How to Put Your Purchasing Power Toward Paddlesports

Amazon Smile is the same Amazon site you know, with one difference--it donates a portion of proceeds to the charity of your choice. 

The ACA is registered through the site, so all you have to do is start shopping from this link and Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases to the ACA. We recommend bookmarking the above link so you can easily access it every time you need to make an Amazon purchase. 

Please don't hesitate to contact us with any questions. Thank you for your continued support! 

How to SUP With Your Pup

Written by ACA certified SUP Instructor, Maria Schultz, this book reinforces a simple truth: "It's not how far or how fast you go, it's the company you keep that makes the adventure special."

How to SUP With Your Pup: A Guide to Standup Paddleboarding With Your Dog is a must-read for paddlers with four-legged companions. With a focus on safety, Maria lays out everything you'll need to start paddling with your pooch this summer! 

Get your copy from the ACA eStore today.

The First-Ever Adaptive Paddling Summit

It's all happening September 15-17, 2014. Will you be there?

To learn more, click the image above or visit www.americancanoe.org/adaptivesummit.

2014 River Rescue Rodeo

Take note: this year's River Rescue Rodeo will take place September 28, 2014, on the Tuckaseegee River in NC. 

Teams will have the chance to compete in river rescue events for over $1,000 worth of prizes.

Get more info and register today! 

Shout Out to Rommel Outdoors!

Rommel Outdoors started in 2011 in Seaford, DE, and has quickly become the foremost distributor and retailer of outdoor recreational products on the East Coast. Their retail location is now in Cambridge, MD, and their wholesale division distributes the following: Emotion Kayaks, Malone Car Racks, MTI Life Jackets, Yak Gear & Rail Blaza, and many others from NY to NC.

Rommel Outdoors is also one of the region's leading organizations for community outreach events involving outdoor recreational activities. Their partners include: Leave No Trace, Freedom to Float, the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, DE State Parks, MD State Parks, and now the ACA!

Please visit www.rommeloutdoors.com to learn more.

Grant Update: Going the Distance for Paddlesports Education

This post comes straight to you from T.J. Turner, ACA Paddlesports Training Grant Coordinator. T.J. is currently managing a U.S. Coast Guard-funded grant focused on increasing high-quality ACA certified paddlesport instruction across the United States.

ACA IT Michael Shugg demonstrates proper boat fit for his class in AL.

Since the launch of the "Expansion of On-Water Paddlesport Instruction" grant project in September 2013, we have worked in Hawaii, Oregon, California, Florida, Alabama, Texas, and Puerto Rico. To date, more than 55 new instructors have been certified, and we're only halfway through the grant!

All the instructor candidates have diverse backgrounds and deep connections within their communities, allowing the ACA to increase its outreach. So far, we've had the opportunity to work with the education and community outreach departments for the Department of Land and Natural Resources in Hawaii, the Alabama Marine Police, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Florida Wildlife Commission, the Clackamas Sheriff Marine Division in Oregon, various schools and educational facilities in each state, and we've made a lasting impression in Puerto Rico.

Instructor candidates living it up paddling in the heart of San Juan, PR!

Instructor candidates will be able to take what they've learned during the grant courses and immediately incorporate it into their curriculums. For example, the law enforcement groups who participate in boater education now have more tools and paddlesport knowledge to use when dealing with human-powered vessels. The law enforcement and nonprofit groups can begin to offer Smart Start and Paddlesmart programs in a more effective manner to large groups. The camp staff now have new ways to reach out to the community to share the ACA mission with young paddlers.

We are currently scheduled to have all the grant courses completed by June 13, 2014--way ahead of the September 30, 2014, grant deadline. 

Many thanks to the U.S. Coast Guard for making it all possible, and to all the instructor trainers and instructor trainer educators that conducted these courses as well as the course hosts for their hospitality!

ACA ITE Sam Drevo demonstrates proper boat fit near the Clackamas River.

Are You Going to CKS Paddlefest?

This year's CKS Paddlefest is going to be the best yet! From May 23-26th, paddlers from all over the country will gather in beautiful Buena Vista, Colorado, for an action-packed weekend full of outdoor fun. Will we see you there?

The ACA is thrilled to be one of the sponsors of this event. Please stop by our booth to say hi!