Education. Recreation. Stewardship. Competition

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The ACA You!
Event
Date
Presented by
Education. Recreation. Stewardship. Competition
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Who is the ACA?
The ACA YOU!

• Founded in 1880, the American Canoe Association
  (ACA) is a national, nonprofit organization
  serving the broader paddling public by providing
  EDUCATION related to all aspects of paddling
  STEWARDSHIP support to help protect paddling
  environments and sanctioning of programs and
  events to promote paddlesport COMPETITION and
  RECREATION.

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ACA History
The ACA You!

• 1880 Established on August 3rd by twenty-three
• notable canoeists on Lake George,
  NY
• 1903 Purchased Sugar Island in Canada
• 1927 Incorporated in NY
• 1944 Women given the right to vote in ACA
• 1978 ACA Slalom Wildwater Teams win
• World Championships!
• 1980 Susan Chamberlin is the first woman to be
• elected Commodore
• 1990s Clean Water Act enforcement (24 cases)
• 2004 Strategic Tenets of the ACA defined

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Strategic Tenets
The ACA YOU!

• Education
• Stewardship
• Competition
• Recreation

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Education
The ACA YOU!

• Safety Education Instruction Council
• Learn to Paddle Initiative
• Youth Development Program
• Extensive Paddlesports Safety Education
  Information
• National Leader in Paddlesports Education
  Instruction
• Courses Skills, Assessments, Certifications

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ACA Instructor Certification Program
The ACA YOU!

• Established 1972
• 4500 certified Instructors 250 certified
  Instructor Trainers
• Canoe (Touring River)
• Kayak (River, Coastal, Surf)
• Raft
• Safety Rescue
• Adaptive Paddling
• Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP)
• Estimated 809,000 students taught annually

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Stewardship
The ACA YOU!

• Water Trails Database
• Stewardship Grants
• Local, Regional National Initiatives
• Outdoor Alliance
• We work with
• - U.S. Forest Service
• - Department of the Interior
• - White House Office of Management and Budget
• - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• - House Natural Resources Committee
• Clean Water Network
• Land and Water Conservation Fund Task Force
• Trust for Public Land

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Recreation
The ACA YOU!

• Sanctioned 1400 events in 2010
• Promote paddlesports events
  across the nation
• Provide insurance for club events and festivals
• Support the development of new initiatives for
  paddlesports recreation opportunities

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Competition
The ACA YOU!

• Freestyle Canoeing
• Canoe Sailing
• Canoe Poling
• Open Canoe Slalom
• Whitewater Open Canoe Downriver
• Collegiate Canoe Kayak Championship Race Series

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Paddlesports Participation
The ACA YOU!

• Paddlesport participation is at its highest
  levels in the history of the sport.
• The paddlesport community needs to expand its
  entry level education opportunities for paddlers.

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Paddlesports Participation
The ACA YOU!

• More people are trying paddling and they are
  entering from numerous non-boating related
  activities
• Hiking
• Bicycling
• Camping
• Fishing

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Paddlesports Participation
The ACA YOU!

• Its CRUCIAL that these new boaters receive
• - Opportunity
• - Guidance
• - Safety Information
• - Basic Education

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Todays Objectives
The ACA YOU!
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ACA National Paddlesports Conference
September 30 October 2, 2011 Louisville, KY

• Family Opportunities
• High Quality Educational Sessions
• Instructor Updates
• Reel Paddling Film Festival
• SUP Summit
• Whitewater Courses Parks Workshop
• Exciting events for paddlers of all experience
  levels
• Flatwater Whitewater paddling opportunities
  literally from the hotel parking lot!
• and much more...

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Contact Information
The ACA YOU!

• American Canoe Association
• 108 Hanover St.
• Fredericksburg, VA 22401
• 540-907-4460
• 888-229-3792 fax
• aca_at_americancanoe.org
• www.americancanoe.org