I finished RiderCoach training yesterday, successfully I guess. That is to say, I passed, and will receive Motorcycle Safety Foundation certification, but I think it's fair to say I barely squeaked by and I don't know if actual coaching is in my future or not. I need to let this all digest and get over the exhaustion and see how I feel in a week or two.
I can't remember when I've ever done anything harder. In the last few days my schedule consisted of getting up at 6 a.m. or earlier, eating breakfast, and heading to the range. Then work hard all day, get home around 6 p.m. or later, eat dinner, study and prepare for the next day, and fall into bed totally exhausted no later than 10 p.m. Often earlier.
And to a great extent that wasn't enough.
With the six of our original nine who remained by the time we starting teaching a class of actual students, that meant each of us had three range exercises where we were Coach 1 (C1) and three where we were Coach 2 (C2). Every exercise has a C1 and a C2. Plus we each had classroom assignments to prepare for and lead. My first exercise was to be C1 for Exercise 3. I studied and I prepped and my C2 and I discussed extensively what we would do. We felt prepared.
The teams running Exercises 1 and 2 also felt confident, I'm sure, so those of us on the sidelines were dying in horror for them as we watched their exercises turn into chaos. We also felt bad for the students. This wasn't what they paid their money for. I was determined that Exercise 3 would go much better.
Right from the start things started going wrong. A carefully planned move of the bikes to the next starting positions was complicated by a logistical issue. It had been emphasized to us that if there is a problem it is our responsibility to fix it. I knew what I needed to do but since I couldn't I improvised. And I believed I had met the objective; I had fixed the problem safely.
So we started the exercise, in which the students had been explicitly instructed to wait for the signal to begin and then power-walk (keep feet on the ground and gently engage the engine so the bike rolls forward on its own power) to the next cone as soon as it was open. Somehow, they got the idea that they needed to wait at each cone until specifically signaled to advance. For the first circuit then I spent the time I was supposed to be coaching explaining to each rider as they came by that they did not need to wait to be called. Again, a problem, but I felt I had fixed it satisfactorily. The students had finally had an exercise that was not as chaotic, and while I wasn't thrilled, I felt fairly good about it.
Crushed
I could not have been more stunned--and crushed--when, in debriefing, I was informed that the exercise overall was ruled unsatisfactory. If you get two overall unsatisfactorys you are out of the program, immediately.
The big issue, it turned out, was that when I improvised in the beginning I had had running motorcycles facing away from me. Our instructors had drilled it into us that we were never to have our backs to running motorcycles, but I could not--and still do not--remember anything about not being behind running bikes, even if you're facing them. I don't doubt that it was discussed; I just don't remember it being discussed. And it is considered a major safety violation and a huge black mark on my conduct of the exercise. I also got dinged pretty badly for the time I spent straightening out the second issue and not having been coaching at the same time.
I was so demoralized I briefly considered just calling it quits right there. To his credit, my C2, who fortunately did not have to bear the cost of my unsatisfactory performance, gave me a good pep talk about putting it behind me and focusing on what was still ahead. The next few exercises went reasonably well and I started feeling better, but at day's end I was still feeling there was a 1 in 2 chance I would not pass the course.
I had one more C1 role the following day and finally that went very well, but in my two C2 roles that day I was less than stellar. I made mistakes that my C1 had to bail me out of, but he did, so overall we were rated satisfactory. At the final debriefing the instructor held me longer and made the point explicitly that my C1 had indeed bailed me out repeatedly and that did not say good things about me. Of course he was right and I was feeling pretty demoralized again, even though I knew I would pass. It occurred to me later that I was putting so much effort into prepping for my C1 exercises that I was not putting enough emphasis on prepping for my C2 exercises.
Now it's all over and I could not feel more relieved. But if I choose to proceed there are more hurdles to cross before I'll ever step onto a range as a RiderCoach. Most training organizations have further requirements for their RiderCoaches, such as taking First Aid or even CPR training. Plus, as a RiderCoach you are expected to be able to ride the exercise demonstrations flawlessly and there is one in particular--two U-turns in a tight box--that I need a lot more practice to get down pat. But I don't have a little 250cc bike to use to practice, and while I could certainly practice with my Concours, a simple dab with a foot would not be enough with that 800-pound bike to stop a tip over. Dropping the Connie would break expensive parts. Picking it back up is exhausting, which wouldn't leave me in good condition for further practice. I don't know where I'm going to get this practice that I clearly need.
That's where things sit at this point. I wrote before about the respect I feel for the people who have successfully become RiderCoaches, and who train class after class of riders. That respect has now been magnified even further.
And by the way, it really was fabulous watching this class of new riders progress from almost zero to becoming amazingly competent beginning riders in just two days. I'd still like to be involved in helping that happen. Will I? I just can't say at this point.
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