Dear ACA Community,
Last night ACA leadership met to discuss the latest COVID-19 developments and the implications of Canoe- Kayak-Canada’s decision to cancel their Sprint Team Trials in Lake Lanier, GA. The leadership group included two healthcare professionals, including one of our coaches who works in pulmonary care in a hospital about 30 miles from Seattle, WA.
We have many decisions to make about currently scheduled competition events including: Team Trials for Slalom and Sprint (including Paracanoe), the Continental Qualifiers/Pan Am Championships in Brazil, and World Cup events in Europe, especially World Cup 2 which is the “last chance” Olympic qualifier for Sprint.
Our first step is to focus on Trials and to identify as many options as possible. We will then evaluate these options with athlete safety as our highest priority. Being fair to all our athletes who have worked so hard to train for these events is also top of mind.
We understand that COPAC is meeting ltomorrow to discuss the upcoming events in Brazil. Due to the fact that COPAC’s decisions will affect our options, we are deferring further discussions until COPAC shares their plan.
Please be assured that we know our athletes and their families are anxious for actionable decisions from the ACA. I commit to communicating frequently and transparently with you. I expect to share additional information by Thursday, March 19. In the meantime, please feel free to reach out directly to me with questions and concerns.
Again, thank you for your patience and support.
Beth Spilman
Executive Director
bspilman@americancanoe.org