Outdoor Nation Grant Report: Empowering Youth of All Abilities

On a rainy day this past July, the ACA worked together with Shake-a-Leg Miami and Florida Bay Outfitters to empower youth of all abilities.

Thanks to funding from Outdoor Nation, 14 Shake-a-Leg high school-aged camp counselors learned ACA instructional technique and basic adaptive outfitting concepts to carry forward for many years. 7 middle school-aged campers with disabilities learned how to be more comfortable in and to have better control over sea kayaks, learning skills that will enable healthy outdoor lifestyles.

ACA Adaptive Instructor Trainer, Joe Moore, said, "It's wonderful to see people smile as they recognize new found potential. "

The ACA was proud to take part in such a meaningful and successful project! Check out the video:

Another ACA President's Award goes to...

Franziska Pokorny was just announced as a 2013 recipient of the prestigious ACA President's Award. 

The ACA honored Franziska with the award at the ACA Europe Paddlesports Conference that took place in Wadenswil, Switzerland (near Zurich) over the weekend. The President's Award recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding service to the ACA on a national or international level. 

Franzi is a talented paddler and ACA-certified instructor living in Ilanz--a small town in a mountain valley in Graubünden, Switzerland. She has served as the Co-Chair of the ACA: Europe Division and was on the planning committee for the 2013 Europe Paddlesports Conference.

Learn more about her work.

Milo Duffek Receives IWHoF Award

Milo Duffek

Former Chair of the ACA's European Division Raphael Kuner, and ACA Chief Operating Officer Chris Stec inducted legendary international paddler Milo Duffek into the International Whitewater Hall of Fame(IWHoF) last night at the PaddleExpo Show in Nuremberg, Germany.  Also in attendance were IWHoF Board of Governors Risa Shimoda, Pam Dillon, and 2013 ACA President's Award winner Virgil Chambers.  

The following description is courtesy of the IWHoF website.

Year Inducted: 2013  
Category: Champion
Sport: Slalom Racing
Years Active: 1951-1966
Home Base: Geneva, Switzerland

Champion Accomplishments:

• Silver Medal in K-1 1955 World Championships
• Established sportsmanship through international exchange and instruction

Other Accomplishments:

• Popularized the turning draw stroke now known as the “Duffek”
• First racer to introduce flatwater training techniques to whitewater
• Qualified for 1948 Olympic Games in K2 1000 meter event, but Communist party refused to allow him to compete.
• 27^th place K-1 Slalom 1953 World Championships
• 4^th place K-1 Slalom 1959 World Championships

Milo Duffek was one of the first paddlers to escape communist Czechoslovakia for the west, setting the pattern of frequent international migration that is central to the paddlesport community.   Historian Bill Endicott writes: “Duffek never won a gold medal.  In Merano Italy at the Worlds he won something even more precious: His Freedom.” Duffek’s daring defection happened during the 1953 World Championships in Merano, Italy…. His trip from communist Czechoslovakia was heavily guarded.  Endicott describes the event: “He was the favorite to win, but if he had won he would have been the center of attention.  So he had to deliberately throw the race, deliberately miss a gate so the attention would be diverted from him that evening.” Milo’s guard got drunk in the festivities that followed the Worlds, and Milo escaped with the help of the Swiss team. He had traded his chance to be World Champion for a new life and freedom.  From his new home in Switzerland, Duffek shared his paddling expertise with a fast-growing audience in many countries, including teaching the roll, surfing, and even eddy turns to an unfamiliar audience in the US. Clinics he taught overseas helped establish many other centers of whitewater sport, and established a pattern of international exchange in paddling.

Rock the Boat Film Screening in L.A.

The award-winning documentary film, "Rock the Boat," will be shown this Saturday, October 5, at 7 PM at the Lone Pine Film History Museum in Los Angeles, CA. Admission is free. 

The film's producer/director Thea Mercouffer, and ringleader/ film star George Wolfe will be attending and participating in a short conversation following the film’s presentation.

The next morning, Sunday, October 6, Thea and George invite all those who are interested to join them on a late-morning paddling trip (via canoe or kayak) down the Owens River. The seven-mile paddle will start at Elna Road, just below Tinemaha Reservoir, and end at the Aberdeen Station Road. For information, please call 760-878-0011.

President's Award

At the 6th annual ACA National Paddlesports Conference this past weekend, the ACA honored Virgil Chambers with the President's Award, recognizing his outstanding service to paddlesports on a national level.

Virgil was the National Safe Boating Council's first Executive Director. Under his leadership, the NSBC tirelessly served the recreational boating community by elevating boating safety to new levels of professionalism and excellence. 

After nearly 20 years with the NSBC, Virgil retired from his position as Executive Director on September 30, 2013. 

Learn more about Virgil's achievements on behalf of boating safety.

Track Trash Data Collection

The Stream to Sea Initiative collects data through the ACA’s online form, Track Trash Data Collection (TTDC).  TTDC helps individuals, groups, clean-up crews, waterway organizations, and paddlers  document the marine debris they remove.  

2013 Midwest Outdoor Experience

Are you looking for something fun to do this weekend? If you're in the area, check out the Midwest Outdoor Experience (formerly GearFest), Oct. 4-5 at Eastwood Metro Park in Dayton, Ohio! 

The event features outdoor activities, competitions, music, craft beer garden & food, camping, exhibitor village, exciting demos, and more. Whether you're a hardcore outdoor enthusiast or you just want to try some new activities but don't have all the gear, the Midwest Outdoor Experience offers something for all ages and ability levels. Admission and parking are free.

Come solo, or bring the entire family. And don't forget Fido--this year's event is more dog friendly than ever! 

See the 2013 Midwest Outdoor Experience Event Schedule for more details, and read about how the event is striving to be completely Waste Free in 3.