Canoe Kayak Canada is thrilled to welcome Anna Hetzler and Samuel Raiche to the CKC sprint high performance team in the new year. Anna will take on the role of Assistant Coach at the Halifax Training Center, while Samuel joins the men’s kayak program as National Team Coach at the Montreal Training Center.
“We are so happy to have Sam and Anna joining our full-time coaching staff,” said Ian Mortimer, CKC Chief Technical Officer. “Both coaches will add huge value to our athletes and bring their unique experience and skill sets to our technical leadership team in our National Training Centers.”
Samuel Raiche joins the CKC team as the Men’s Kayak Coach, working closely with National Team Head Coach, Anders Gustafsson and NT Coach, Chad Brooks. Samuel will share responsibility for developing sprint kayak athletes into world-class performers, while also prioritizing the mental wellness of each athlete in the program. Samuel brings significant knowledge and experience from his 10 years of coaching experience at Club de canoë kayak de Pointe-Claire and Club de Canoë de Course de Lachine.
“In 2022, the men’s kayak program stood out with an all-time best Canadian K4 team performance, in the K4 500m event, placing 5th at the ICF World Championships – a testament to each individual driving the team success,” said National Team Head Coach, Anders Gustafsson. “Now all eyes are on the team to continue to deliver beyond these results in Paris 2024. Sam will be supported by the whole CKC team and many colleagues in Montreal at our National Training Center. This is a continuation, and a refinement of an evolving system and Sam will be a valuable team asset in supporting an athlete-centered approach to winning healthy and well. We want to thank the former men’s kayak coach, Mathieu Pelletier for his contributions to the success of the men’s kayak program.
Anna Hetzler will work closely with National Team Coach, Mark Granger, on the Team Red Development program as well as working as part of the coaching team at the National Training Center in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Anna has been working closely with CKC sprint teams over the course of the last eight months, filling a temporary leave position, and will now take on a new, more permanent role on the development side of the program. Anna has extensive coaching experience at multiple international events, including a supporting role at the 2022 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. This position is made possible through the collaboration and support of the Canadian Sport Institute Atlantic.
We welcome both Anna and Samuel to the CKC team in the New Year. Samuel officially starts his new role on January 27, 2023 and Anna officially joins us on February 1, 2023.