage is the THEORY content. This is an online course. There are lessons and quizzes that participants may do at their own pace. Participants can stop and start as needed, and when they return to the online course, they will continue where they left off. Participants must complete all of the theory content (lessons and quizzes) BEFORE they attend the in-person PRACTICAL portion of the course.
  2. The second stage is the PRACTICAL content. This is a one-day, in-class course instructed by a Course Conductor. Here, participants will dive deeper into some of the lessons that were studied online. Participants will also spend time "hands-on" with batons - learning how to teach contact material. There will also be a portion of the day spent actually teaching students the elements from the Skills Development Program and the Pre-Competitive Standard Routines (Level I & II). At this level, participants must be able to demonstrate that they can execute the skills as well as effectively teach the skills.
  3. National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) training is the third stage in becoming fully certified at the Baton Twirling Foundations level. NCCP course offerings vary by province - if the province offers the NCCP Courses as a ‘bundle’, participants must obtain “NCCP Part A”. If the province offers the NCCP Course as individual sessions, participants must obtain “Making Ethical Decisions (MED)”, “Planning a Practice”, and “Nutrition”.
  4. The fourth and final stage to becoming fully certified is the EVALUATION. In the year after participants have become TRAINED, they will begin to build their Coaching Portfolio. Once the participant’s coaching portfolio is submitted, an on-site visit will be scheduled. A Coaching Evaluator will attend one of the participant’s classes to evaluate their coaching skills. It may also be possible to submit a video of the participant coaching a class (instructions to be developed).

The attached document provides further detail for anyone interested in hosting a Baton Twirling Foundations Practical Course in their local area. It includes a step-by-step list of activities for the Event Coordinator and the Course Conductor, logistical considerations, pricing guidelines, responsibilities for the Event Coordinator and Course Conductor, and some sample registration forms that can be used as a starting point.