Alumni | Canoe Kayak Canada

Paddling is a part of our history.

Paddling teaches us how to be alive in the world. It cultivates the skills for life success. It embodies the values we believe in. Everything that our country stands for is brought to life in the act of paddling.

We own paddling. It’s who we are.

And we have our alumni to thank for that.

For alumni, by alumni:

Canoe Kayak Canada’s alumni programming is powered by the CKC Alumni Council whose purpose is to provide leadership and programming to support athletes, coaches, volunteers, officials, and parents involved in all sport disciplines under CKC.

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Who is an alum?

As a group, we wanted the alumni program to be as inclusive as possible by representing all those who have helped to grow our sport. Driven by this, the CKC alumni community is defined as anyone affiliated with a club who has ever touched a paddle – athletes, parents, officials, volunteers, coaches, competitive and non-competitive – you are all part of our CKC family.

Canoe Kayak Canada Alumni Council:

The CKC Alumni Council (CKCAC) is an external volunteer group in support of the larger community of paddling alumni’s role within Canoe Kayak Canada. The CKCAC provides counsel to the CEO and offers advice on engaging and strengthening alumni relationships and program development pertaining to the CKC Alumni program. The CKCAC is a source of intelligence to the CEO on external economic, social, and cultural conditions impacting CKC’s long-range planning. The CKCAC seeks to increase awareness of the many services and opportunities available to alumni through CKC, to encourage a larger and more diverse participation in the programs offered through CKC, and to initiate new ways to communicate and engage with CKC’s growing alumni population.

Meet the Team

Chair (currently vacant)

Gary Barton

Gary Barton – a life-long paddler, is a teacher who lives in Guelph, Ontario with his wife and 3 daughters. Competed internationally as a member of the Canadian Slalom team for 10 years.

Started paddling around age 11 in the UK through scouts and school. Raced slalom with Chester Sailing and Canoe Club moving through the ranks to the top division quickly. Moved to Oshawa, Ontario in 1975 at age 16 and joined the local Ontario white water racing fraternity. That year racing at the Canadian Nationals and in international events in Jonquiere, QC and on the Savage River, MD.

Attending World Championships in 1977, 1981, 1983 and 1985. Coaching activities include 1979 Slalom Team Coach, 1983 writing the first NCCP Technical Level 1 Manual, 1986 Junior National Slalom Team Coach, 1987 National Downriver Coach, 1988 – 1991 National Slalom Coach, 1992 Olympic Team Coach. Volunteer 1996 Olympic Games – technician – “field of play.” Was one of the group of paddlers who helped build the Minden Wild Water Preserve. More recently worked to see the inclusion of slalom into 2015 Pan-Am Games.

Former business owner 1984 – 2001 of The Upstream Edge, Bluewater Canoes and Rockwood Outfitters – designing and manufacturing canoes and kayaks. Products included a wide range of tripping canoes, sea kayaks, recreational kayaks, sprint K-1s, marathon canoes as well as slalom boats supplied to many national teams.

Likes to stay active through skiing X-C and downhill, cycling. Still paddling regularly for fitness and fun, including family canoe and kayak tripping, running rivers well as recreational slalom.

Role in the CKCAC is to be the link to the white water community and to foster connections between former and present paddlers.

Gabriel Beauchesne-Sévigny – Networking Lead

The CKCAC is to me a chance to give back to a sport. I paddled for twenty years; canoe kayak is a huge part of my life. I want to share my experience and support the national organization that is Canoe Kayak Canada.

My motivation is to stay in touch with people with whom I have a lot in common. The role of my Networking Committee is to first contact, gather and grow the network of CKC Alumni. It is very exciting for me to aspire to bring together all those who share a passion for paddling in Canada.

Read more about Gabriel and his paddling career here!

Darryl Bohm – Active for Life Lead

I am leading the “Opportunities to stay involved within the sport” initiative of the Alumni program. My objective is to keep the Alumni active within the paddling community. Some of the opportunities may be to; assist CKC, Divisional and Club event organizers source volunteers from the Alumni (this is a great way to give back to the sport), explore the possibilities that the Alumni can participate in the sport they love (i.e. look at the various disciplines and motivate Alumni to stay active and healthy while still enjoying paddling), engage the Alumni in informative / motivational / educational events to pass on their experience to the younger members of CKC.

Please feel free to contact me at darrylbohm@yahoo.com with any ideas / input / suggestions.

Laura Clemenhagen – Communications Lead

Laura Clemenhagen didn’t learn about the sport of Canoe Kayak until her Dad took her down to what he thought was the Don Rowing Club and they ended up at the Mississauga Canoe Club by accident.

She joined right away and fell in love with the sport instantly. Being a female Canoer and a coach in the 90’s and early 2000’s has been one of the most significant factors influencing the person she is today and she owes so much to the sport of Canoe Kayak and to all of her coaches, friends and teammates that she met along way. Later in life, Laura was a member of the Women’s Dragon Boat Team, travelling to Poland, Germany and Australia. When she moved to British Columbia, she fell into another discipline and learned all about paddling on the ocean in Outrigger Canoes and Surfskis.

Laura has recently moved back home to Ontario and is currently Commodore at the Collingwood Dragon Boat and Canoe Club. She was thrilled to learn about the CKC’s initiative to form an Alumni Council and has been deeply honoured to be selected as an inaugural member. Her current roles will be in Communication and Resource Development and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to the sport that has meant so much to her.

Kathleen Fraser – Secretary

It was in December 2009 that KC Fraser decided to make one final run at making the National Team. She already had many national championship medals to her credit, but with a newfound sense of motivation and the guidance of coach Peter Martinek, she achieved her goal in half a year. Showing continual improvement, Fraser won her first World Cup medal, a bronze in the K-2 200m with Genevieve Orton in 2011.

At the 2011 Pan American Games she was a member of the K-4 500m gold medal crew. She just missed out on qualifying for the lone Canadian women’s kayak berth at London 2012. Fraser began the next season with four World Cup medals in K-2 and K-4 events and capped it with a sixth place finish in the K-4 500m at the 2013 World Championships, Canada best result in the event in a decade. In 2014 she won a World Cup silver medal in the K-2 1000m and competed in both the K-4 500m and K-2 500m at the world championships.

Returning to the Pan American Games in 2015, Fraser was a member of the K-4 500m crew that won gold for Canada’s first medal of the home Games. In 2016 she teamed with Orton to qualify Canada for Rio 2016 in the K-2 500m by winning the Pan American Continental Qualifier. The duo then had to win a national race-off to finally secure their Olympic spots.

She started paddling at 14 at a summer program at Pointe-Claire Canoe Club. Her mother wanted to keep her out of trouble by enrolling her in as many sports as possible… She quickly discovered it was a sport she was passionate about and having fun with; could see herself being able to go far in it. Olympic dream began when she saw an Olympian at her own paddling club…

Her favourite motto: “Get out of your comfort zone”…

Upcoming Events:

There are currently no upcoming alumni events.

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