PADDLEACA | Canoe - Kayak - SUP - Raft - Rescue, Volume 2, Issue 6, September 2016 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio Exclusive Athlete Interviews News From Your ACA State Directors Instructors of the Month for August & September Upcoming Competitions ACA Mission Statement Founded in 1880, the ACA is a national nonprofit organization serving the broader paddling public by providing education relat- ed to all aspects of paddling; stewardship support to help protect paddling environments; and sanctioning of programs and events to promote paddlesport competition, exploration and recreation. NATIONAL STAFF MS - Brian Ramsey Safety & Rescue - Sam Fowlkes (NC) Wade Blackwood - Executive Director MO - Dave Haessig Safety & Rescue - Charlie Walbridge (WV) Chris Stec - Chief Operating Officer MT - Alex Bergeron Rafting - Vacant Amy Ellis - State Director/Membership Coord. NE - Jordan Messerer Adaptive Paddling - Joe Moore (SC) Candy Patten - Insurance Coordinator NV - Vacant Intro to Paddling - Ben Lawry (CA) Katie Hansen - Membership Coordinator NH - Marty Pritchard Stand Up Paddleboard - Trey Knight (TN) Catharine Lloyd - Communications Coordinator NJ - Kerry Pflugh Institutional Members Kelsey Bracewell - SEI Manager NM - Christine Mollo SEIC Chair Appointment - Josh Hall (SC) Louis Metzger - Public Policy Chief NY - Liane Amaral SEIC Chair Appointment - Peter Casson (RI) Marcel Bieg - Western States Outreach Director NC - Daniel Morris Liaison Members Barbara Bendele - Office Manager ND - Clarence Bina USCG-SEIC Liaison - Wayne Stacey (DC) T.J. Turner - Education & Outreach Coordinator OH - Ryan Pepper BSA Liaison - Keith Christopher (TX) Dave Burden - Intl. Paddlesports Ambassador OK - Aasim Saleh Bailey Roseveare - Social Media Coordinator OR - Cheri Holman PARTNERS PA - Steve Barber L.L. Bean PR - Omar Ramos Rapid Media BOARD OF DIRECTORS RI - Vacant MTI Adventurewear Executive Committee SC - Ethan Talley, Kyle Thomas Kokatat President - Anne Maleady (MA) SD - Steven Dahlmeier Werner Paddles Vice President - TBD TN - Jessica Beckett Stand Up Paddle Industry Association Treasurer - Peter Sloan (CO) TX - Lorraine McPhee USA Canoe/Kayak Secretary - Robin Pope (NC) UT - Anthony Monson BSA Aquatics Taskforce At-Large - Judge Charles Strauss (VA) VA - Chris Misener NOAA Marine Debris Program At-Large - Jerry Dunne (NY) VI - David Paradise U.S. Coast Guard Office of Boating Safety Board Members VT - Nathan Lavery National Safe Boating Council Colin Trost (VA) WA - Patrick Steehler Outdoor Alliance Roby Hackney (VA) WV - Melanie Seiler Outdoor Alliance for Kids Bill Micks (VA) WI - Thomas Schrader Hobie Polarized Sunglasses Kirk Havens (VA) WY - Mark Hamlin Association of Outdoor Recreation & Education Andrew Tush (VA) International Whitewater Hall of Fame SAFETY, EDUCATION & INSTRUCTION Steve Hutton (SC) Whitewater Symposium Bill Banholzer (SC) COUNCIL (SEIC) Leave No Trace Wayne Stacey - USCG liaison (MD) SEIC Officers National Association of State Boating Law Tom Uebel - Sugar Isl. liaison (NY) Chair - Steve Hutton (SC) Administrators (AL) STATE DIRECTORS Vice Chair - Rusty Cooper Western States Boating Administrators Secretary - Becky Molina (LA) AL - Helen Todd Association Past Chair - Robin Pope (NC) AK - Tom Pogson Polynesian Voyaging Society AZ - Danielle Keil Division Instruction Facilitators AR - Tom Burroughs Atlantic - Elizabeth O’Connor Cover photo CA - Alexander Morris Dixie - Aaron Peeler Alana Nichols, Paralympic Athlete CO - Gregory Skomp Middle States - Greg Mallet-Prevost, Mike CT - Elizabeth O’Connor Aronoff, & Greg Velzy DE - Clarke Greene Midwest - Tom Lindblade & Randy Carlson DC - Meredith Waters New England - Jackie Peppe FL - Peggy Phillips Northern NY - Laura Liebel GA - John Traendly Red River - Patti Carothers HI - Indar Lange SW Ohio - John Slocum Follow us on... ID - Elliot Jacobs NW Ohio - Chris Lewis IL - Lenore Sobota Chair & NE Ohio - John MacDonald IN - Joe Rozsaheqyi Northwest - Steve Scherrer IA - Vacant European Division - Gerhard Grimm KS - Vacant California - Marce Wise KY - Nathan Depenbrock Committee Chairs LA - Ben Sandmel Touring Canoe - Molly Gurien (OH) ME - Randy Smith River Canoe - Beth Wiegandt (VA) MD - Bob Cianflone River Kayak - Mike Aronoff (VA) MA - Samuel Gaughan Coastal Kayak - John Browning (WI) MI - Lynn Dominguez Canoe Sailing - Larry Haff (MA) MN - David Englund, Bridget O’Boyle Surf Kayak - Nigel Law (GA) 1 / PADDLE / September 2016 www.americancanoe.org Meet Your ACA Staff Wade Blackwood Christopher Stec Executive Director Candy Patten Chief Operating Officer Insurance Coordinator “Canoe Jousting.” “The Kayak Playboat Shot “Kayak Ballet with Dogs.” Put.” If you could make up your own paddling discipline, what would it be? Kelsey Bracewell SEI Coordinator “Raft Gymnastics.” Amy Ellis Dave Burden Louis Metzger International Paddlesports State Director/Membership Public Policy Chief Ambassador Coordinator “Kayak Seal Launching - “Kayak Yodeling.” “Freestyle inner tubing.” with someone else’s boat.” Catharine Lloyd Communications Coordinator “Synchronized SUP.” Barbara Bendele Katie Hansen Marcel Bieg Office Manager Membership Coordinator Western States Outreach “Challenge Canoe Part- Director & Grant Manager “Stand Up... Horse?” nering – partner a skilled “Hover boat, like in Back paddler with someone to the Future but with a T.J. Turner who faces physical, devel- kayak!” Education & Outreach opmental or emotional Coordinator challenges in their every- “Extreme Backwards Pad- day lives.” www.americancanoe.org/staff dling (Multi-discipline).” 2 / PADDLE / September 2016 www.americancanoe.org Table of Contents Stewardship 6 Update on ACA Stewardship Initiatives 22 New Paddle Smart WebTV Series 7 Paddle Green Spotlight - Paddle 23 2016 National Paddlesports Conference Potomac! Paddle Shenandoah! 24 New MOU Between ACA & BSA 10 Recent Paddle Green Policy Action 12 Plastics in the Ocean: How They Get Adaptive There, Their Impacts & Our Solutions 26 Equipment Spotlight: Creating Ability’s Back-of-Hand Paddle Adaptation Education 27 2016 Rio Paralympics: Exclusive Athlete 16 August Instructor of the Month Interviews 18 September Instructor of the Month 36 Upcoming Adaptive Paddling Workshops 20 ACA Pro School Spotlight - Coastal Kayak SUP & Sail News Near You 21 AUXPAD Program 38 Updates From ACA State Directors 3 / PADDLE / September 2016 www.americancanoe.org Membership 43 Featured ACA Member Benefit: 52 New Partnership with International Discount on Paddling Gear Whitewater Hall of Fame 44 ACA Outfitter spotlight - Asbury University Center for Adventure International Leadership 56 Get SUP certified in the Virgin Islands 45 Werner’s Healthy Waters Program 57 ACA Europe Symposium 46 Motionize Paddling Tracker - Special 58 State Director Conference in Puerto Rico Offer for ACA Members 47 Member Photo of the Month Paddling History 48 New Paddling Club Advisory Council 60 Looking Back at Paddlesports in the 1935 Olympic Games Competition 50 Races & Events Coming Up 51 USA Canoe/Kayak Update: Rio Recap 4 / PADDLE / September 2016 www.americancanoe.org STEWARDSHIP Photographer: Lisa Belanger Neal Featuring: Alexander Neal Location: Lake Superior, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Stay Up-To-Date On ACA’s Stewardship Initiatives Interested in the political process? Check out some of the local and regional policy letters the ACA has submitted on behalf of paddlers: www.americancanoe.org/PublicPolicy Want to help your local waterway? Watch these videos from fellow paddlers at their Paddle Green Events: www.americancanoe.org/PGEvents How much is there? Where does it come from? Help the ACA and NOAA ‘Track Trash’ and clean up your local waterway in the process! Learn how to participate here: www.americancanoe.org/TrackTrash How do the 7 Principles of Leave No Trace apply to river corridors? Learn more at: www.americancanoe.org/LNT 6 / PADDLE / September 2016 www.americancanoe.org Paddle Green Spotlight: Paddle Potomac! Paddle Shenandoah! By Nathan Ackerman and Mark Frondorf Paddle Potomac! Paddle Shenandoah! was We believe the best way to build an appre- organized by Potomac Riverkeeper Network ciation for the river is by experiencing the (PRKN) in partnership with the National Park river. With that in mind, we worked with local Service, and timed to coincide with their outfitters and boathouses to present a dozen centennial this year. PRKN works to protect events aimed at getting people of all skill lev- the public’s right to clean water in our rivers els on the river. While some paddles were free and streams. We fight polluters to protect to the public, the ticketed events help support the Potomac and Shenandoah, the source of the work we do. The event is an effective way drinking water for millions. Currently we are to introduce the public to the organization, involved in 17 active suits and are holding Do- and in some cases, to the rivers, as many first minion Power accountable for dumping mil- time paddlers participated. lions of gallons of waste water from their coal ash ponds into a tributary of the Potomac. From June 8th-19th, several hundred paddlers joined us on outings ranging from overnight 7 / PADDLE / September 2016 www.americancanoe.org camping and bird-watching to whitewater and operations, cattle in the river) to municipali- moonlight trips. It was our first time organiz- ties and corporations violating their pollution ing an event of this size, so we were thrilled to permits to the dumping of coal ash into the see a huge turnout and enthusiastic response Potomac River. to