For the fourth year in a row, ACA volunteers joined forces with local paddling leaders to deliver beginner-friendly paddling classes to kick off National Safe Boating Week. This initiative, recognized in 2024 with the Community Impact Award from the National Safe Boating Council, brings paddlers, volunteers, and organizations together to help beginners learn safe paddling skills and foster connections within the paddling community.
The initiative began in 2022 with just 12 locations in Tennessee and has grown to include 33 events in 2025 across North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. This year, 190 volunteers partnered with 7 state agencies, the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and 55 community organizations—including paddling clubs, outfitters, schools, and recreation centers—to teach 330 students in one day.
Each location offered hands-on instruction designed for new paddlers, ensuring that beginners learned essential skills such as basic strokes, safety procedures, and local waterway knowledge. Many locations also featured community-building elements such as group paddles, environmental stewardship discussions, and family-friendly activities to encourage participation.
The partnership highlights diverse aspects of paddlesports, with specialized offerings including kayak fishing courses, adaptive paddling sessions, river kayak day trips, and youth-focused classes led by ACA Instructor Trainer Chris Wing, and assisted by ACA Competition Director Jed Hinkley and U.S. Slalom National Team members, Bug Lokken and Marcella Altman.
First-ever youth Kayaking 101 course held as part of National Safe Boating Week, at Lake Norman YMCA in Cornelius, NC.
Highlights from this year’s Kayaking 101 Partnership include:
- North Carolina: 13 locations reaching 123 students, including a first-ever youth-focused Kayaking 101 class.
- Georgia: 7 locations with 75 students and strong community engagement.
- Tennessee: 10 locations serving 108 students, with a variety of specialized courses.
- South Carolina: 2 locations organized in partnership with South Carolina State Parks and US Coast Guard Auxiliary.
- Virginia: A focused river kayak day trip leader training for Friends of the Rappahannock’s environmental educators.
The Kayaking 101 Partnership celebrates leadership at all levels—from volunteers and instructors to local and regional partners—coming together to make paddlesports safer and more accessible. By focusing on community collaboration and hands-on learning, this initiative is shaping a safer, more inclusive future for paddling.
The outreach effort was further amplified by partnering with other mission-aligned organizations and through local media coverage that garnered awareness leading up to the on-water trainings and highlighted the importance of safe boating practices.
We would like to thank each of the teams who came together to make paddling more fun, safe, and accessible in each of their states!
North Carolina Kayaking 101 Partnership Team: ACA North Carolina State Director William Holman, ACA Competition Director Jed Hinkley, NC State Park Ranger and ACA Instructor Trainer Jake Vitak, and Coast Guard Auxiliary Paddlecraft Safety Division Chief Roland McDevitt. In addition to North Carolina State Parks, the NCWRC, and the US Coast Guard Auxiliary, local partners included: Carolina Kayak Club, Carolina Canoe Club, Piedmont Paddlesports, H2O Dreams, Knee Deep Adventures, Frog Hollow Outdoors, Paddle NC, Kitty Hawk Kites, Paddling for Pennies, City of Raleigh, Yadkin Riverkeeper, City of High Point, Catawba Riverkeeper, Team River Runner Fayetteville, Elon University, Get Outdoors Pedal and Paddle, and Cape Fear River Adventures.
Georgia Kayaking 101 Partnership Team: ACA Georgia State Director Paul Winget, ACA Southeastern Chair Andrea White, and Fish Georgia Rivers Program Coordinator Kendon Townsel. This expansive effort was made possible through partnerships with Georgia Rivers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Allatoona Lake, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Georgia Power, Trust for Public Land, Forsyth County Parks and Recreation, Nantahala Outdoor Center, City of Chattahoochee Hills, Chattahoochee RiverLands, Moon River Kayak Tours, Middle GA Kayaking, Kayak Trips and Training, Georgia Canoeing Association, Whitewater Express- Columbus GA, Festive Water Paddlesports, Wildwood Outfitters, Coosa River Basin Initiative, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Westbrook Supply Co., and the individual ACA volunteers.
Tennessee Kayaking 101 Partnership Team: ACA Tennessee State Director ANDe Demetriou, ACA Event Coordinator and Chota Canoe Club leader Kim Abney, ACA Southeastern Chair Andrea White, as well as Tennessee State Parks partners Laura Franklin and Leigh Hardcastle. In addition to Tennessee State Parks and TWRA, local partners included: Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts, Blues City Kayaks, Bluff City Canoe Club, Catalyst Sports, Chattanooga Therapeutic Recreation Services, Chota Canoe Club, East Tennessee Whitewater Club, Nolichucky Outdoor Learning Institute, River Sports Outfitters, Team River Runner-Atlanta, Tennessee RiverLine, Tennessee Scenic Rivers Association, Tennessee Valley Canoe Club, Tennessee Kayak Anglers, and West Tennessee Canoe and Kayak Club.
South Carolina Kayaking 101 Partnership Team: ACA South Carolina State Director and RAC Vice Chair Geoffrey Chambers, RAC Secretary Bev Cosslett, South Carolina State Parks partners Terry Conway and Jim Stanton, South Carolina DNR representative Phillip Robertson, US Coast Guard Auxiliary representative Walter Runck, and US Coast Guard representative and ACA Instructor Trainer Scott Szczepaniak supported by contributions from Low Country Paddlers, Augusta Canoe and Kayak Club, Sun City Indian Land Paddling Club, and Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Commission.
Virginia Kayaking 101 Partnership Team: ACA Director of Education, Membership, and Insurance Kelsey Bracewell, Assisting ACA Instructor Johnny Wolfe, Friends of the Rappahannock River.