From the GWRRA Texas Chapter M-2 Education Corner

“ How do you complete the GWRRA forms to update your status in the Rider Levels Program? ”

How do you complete the GWRRA forms to update your status in the Rider Levels Program? This article was written by John Bourg, our Texas District Educator and appears in the August District Newsletter

Fill in the blanks. It sounds so easy until it is your turn to do it. What was the name of that course? When does it expire? What do they want? Let’s see if we can help de-mystify the form. Riding courses…ERC, BRC, MSF, TC, TRC, ARC...what do they all mean?

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) has Rider Coaches who teach the Basic Riders Class (BRC) and the Experienced Riders Course (ERC). The Gold Wing Road Rider Association has Riders Instructors who teach the Advanced Riders Class (ARC), Trike Riders Course (TRC) and the Trailering Course (TC). There are others as well.

The riding courses are not DPS although in Texas the DPS oversees the MSF programs, which are BRC or ERC. All courses are good for three years so the expiration date is three years from the date the course was taken. For example, the TRC taken on 4/18/08 would expire on 4/18/11.

The same applies for the Co-Rider Seminar (CRS) or if the Co-Rider takes a riding course 2-Up. The training will expire three years after the course was taken.

CPR and First Aid courses have their issues, since they are conducted by a number of different providers. Some of the most active providers are American Heart Association (AHA), American Red Cross (ARC), Medic First Aid (MFA) and National Safety Council (NSC). When you fill out the GWRRA update form, the line that asks for the course refers to the name of the certifying agency, not the name of the instructor.

That is the easy part. Now, how long are they good for?

Take a look at the completion card. Some require annual certification for CPR; some say training is good for two years. Some say First Aid is good for two years and some say three years. It should be spelled out on your completion card.

Which for to use? If this is the first time you have taken a course and want to move up in the Levels Program, complete the N.7 Levels Application Form for Levels I, II or III and send it in with the appropriate fee for the patches. For your Level IV application make sure to bring copies of the certification cards to send in with the N.9 Application Form along with payment. If you are only updating your information in order to maintain your place in the Levels Program, fill out the N.10 update form and give it to your Chapter Educator so that she can update your information in the database.

At this time the Road Captain Course, Road Captain Seminar, Team Riding, Trailering, Motorcycling for the Mature Rider, Motorcycle Crash Scene Response and MSF Mature Rider seminars serve to give you some great information and good training, but do not count towards moving up or maintaining a Level in the Levels program.

See, mystery solved. If you have any questions ask your Chapter Educator or give us a call.

Nancy Kwiecien
GWRRA Spring, Texas Chapter M-2 Chapter Educator