Dan Cenidoza said:
I understand SF will be honoring RKC certs, but is DD reciprocating? Do I have it correct that you can have both certs, except for the leadership (team leaders and above) must choose one or the other, or step down? If that is the case, who from the RKC leadership is now with SF?
This is my understanding. Please note this is not an official position of StrongFirst but rather my opinion of how things are based on my own knowledge and experience.
1. SF will honor only those RKC certifications that were taught by the then-current RKC leadership at the time Pavel announced his departure. This assumes the curriculum to remain as it was before Pavel's departure as well. Thus, same curriculum, same instructors, then the certification will be honored.
2. The above applies to DragonDoor-sponsored RKC certifications through the end of July, 2013 and not beyond that point in time. The date was chosen because that was the final date in the schedule at the time Pavel left. Thus, anything that was on the books at the time of Pavel's departure that was taught according to the curriculum Pavel approved and by instructors that Pavel selected will be honored - but that's all.
3. The above to means that if DragonDoor selects new instructors to teach at RKC certifications to be held before July, 2013, SF will not honor those certifications. Neither will SF honor certifications if the curriculum has been changed, even if taught by previous RKC leadership.
4. I have heard nothing about DragonDoor honoring SF certifications and I do not expect that to happen. I cannot see how DragonDoor's interests would be served by doing this.
5. One can hold as many certifications as one wishes, e.g., an NSCA-CPT plus an RKC or SF cert of both. The exception, as you noted, is that SF leadership must choose to give up their DragonDoor leadership positions. (It doesn't really matter what DragonDoor's position on this is as if it doesn't work both ways then it doesn't work at all.)
6. Each RKC leader should be allowed to speak for themselves as to whether they plan to continue with DragonDoor or move to SF. To the best of my knowledge, only one RKC leader, Phil Ross, has publicly agreed to stay with DragonDoor - John DuCane posted this about Phil on the RKC group on Facebook. Everyone else that I am personally aware of has announced, at least to the rest of the leadership if not publicly, that they are going to SF, but many have not yet made their intentions known and I don't believe we will all know which way each leader will go until each decides it's time to make their decision public. My guess is that some won't make or announce their decision until July, 2013 (unless they are forced to by one organization or the other).
7. George, I am not aware of any announcement from SF about a change in the 2-year recert requirement so I would assume that it will work the same way and that you would have to recert from scratch (according to whatever the rules are for that).
Hope that's of some help.
Steve Freides
StrongFirst Team Leader
http://www.kbnj.com
