Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is proud to honour the many coaches who have demonstrated excellence in leadership, initiative and competitive success throughout the 2023 season with the CKC Coaches Recognition Award.

This award is presented annually to coaches who have coached an athlete or crew either for nomination to a CKC National Team (Senior World Championships, Junior World Championships, Carded Athlete or National Development Team) or for a gold medal at the Canoe Kayak Canada Sprint National Championships. Congratulations to all !

Below is a complete list of Coach Recognition Award recipients for the 2023 season:

2023 Coaches

Adam Baird

Adam Mayo

Adam Oldershaw

Aidan Martell

Alexa Irvin

Andrea Nicholls

Andreas Dittmer

Andy Parry

Anna Hetzler

Anna Negulic

Ava Carew

Bethany Baert

Blake Hara

Bret Himmelman

Cayley Fortier

Chad Brooks

Cheyenne Farquharson

Chris MacPherson

Christian Hall

Csom Latorovszki

Daniel Winter

Dave Waters

Dominic Gomez-Granger

Doug Ellery

Doug Tutty

Edward Colhoun

Elliot Smith

Eric Mihalovic

Evan Landry

Frédéric Loyer

Helen Savin

Hélène Gervais

Hunter George

Igor Nikitovic

Jacob McKenna

Jacob Price

Jan Kruk

Jeff Houser

Jennifer Gratto

Jerome Seremak

Jessica MacKay

Joel Hazzan

Jocelyn Taylor

Jordi Cadena

Josh Nowen

Kalob Grady

Karen Furneaux

Karen Lukanovich

KC Dalton

Kevin McIntyre

LA Schmidt

Leeya Nagpal

Liam Smedley

Marc Creamer

Marie Rousseau-Demers

Maris Jacobs

Mark Granger

Marlee MacIntosh

Mathieu Pelletier

Michael Holroyd

Mike Kerrivan

Mike Robinson

Morgan Pugh-Toole

Nick Lamontagne

Niklas Hansen

Ornmadee Baxter-Lovo

Patrick Gagne

Patrick Lester

Peter Lombardi

Peter Nor

Philippe Laliberté

Rob Smith

Rob Stott

Robert Baert

Romy Chamberland

Rowan Hardy-Kavanagh

Sam Raiche

Samantha Morse

Savannah Sullivan

Simon Coward

Scott Feindel

Scott Oldershaw

Stan Marek

Tessa Nagai

Tony Hall

MINDEN, ONTARIO (JULY 6, 2023) – Canada’s best whitewater paddlers will be gathering at the Minden Whitewater Preserve on the Gull River from August 21st to 27th to compete for National titles in Canoe and Kayak Slalom, Freestyle, Downriver, and Kayak Cross. International athletes will be present to compete for International Canoe Federation ranking points at the Minden Open Race which will run concurrently.  

More than a hundred athletes will be competing in multiple disciplines over the course of the week, keeping competition fierce as the provinces battle for points towards the Brian Greer Cup, the Provincial Team title. With International Canoe Federation ranking points also up for grabs, athletes from other nations are expected to attend, further deepening the field and adding to the excitement.

All are invited to this free event, which includes the thrilling new whitewater discipline of kayak cross. Pitting four athletes head-to-head, kayak cross is a must see as it is set to make its Olympic Games debut next year in Paris.

“We are excited to welcome athletes from across the country and around the world to Minden,” said Eric Betteridge, Organizing Committee Co-Chair. “This world class venue has been the site of many National Championships as well as the 2015 Pan Am Games and three World Cup events. This will be a great opportunity for our younger athletes to gain valuable experience competing against national and international athletes, as it is an international ranking race.”

“I am beyond excited to see that Nationals are being held in Minden after a four-year hiatus. It is such a great venue with a challenging whitewater course. I have many  memories from Minden either from attending team selection or Nationals and it is always a lot of fun competing there. Good luck to everyone!” – Florence Maheu, National Whitewater Slalom Team, Olympian.

Location: Minden Whitewater Preserve, 1020 Bethel Rd, Minden, ON

Schedule:

Aug 23: AM – Kayak Cross Time Trial; PM – Kayak Cross Elimination 

Aug 24: AM – Freestyle; PM – Development Race 

Aug 25: AM- Down River Classic;  PM – Down River Sprint

Aug 26: Slalom Age Group Races  (Heats 1 and 2)

Aug 27: Slalom Open Races (Semi-finals and Finals)

For updates and more information follow  Whitewater Ontario on  Instagram and Facebook or visit the event 2023 Whitewater Nationals website.

About Whitewater Ontario

Whitewater Ontario is a volunteer-driven organization uniting, supporting, and sustaining the inclusive development of the whitewater paddling community and resources within the province. The Minden Whitewater Preserve, where the 2023 Nationals are being held, is one of the many focal points for recreational and competitive paddling in the province. Ontario is well represented on national teams by Slalom, Freestyle and Downriver athletes. Most recently Ontario Slalom athletes brought home two silver medals from the 2023 Pan Am Championships  and are representing Canada on the World Cup Circuit. Canadian Freestyle athletes are some of the best in the world – recently, Freestyle athletes brought home 5 silver medals from the 2022 World Championships and World Cups. Ontario Slalom, Freestyle and Downriver athletes comprise a large proportion of the National teams representing Canada at Senior, Junior and U23 World Championships.  

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For more information :

Eric Betteridge 

Co-Chair 2023 Whitewater Nationals Organizing Committee

613-806-2532

Eric.Whitewater@gmail.com

CKC wants to provide an overview of all the Committee/Council Openings that will be fulfilled during the Summit Time Frame (Nov/Dec).

WHITEWATER:

* Contact Scott Best if you have any questions sbest@canoekayak.ca

* Contact Scott Best if you have any questions sbest@canoekayak.ca

* Contact Scott Best if you have any questions sbest@canoekayak.ca

* Contact Scott Best if you have any questions sbest@canoekayak.ca

SPRINT:

* Contact Jessica Kenney if you have any questions jkenney@canoekayak.ca

* Contact Jessica Kenney if you have any questions jkenney@canoekayak.ca

* Contact Jessica Kenney if you have any questions jkenney@canoekayak.ca

* Contact Jessica Kenney if you have any questions jkenney@canoekayak.ca

* Contact Jessica Kenney if you have any questions jkenney@canoekayak.ca

* Contact Jessica Kenney if you have any questions jkenney@canoekayak.ca

CKC COMMITTEES:

* Contact Sam Rogers if you have any questions philanthropy@canoekayak.ca

Canoe Kayak Canada is pleased to announce the 2023 National Freestyle Team, who will represent Canada at the 2023 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships in Columbus, Georgia from October 9^th – 14^th, 2023.

Twenty-one athletes were named to the 2023 National Freestyle Team who will represent Canada on their quest for the podium. For full list of the Canada Cup results, which were used for the 2023 Team Trials qualification, you can visit here.

Additionally, this fall our Freestyle athletes will be competing at the ICF Freestyle World Cup events from October 3 to 5 and 7 to 9, 2022, also taking place in Columbus, Georgia. These events are open to both National Team members and non-National Team members.

Athletes will be supported at both the World Cups and World Championships by National Team Coach Kalob Grady.

2023 National Freestyle Team:

For more information on the 2023 World Freestyle Championships, click here.

Those interested in competing at the World Cup events should contact Scott Best at (sbest@canoekayak.ca).

For any additional questions regarding Freestyle kayaking in Canada, please contact Canoe Kayak Canada Freestyle Chair Lee Vincent at (freestylechair@canoekayak.ca).

Call for Candidates – Freestyle Committee

Canoe Kayak Canada is looking for individuals to join the Freestyle Committee. This is a sub-committee of the Canoe Kayak Canada Whitewater (CKC-W) Council. The main role of the Freestyle Committee is to provide technical direction and oversight of the Freestyle discipline. The Freestyle Committee will meet at least twice per year via telephone conference and is made up of the following 8 roles:

• 1 Chairperson (Elected by FS Committee Members)
• 1 Athlete Representative (Elected by the National Freestyle Team)
• 3 Regional Representatives from Western Canada (Elected by CKC-W Council)
• 3 Regional Representatives from Eastern Canada (Elected by CKC-W Council)

The CKC Whitewater Council is seeking nominations for the following positions. Nominations will be elected by the CKC-W council.

• 1 Regional Representatives from Western Canada (BC, AB, YK, NWT) for a 2 year term
• 1 Regional Representatives from Eastern Canada (SK, ON, QC, NS) for a 2 year term

Candidates must meet the following minimum criteria:

• Be 18 years of age or older,
• Be a current member in good standing of CKC and the appropriate provincial/territorial association which they represent

In addition, the ideal candidate will have:

• Extensive knowledge of Freestyle programs and the Canadian sport system as it relates to the discipline
• Experience working on volunteer committees
• Excellent communication and leadership skills
• Ability to work in both official languages is an asset

Interested candidates are invited to complete the attached form to be considered for a position

CKC Candidate Qualification Form

Deadline for applications is Midnight EST on October 20^th, 2019.

Please send applications to Scott Best by email at sbest@canoekayak.ca.

Freestyle Coaching Services – Expression of Interest

The Canoe Kayak Canada Freestyle Committee is interested in engaging a coach or set of coaches to support the development of Canadian Freestyle athletes between January 2020 and October 2021 (post Nottingham World Championships).

We are looking for coach(es) to provide the following services:

• Organize athlete developmental and performance training camp(s) for current and potential national team athletes
• During these camps address the following aspects of high performance:
• Mental preparation
• Emotional tools
• Strategies for working with a coach / receiving feedback
• Technical instruction for refining current tricks and learning new ones
• Video review in support of on water sessions
• Strategies for training on their own at home
• Ride routine planning and maximizing scoring potential
• Developing an action plan for continued development

An additional service offering would be remote video review and support for action plan implementation for athletes.

Coaches could be engaged on a contract basis for a single camp or multiple camps, depending on athlete interest, location availability and overall funds available.

If you are interested in being considered for this opportunity, please submit the following information:

• Freestyle and Coaching experience
• Relevant coaching / instructor certifications or training taken
• Proposed availability, dates and location(s) for training camps
• Proposed pricing framework per day (including athlete accommodations if required)
• Proposed pricing framework for remote athlete support (if you choose to offer it)
• Proposed approach to a long-term progressive development program that would maximize Canadian athlete results at the 2021 World Championships
• How you would share information and recommendations back to the CKC Freestyle Committee

Please send your Expression of Interest to Scott Best at sbest@canoekayak.ca by midnight October 20th, 2019

MINDEN HILLS, ONTARIO (August 20, 2019) – The 2019 Whitewater National Championships are now complete, after an exciting weekend of extreme slalom, downriver, freestyle and slalom events. 66 athletes from across the country gathered in Minden Hills, Ontario at the Minden Whitewater Preserve on the Gull River from August 14^th to 18^th.

Team Ontario claimed the overall Brian Creer trophy for earning the most points throughout the five days of whitewater competition featuring Freestyle, Slalom.

This renowned natural course was an excellent spot for the event with whitewater rapids ranging from Class II to Class IV. The preserve also had campsites where many participants stayed right next to the river.

The medallists for the Open events are listed below and complete results are posted on Canoe Kayak Canada’s website.

Canoe Kayak Slalom

Women’s K1

Women’s C1

Men’s K1

Men’s C1

Mixed C2

Men’s C2

Downriver Classic

Men’s Open C1

Men’s Open K1

Downriver Sprint

Men’s C1

Men’s K1

Freestyle

Men’s K1

Women’s K1

C1 Open

Extreme Slalom

Open Men

Subscribe to Canoe Kayak Canada’s mailing list to get all news and results directly to your email.

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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For more information:

Laurel MacAdam

Communications Assistant

lmacadam@canoekayak.ca

Colleen Coderre

Communications Lead

ccoderre@canoekayak.ca

SORT, SPAIN (July 9, 2019) – The 2019 International Canoe Federation’s (ICF) Freestyle World Championships wrapped up in Spain on Saturday July 6^th. The event featured several freestyle events including squirt, open canoe surface, canoe decked surface and kayak surface. Fourteen Canadian athletes competed and are leaving Spain with heads held high after great performances all around.

Canada’s best result was a 6^th place finish by athlete Luke Pomeroy in the junior men’s K1 event, just narrowly missing the finals. This was Pomeroy’s first World Championship. “Worlds in Sort were amazing. I had a great time in the town and couldn’t be happier about how I placed. I am super excited for future competitions and World Championships and am grateful for this great learning experience,” explained Pomeroy.

All Canadian results are listed below.

For a full list of results including other nations, click here.

“Coming out of Worlds in Sort, Spain we now shift our focus to athlete development for the next twelve months,” said Lee Vincent, Team Canada Freestyle Manager & Chair of the Canadian Freestyle Committee. “We want to expand our reach to get more athletes involved in Freestyle Kayaking while also supporting our current athletes to continue their progression and enable them to be even more successful at the 2021 World Championships in Nottingham, UK.”

This year’s Worlds were an incredible opportunity for Canoe Kayak Canada athletes to learn from each other and other nations and exposed many of the young athletes to the toughest international competition in freestyle. Athlete Phil Sheppard said it best when speaking about the camaraderie of the sport. “The thing I love about paddling is getting out there with my friends. For me, it’s about pushing myself and learning new things, and when I’m sitting in the eddy watching my friends do something rad, I am just as happy for them. The world championships are about coming together with friends from around the world, pushing yourself to be better than you were the day before, and celebrating when someone does something extraordinary.”

A number of the Freestyle national team athletes will be competing at the upcoming Whitewater Nationals on the Gull River in Minden, Ontario on August 16^th. This is a fun event for paddlers of all levels and we invite anyone in the area to come out and participate.

Watch a video of the Canadian athletes during training here.

Canoe Freestyle is a dynamic discipline where competitors aim to score points for tricks and flips on a set water feature. It is a constantly evolving discipline, with new tricks being developed to complement and improve on existing moves, which are similar to those performed in freestyle snowboarding, surfing and skating.  Athletes have 45 seconds to perform as many different moves as possible, which are scored based on degree of difficulty. This is the second time the Freestyle World Championship has taken place in Sort, with the first being in 2001.

Visit Canoe Kayak Canada’s website to get more information and make sure to follow @PlanetCanoe and @CanoeKayakCAN for more live updates.

Subscribe to Canoe Kayak Canada’s mailing list to get all news and results directly to your email.

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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For more information:

Laurel MacAdam

Communications Intern

lmacadam@canoekayak.ca

Colleen Coderre

Communications Lead

ccoderre@canoekayak.ca

SORT, SPAIN (June 28, 2019) – Fourteen canoe kayak freestyle athletes will be representing Canada from June 29^th to July 6^th at the ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships in Sort, Spain. Half of the athletes attending have previously competed at one or many Canoe Freestyle World Championships, including 2009 Freestyle Kayak World Champion Nick Troutman.

The team was selected in August of 2018 at the National Freestyle Team Trials in Kananaskis, Alberta and will be eager to return to international competition.

“We are excited to have strong representation from Canada at the World Championships. We have a nice mix of veteran and first-time athletes, which bodes well for ongoing athlete development and future worlds,” said Lee Vincent, Team Canada Freestyle Manager. “The feature here is quite robust so the athletes have been here for over a week to take advantage of as much training time as possible before the event, often paddling late into the evening to avoid lines and maximize their training sessions.”

What:

2019 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships

Find the competition schedule and results here.

Watch live on ICF YouTube.

Where:
“L’Aigüerola” Whitewater Park
Sort, Spain – Map

When:

June 29 – July 6 2019

2019 Canoe Freestyle Senior Team

2019 Canoe Freestyle Junior Team

Canoe Freestyle is a dynamic discipline where competitors aim to score points for tricks and flips on a set water feature. It is a constantly evolving discipline, with new tricks being developed to complement and improve on existing moves, which are similar to those performed in freestyle snowboarding, surfing and skating.  Athletes have 45 seconds to perform as many different moves as possible, which are scored based on degree of difficulty. This is the second time the Freestyle World Championship has taken place in Sort, with the first being in 2001.

Visit Canoe Kayak Canada’s website to get more information and make sure to follow @PlanetCanoe and @CanoeKayakCAN for more live updates.

Subscribe to Canoe Kayak Canada’s mailing list to get all news and results directly to your email.

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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For more information:

Laurel MacAdam

Communications Intern

lmacadam@canoekayak.ca

Colleen Coderre

Communications Lead

ccoderre@canoekayak.ca

OTTAWA, ONTARIO (September 7, 2018) – Canoe Kayak Canada is proud to name 19 canoe freestyle paddlers to represent Canada at the 2019 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships in 8 different categories. The World competition will be held in Sort, Spain from July 2 to 7 of 2019.

Canadian athletes were selected August 5th at the National Freestyle Team Trials that took place in Kananaskis, Alberta during the 2018 Canadian Whitewater Canoe Kayak Whitewater and through video submission for the Squirt Boat category.

Learn more about the named athletes here.

“I am happy to see such a broad and diverse group of freestyle athletes fighting for a spot on our National Team. We have a history of performing at the World Championships and I look forward to these athletes building on that success next summer” announced James Cartwright, Whitewater High Performance Manager at Canoe Kayak Canada. “It was a competitive field and thanks to the leadership from ICF Head Judge Trevor L’Heureux, we were able to fit the full competition into a tight window of water availability”.

The named athletes will be representing Canada at the ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships from July 2nd – 7th in Sort, Spain in K1 Men, K1 Women, K1 Junior Men, K1 Junior Women, C1 Open, OC1 Open, Squirt Men and Squirt Women categories.

You can get the Freestyle National Team Trials results online on the Canoe Kayak Canada Website and you can find more information about the ICF events by visiting the International Canoe Federations event’s calendar online.

Visit Canoe Kayak Canada’s websiteto get more information and make sure to follow @PlanetCanoeand @CanoeKayakCANfor more live updates.

Subscribe to Canoe Kayak Canada’s mailing listto get all news and results directly to your email.

About Canoe Kayak Canada

Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

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For more information :

Joannie Verret

Communications Coordinator

jverret@canoekayak.ca

(418) 271-3785