Sea Kayak Trip Level Rating System

[Shane]

DISCLAIMER: To me, NSPN seems to have pretty well defined rating system. I like it for the most part, so my question here isn't due to any disdain.

Why do we (Sea Kayakers in general) not have a standard trip rating system that can be shared across America, at least.

A lot of Kayak clubs have taken this on with pretty similar results. For example:

+ NSPN

---> http://www.nspn.org/play-trip-levels.html

+ Seattle Kayak

---> http://seattlekayak.org/docs/TripClassif1.pdf

+ South Wales Sea Kayak Club (not America, but it came up in Google)

---> http://www.nswseakayaker.asn.au/about/keydocs/grading.htm

+ Boeing Sea Kayak Club

---> http://www.avsp.org/bewet/class.htm

+ BSKC

---> http://www.bskc.org/trips.htm

+ Hoofers

---> http://www.hoofers.org/outing/Whitewater/W.../skratings.html

+ Tampa Bay Sea Kayakers

---> http://clubkayak.com/tbsk/tripratings.htm

+ SKOAC

---> http://skoac.org/skill_requirements.shtml

+ ConnYak

---> http://www.connyak.org/Yakevents.html

Some things just bleed for some sort of standardization - this, to an ignorant me, just seems like one of them.

I'm curious why/how we came up with our rating sysem, again, not that there is anything wrong with it.

It seems logical to me, that ACA would be "one" of the logical bodies to initiate such standardization. If they or one of the others has reasons for not doing so, I wonder if there is energy and/or reason to grassroots something like this with the other clubs in America?

- so we can all speak that same crazy lingo.

_Shane

"Would a knife help protect you against a ‘curious’ shark? I don’t know but I would like the option." - Trevor Gardner