ACA or USCA? Plus Freestyle in the USA vs. Europe.

[dutchlennart]

As a non us citizen, there seems to be at least 2 organisations doing stuff for canoeists. Can somebody explain to me the differences? And for me more important : Why the freestyle instructors have gone from the aca to the usca?

A general reply is good. A personal one can also be done.

 

[sailsman63]

I actually had to look them up.


ACA: established 1880. Provides very broad-based support for paddlesports in general, including SUP (paddleboards) and rafting, at every level from casual recreational paddling to upper-level competition. (They're the governing authority for the USA Olympic paddlesports teams) Promotes safety training and provides instructor certification. Advocates for waterway conservation and public water access at the public policy level.

USCA: established 1968, they're focused primarily on competition canoe and kayak racing, and "the growth of paddling as a recognized competitive sport." Everything else is a bit peripheral to this.

Realistically, I suspect that most US-based recreational paddlers are only marginally aware of their existence, let alone involved in any way.

 

[Alan Gage]

Realistically, I suspect that most US-based recreational paddlers are only marginally aware of their existence, let alone involved in any way.

I would agree with this. Back when I raced canoes a kayaks for a few years I was aware the organizations existed but that's about it. I haven't even thought about them in at least 10-15 years.

Alan

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

And for me more important : Why the freestyle instructors have gone from the aca to the usca?

I've been told that the primary issues were long-time negative experiences in dealing with various aspects of the large ACA bureaucracy, which was trying to control curriculum and instructor training in ways that were unsatisfactory. There also may have been some issue about getting better insurance for events and instructors through the USCA. You may be able to get a more informed response by sending a DM to freestyle IT @Marc Ornstein, which will generate an email to him even though he doesn't post here often.

My understanding that the freestyle instructors in Europe are still affiliated with the ACA.

Lennart, perhaps you could describe how freestyle is organized in Europe—for example, how many instructors there are, how many events per year, how many students usually attend instructional events, and what are the typical age groups for participants. Is European freestyle growing, shrinking or staying about the same?

 

[stevet]

Glen is correct. Bureaucracy and insurance were becoming hinderances to the direction the FS committee wanted to go. Insurance was considerably less expensive and easier to implement for individual instructors who were running smaller classes outside the major events. It was quite an ordeal to comply with ACA regs and required procedures.

I am not completely denigrating the ACA as it did help disseminate information and added credibility to the fledgling FS community after the initial presentation was made to, and the discipline accepted by, the organization. It was a springboard for FS paddlers to become certified instructors and both the FS paddlers and the ACA benefitted from the mutual exchange of information.

 

[yknpdlr]

Years ago, I was a member of the American Canoe Association (ACA). Membership included receiving their periodical magazine, and maybe a small break on race entry fees. It was OK for a while, but after a couple of years I couldn't stand it anymore. Nothing but high-test articles about kayakers and the latest stunts with svelte 20-somethings showing off how they perform near death in the latest model kayak in some remote waterfalls around the world. Canoes were given second (or maybe third place coverage, maybe with just one wimpy low value article per issue.

The ads, OMG the numbers of highly colorful ads on multiple pages after page, followed style suit. I wrote to the main publishing office in Colorado to tell them why I was dropping my membership, and received word back from who I assumed was some low-level office assistant. it seems the ACA organization had been purchased by a rich young man of the type who only loved to extreme kayak in white water an did not care about canoes. Well, thanks at least for being truthful. c'est la vie.

 

[dutchlennart]

Lennart, perhaps you could describe how freestyle is organized in Europe—for example, how many instructors there are, how many events per year, how many students usually attend instructional events, and what are the typical age groups for participants. Is European freestyle growing, shrinking or staying about the same?

Freestyle is Europe is not that organized. The mayor event is Kringelfieber in the middle of Germany on the first weekend of may . Number of participants vary somewhere between 100 and 150.
Some drive an hour others more then a day.
Youngest paddling participant 6 ish oldest 70plus average i guess 40

Then there are Smaller freestyle events. and some events where freestyle is part of bigger events.


Most instructors are German i guess around 20 solid nr 2 are the Dutch with about 10. Then there are some from Belgium, Denemarken,Engeland Austria Swiss.

I see that over here the instructors are having shorter coaching carrieres..i got intructor certificate 11 years ago and am now considered one of the old blokes.

Not sure if freestyle is growing. There are some Canoeclubs where is see year to year growth in both skiĺl of the average paddler as well as the top end paddlers as well as number of people paddling freestyle.
For example we did our first workshop in Brugge in Belgium about 6 years ago. Then we finished with first quadrant manoeuvres. Early november we go again.. For some it will be hard for us to find a basic manoeuvres in any quadrant that they are not competent in.

 

[Tsuga8]

Realistically, I suspect that most US-based recreational paddlers are only marginally aware of their existence, let alone involved in any way.

Agreed. Esp nowadays when professional training is devalued and big chain stores sell kayaks and SUPs with no info or training.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Most instructors are German i guess around 20 solid nr 2 are the Dutch with about 10. Then there are some from Belgium, Denemarken,Engeland Austria Swiss.

Let's say 35 freestyle instructors in Europe. That's about twice as many as in the USA, where only 17 are listed by the USCA, and about four of them are no longer active.

Many of the U.S. freestyle instructors do a diligent job of traveling long distances to the instructional events in New York (Adirondacks), New Jersey (Pine Barrens), Michigan (Midwest) and Wisconsin, and some attend informally at the Western Pennsylvania Solo Canoe Rendezvous (WPASCR). However, the instructor ranks seem to be aging out faster than they are being replaced, and I fear for the future of advanced canoe instruction in the U.S.

[I'm going to modify the title of this thread to reflect this discussion of U.S. vs. European freestyle organization.]