And why would you? And who could do it? And how hard would it be? And……. Oh, so many more questions!
Well, first, are you interested? If you are here’s a short article that might make you think about it a little more. But even if you don’t think you’re interested you might still find the article is interesting.
Observer Introduction Session
I recently had the privilege of sitting in on the Observer Introduction Session lead by Clive Owen, EKAM’s Observer Mentor, and Iain Moss, our Chief Observer. It was held on Saturday 25th May.
The session was put together to provide a ‘primer’ for those who are looking to join EKAM’s Observer Corps - a bit like an ITAM but for advanced riders where the principles are the same, but the discourse and the objectives are at a whole higher level.
It was an interesting half day. The session ran through the ethos behind the way our Observer’s support Associates on their journey to pass their Test. It went on to explain why Observers in EKAM now need to meet National Observer status. It focused heavily on the way the Observer’s role is conducted, on the practicalities of observing and how to provide effective feedback. The session used video footage to illustrate some of the practical aspects of observing and some of the insights provided by Clive and Iain during the end of session wash-up were fascinating.
So why do it? What’s in it for the observers? It involves training and work not to mention the need to give up time to actually carry out the observing once they have met the standard.
The answers from the observers present differed but were all very positive. “A chance to give something back”. “I like riding, and this provides a purpose to doing so”. “The satisfaction of helping someone make the grade’. And there were others but the most enticing: “Doing this has improved my riding skills immensely”.
A big question was “How long does it take to become an Observer”. The short answer (on average) is about a year, but there’s a lot of support in there and opportunity to ride with Associates as an ‘observer’ whilst preparing for the National Observer Test.
I’m 72 but the session has had me thinking ever since. If you are younger than me (as most of you are) do give this a bit of thought. Many ‘seasoned’ Observers are going to be retiring over the next few years and at the same time EKAM is slowly growing and looking to try to encourage more young riders into the fold. We will need to have more Observers and you could just be one of them.
If you are interested, or just want to talk it over, then speak to any Observer. Iain Moss, our Chief Observer, will be more than happy to discuss this with you. He is usually at Club Nights, at a fair few of our ride-outs and can otherwise be contacted
Further information about becoming an Observer can also be found HERE.