To grow our community of paddlers, the Regional Activity Council (RAC) hosted a competition for instructors in all ACA disciplines who teach Level 1 and Level 2 courses. The goal of this initiative was to encourage our instructors to safely welcome new and prospective paddlers to the community by teaching a few more Level 1 & 2 courses this season. This was a chance for instructors to engage with their local paddling community, find or create a source of new course students, and earn some prizes along the way!
Contest Categories:
- Instructor
- Instructor Trainer / Educator
- Paddle America Club (PAC)
Contest standings as of 11/20/2023:
Instructors:
Kristen Keane, TX – Grand Prize Winner
Honorable ConTENders:
- Guyvin Benedetto, CA
- Shannon Ainsworth, TX
- Drake Essick, CA
- Aidan Ford, CA
- Dawn Nelson, TN
- Daren Barrett, WI
- Wayne Douchkoff, FL
- Jeff Menaker, PA
- Joe Sartori, IL
- Robert Nissenbaum, WA
Instructor Trainers & Educators:
- Elizabeth Wiegandt, VA
- Ge Wu, China
- Jake Taylor, Hong Kong
- Mike Aronoff, VA
- Susan Eda, TX
- Joshua Hall, SC
- Jefferson Atkins, SC
- Harriet Goetze, Germany
- Ashley Brown, SC
- Anna Levesque, NC
Paddle America Clubs (PACs):
- Georgia River Network, GA
- Philadelphia Canoe Club, PA
- Missouri Whitewater Association, MO
- Colorado Whitewater Association, CO
- Spring Woods Canoe Group, TX
- Carolina Kayak Club, NC
- Wilmington Trail Club, DE
- Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club, NY
- Hoosier Canoe and Kayak Club, IN
- Carolina Canoe Club, NC
Random Drawings:
- Lex Bundschuh, NH
- ANDe Demetriou, TN
- Paul Clemmer, VA
- Erin Evans, GA
- Anthony Sousa, FL