During the ACA annual meeting on Sunday, November 24, the incredible and very deserving recipients of the 2024 ACA Annual Awards were announced. This series of prestigious international awards are presented to individuals and organizations who have illustrated exemplary leadership, service, and dedication to various aspects of paddlesports.
The prestigious Excellence in Instruction Award is presented to an ACA member for his or her outstanding contribution to paddlesports education and instruction. Oftentimes referred to as the “Instructor of the Year Award,” the recipients of this award have continuously set the example not only in teaching ability and technical skill, but in professionalism, connectivity, and service to students of every background. It is our honor to present the 2024 Excellence in Instructor Award to Rob Carmichael, the Director of Outdoor Experiential Education at UWC Thailand International School in Phuket, Thailand.
The Sanctioned Event of the Year Award is presented to the top ACA sanctioned event as nominated by the overarching ACA membership.We are pleased to announce the ACA Rafting Rendezvous as the 2024 Sanctioned Event of the Year! There are a multitude of reasons why this event was so impactful—and one of those was simply the leadership, professionalism, and organizational excellence that was illustrated by the SEIC Rafting Committee. Each member of this committee played a critical role in the development of the event program, the venue selection, forging relationships with event sponsors, and the roll out of a new ACA curriculum that promotes unity, safety, and fun across the rafting industry that plays a huge role in the outdoor recreation market in the United States and abroad.
We are pleased to honor Wild Science Explorers’ Nez Perce Natural History and Paddling Project as the recipient of this year’s Green Paddle for Waterway Conservation award. Based in McCall, Idaho, this program engaged low-income Nez Perce Native American teenage tribal members in a 5-day science and stewardship rafting education trip down the Lower Salmon River. This trip was conducted in part to develop awareness of Nez Perce natural history and apply that to present day environmental issues in the Lower Salmon River corridor which has been traditionally used by the Nez Perce for hundreds of years.
The Joe Pina Volunteer of the Year Award is presented to one or more volunteers each year for extraordinary service at the local, regional, or national level. We cannot even begin to detail or describe the depth of commitment of this year’s Volunteer of the Year Award recipients, Anna Levesque and Trey Rouss. As Chair and Vice Chair of the SEIC, they have paved the way and set the example for inclusive, student-centered, and holistic education and instructional programming that bridges the gap between paddling and learning through life’s many other dynamic environments. Anna and Trey were instrumental in the success of ACA’s LEAD programs this year, the Level 1-2 Regional Instructor Updates, the soon-to-be-launched leadership pathways program, the growth of the Instructor, Trainer, and Educator cadre, and overall connectivity that threads through students, instructors, committees, staff, and the ACA board of directors.
J. Henry Rushton Award for Organizational Excellence is presented annually to an organization or other group for outstanding achievements in advancing paddlesports and the mission of the ACA. With this award we would like to recognize the Paddlesports Trade Coalition—whose member organizations are dedicated to advocating for and promoting the strength of the paddlesports industry in North America and supporting commerce and inclusive access in coordinated efforts to expand a vibrant community of participants in all human and sustainably-powered boating activities. The leaders and members of the PTC are collaborative, authentic, and passionate teams of brands, retailers, outfitters, and sales representatives who influence, advocate, and foster growth and development within the paddlesports market segment.
The Havens Leadership Award recognizes individuals whose practices and behaviors best serve the interests and success of USA paddlesports athletes. This year, we are pleased to honor Risa Shimoda; everywhere you look in the paddlesports world, you find Risa Shimoda connected to making things happen. This year, in the sphere of competitive paddling alone, Risa helped organize the 69th Annual CCA Downriver Race, attended the premier of the remastered classic film Fast and Clean, assisted in freestyle events around the country and still competes in Squirt boat. Risa is everywhere! Under Risa’s leadership this year, the Competition Council has been reactivated and reinvigorated as representatives from discipline committees have been meeting on a regular basis to communicate what each discipline is doing, share ideas about best practices, help committees organize and become more structured, develop a coaches education resource, and more. The bottom line is Risa is a paddler. She truly embodies a multidiscipline, collaborative approach to paddlesports promotion and thanks to Risa’s efforts, the future of paddlesports competition is bright.
The Outstanding State Director Award is presented to one or more State Directors each year for their contributions to enhancing paddlesports in their state. It is our honor to announce the recipient of this year’s Outstanding State Director Award—Anthea Raymond! Anthea currently serves as ACA California State Director and has served in many other ACA leadership positions in the past. Her continuous support of the ACA and enthusiasm for promoting the safe, fun growth of the paddlesports community is evident in her dedication, passion, and volunteerism. She has spearheaded many projects, including the “California Paddle Hero” awards, she built a renewed excitement for kayak surfing via the Surf Kayak Revival Event, and helped bring the Level 1-2 Regional Instructor Update event to California. The state of California has a stronger paddling community, not just because she helps make these things happen, but also because she consistently promotes paddling opportunities to make sure the word gets out and the entire community is invited.
The ACA President’s Award is given by the President of the Board of Directors to individuals for outstanding service to the ACA on a national level. In September 2024, Hurricane Helene carved a 500-mile path of destruction throughout the Southeastern United States. In some communities, Helene served as a geological resurfacing event that swept award roads, bridges, and towns in its path. It will require months, if not years, to rebuild. In other areas, flood waters, winds and tornadoes contributed to significant loss of property, power, and water infrastructure and many lives were affected. In devastating moments like this, we acknowledge and recognize the people who step up to make a difference, and several ACA leaders stepped up to help their communities recover in the immediate aftermath of this disaster. The ACA President’s Award is intended to recognize all the members of the community who volunteered, donated, and served in any role to help those affected by the hurricane – whether in a capacity to clean up, rebuild, bring supplies, or through serving in a rescue and recovery role. We are heartened to say that the number of members of the ACA community who stepped into one of these roles to help their neighbors are too numerous to count. We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the following individuals as a representation of all the paddlers who responded to the call to help those in need.
- Chris Wing, ACA Instructor Trainer
- Trey Moore, ACA Instructor Trainer
- John Grace, Green River Conservation Project
- Erica Shanks, Green Riverkeeper
- Cooper Leist, Lance Buskey, and Sam Iatarola, of Helene Rebuild Cooperative
- French Broad River Academy’s Salamander Fund
- Dane Jackson
- Mason Hargrove
- Sarah Beth Neal of Outdoor Adventure Rafting
- Caleb Parchman of River Folk Rescue
- Leaders from USA Raft, Nolichucky Outdoor Learning Institute, Appalachian Paddling Enthusiasts, Osprey Whitewater, Blue Ridge Paddling, and Mountain True
The Legends of Paddling Award is presented to one or more individuals each year for their legendary contributions to paddlesports. Recipients of this prestigious award are inducted into the ACA Hall of Fame. We are excited to welcome Deb Volturno into the ACA Hall of Fame and honor her with the Legends of Paddling Award. Deb’s status as a legend is not just made up of her significant accomplishments but is also formed by her impact on the sea kayaking community. Deb is an American Canoe Association Level 5: Advanced Open Water Coastal Kayaking Instructor Trainer Educator and Level 4: Performance Surf Kayaking Instructor Trainer Educator. Many, or even most, of the instructors in the Pacific Northwest region have received training, assessment, and/or mentoring in their journeys from Deb. Deb is a key player in this critical time for the surf kayaking discipline and its current revival within the ACA. Deb has been a part of surf kayaking from the earliest days when there was just one class of surf kayaking, and she was a fixture in the Bay Area/Santa Cruz kayaking scene for a long time, participating in competitions and running the California Canoe & Kayak outpost in Half Moon Bay with future fellow Tsunami Ranger John Lull. Deb currently holds the rank of Captain of the Tsunami Rangers, an ocean adventure kayaking team that originated near San Francisco. A sea kayak surf champion, Deb was also a member of the US Surf Kayak Team, which she represented in numerous competitions put on by the World Surf Kayak Association across the world. Much like her impact across the Pacific Northwest, Deb is a common thread in the influence of technical and teaching skills in the region, but more than that, she has influenced a collective endeavor to make sea kayaking more accessible, inclusive, and representative.
About the ACA:
The American Canoe Association was founded in 1880 and is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves the broader paddling public by providing educational programs, supporting stewardship initiatives that affect paddlers, and offering competition opportunities to athletes of all abilities. The ACA has over 15,000 members and 300 paddling clubs and affiliated organizations. The ACA provides insurance for hundreds of events and races every year. The ACA education program has an estimated reach of over 800,000 people per year. ACA members reside in all 50 states and over 35 countries worldwide. Since 2017 the ACA has served as the National Governing Body for paddlesports (Sprint, Slalom and Paracanoe) for the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee and as the U.S. National Federation to the International Canoe Federation.
The heart of the ACA is the people who paddle, cherish and protect the rivers, lakes, streams, bays and oceans of the United States and beyond. For more information, please visit https://americancanoe.org.
Photos courtesy of ACA Paddlesports
