I wanted to say that I felt, when Matt was talking about the NCCP training program, that as swim coaches we're in a bit of a unique situation because we have to write a practice ahead of time. We're going to be dealing with 12 to 15 kids in the water. A lot of the level 1 NCCP talks about preparing a practice and having an emergency readiness plan, which for a swim coach and lifeguard is already inherent in the job. That's the situation I saw.
But similar to what Matt said, if you're mentoring with someone, if there's active learning going on through being with a career coach or a higher-level coach, that's really where the learning happens.
Concerning retention...I would add that every year the Bluefins go to a swim meet in Toronto, so Matt and I and our co-coaches of the 10-and-under program are there. Quebec has by far the youngest coaches there, because coaching a 10-and-under group in Ontario seems to be an option for a career, whereas in Quebec, as Matt said, we're coaching a group of kids three or four times a week, and there's no money in that to make a career. So whereas Matt is pursuing a career-coaching opportunity through different groups at the same time, that's not my career choice, basically because of what he's saying. I'd love to be able to be a permanent career coach, but it's just not in the cards, unless I want to move, and I don't really want to.