ACA Paddlesports

08/18/2026

FREE resource alert!!

We’re excited to share the newly updated Smart Start for Safe Paddling textbook, designed to give new and developing paddlers a strong foundation in paddling safety, preparation, and responsible decision-making.

For a limited time, the Kindle edition is available FREE on Amazon, making it easy to share this resource with paddlers, students, clubs, organizations, and communities. Don't wait - this deal ends at midnight on Friday! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HD23Q2P3

Smart Start is part of a complete suite of paddling safety resources that includes a free online course, student workbook, presentation slides, videos, infographics, and ready-to-use teaching materials, all aligned with national boating safety priorities and standards.

Best of all, these resources are available for anyone to use. You do not need to be an ACA member, instructor, or course participant.

Help us get more paddlers started safely. Download your copy and share Smart Start with your community!

Safe paddling starts with a Smart Start.

08/17/2026

We are proud to share that all ACA curriculum documents and Leader & Guide Pathway materials are now available in Spanish!

Expanding access to these resources is very important to the ACA and we hope that paddlers, instructors, leaders, and guides are all able to benefit from this increase in accessibility!

Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Kayak Anglers

08/13/2026

The 2026 Pan American Canoe Slalom and Kayak Cross Championships took place from July 31 to August 2, 2026, at the Canoe Meadows course on the Kananaskis River in Alberta, Canada.

This was a great event on a beautiful river near Banff National Park. Despite the windy conditions, the 11 athletes representing the USA Canoe/Kayak Team had great runs and brought home 5 Gold, 4 Silver, and 1 Bronze medals, putting the USA in second place for team medals behind Canada.

🥇Evy Leibfarth - U23 WC1
🥇Evy Leibfarth - U23 WK1
🥇Evy Leibfarth - WKX Head-to-Head
🥇Evy Leibfarth - WKX Time Trial (open)
🥇Carden Oetting - Junior WC1

🥈Evy Leibfarth - WC1 (open)
🥈Carden Oetting - Junior WK1
🥈Olivia Long - Junior WKX Time Trial
🥈Connar Haakenson - Junior MK1

🥉Evy Leibfarth - WK1 (open)

📸: Stanislava Smiesko

08/11/2026

Reliving moments from the 2026 ACA Sprint National Championships!

Four days of racing on Harsha Lake at East Fork State Park, 212 paddlers, 17 clubs, and non-stop action from Bantam to Masters.

Congrats to Lanier Canoe & Kayak Club (Lanier canoe & kayak club) on claiming the National Champions Yonkers Trophy for the 13th time in club history — and to Southeast Paddle Sports (Southeast Paddle Sports) for a standout Masters showing that had our own Steve Kelly raving about the energy on the water. 👏

Huge thanks to the Clermont County Convention and Visitors Bureau for hosting us and making this week unforgettable.

Swipe through for highlights from the event courtesy of Dale Edwards Photography (Dale Edwards)

08/11/2026

If you’ve been waiting for a sign to take a paddling course from the ACA… this is it.

Don’t want until you’re flipped, without a paddle, and wishing you and you’d taken the course!

Thank you to ACA Pro School Canyon River Instruction for sharing this clip with us from one of their Rafting Skills Courses on the Arkansas River in Colorado!

08/06/2026

Introducing the USA Canoe/Kayak Team headed to the 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships in Poznań, Poland — August 26-30!

In addition to being an opportunity to earn Olympic and Paralympic Qualification Ranking points, this team includes our largest paracanoe roster ever fielded at a World Championships 🙌 — including athletes crossing over from decorated Paralympic careers in sled hockey and swimming to chase new goals on the water.

Swipe through to meet the full team 👉

📺 Watch live & on-demand on Planet Canoe’s YouTube channel (membership required)

📲 Follow along here and USA Canoe/Kayak Team for updates from Poznań

Good luck, to the USA Canoe/Kayak Team!

📸 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10: Cathy Kasperbauer

📸 6 and 11 provided by Emily Gray

08/06/2026

Thank you to the amazing ACA instructors who hosted clinics during July 25, World Drowning Prevention Day! The ACA Safety and Rescue Committee exceeded their goal, training more than 1,500 individuals in 40 clinics hosted around the world.

Programs like these save lives and we are so proud of the ACA Safety and Rescue Committee for their commitment to sharing information and thank you to everyone who participated in this coordinated effort to provide vital information to paddlers and other EMS personnel for free.

07/29/2026

As the dust settles on the 2026 Canoe Slalom World Championships, we would like to extend a sincere congratulations to the USA Canoe/Kayak Team!

These 11 incredible individuals and athletes pushed through the heat and showed OKC that they are the team to root for when canoe slalom returns to Oklahoma City for the Olympics in 2028.

A special thank you to Riversport OKC, Everything canoe, kayak, and SUP, all the volunteers and teams who made this event so memorable.

Thank you to our apparel partner Zhik who made our team look good throughout the event, from the opening ceremony to the podium.

Thank you to the photographers who captured the event so we can share moments from on and off the water as the athletes make their bids for LA28.

07/24/2026