Wisconsin Canoe Symposium, June 10-14, 2026

[Glenn MacGrady]

"You are invited to the Wisconsin Canoe Symposium (WCS)! The symposium is located in Westfield, WI, approximately 60 minutes north of Madison, WI. Arrive as early as Thursday afternoon and paddle through mid-day on Sunday."

"NEW THIS YEAR: You can arrive as early as Wednesday afternoon. Explore, hangout, swim, and relax. For those with good paddling and maneuvering skills, there is an option to paddle a trip on a section of the nearby Mecan River on Thursday. Freestyle classes commence on Friday morning, and conclude mid-day on Sunday."

This event is taught by USCA Freestyle instructors. Registration and futher info here:

WISCONSIN CANOE SYMPOSIUM – FreeStyle Canoeing

 

[Alan Gage]

Is this the inaugural event? Nice to see one in the Midwest.

Alan

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

WCS has been running for at least a decade. It's organized by Tracy Hunt and Paul Klonowski.

 

[Superdave]

Thanks for posting this Glenn, I probably wouldn't have known about it otherwise. I'll be there with my Swift Cruiser 16.8: not an ideal freestyle boat, but it's what I have, and I'm looking forward to improving my boat handling skills in it. I also signed up for the touring technique class.

Anyone else attending?

 

[dutchlennart]

ENjoy looking forward to your report. Hopefully you have a great time.

 

[Tryin']

Wow, there's quite a few event locations. Always learning something new around here...

Events – FreeStyle Canoeing

 

[Superdave]

An overdue summary of my experience at the Wisconsin Canoe Sympoium...

I signed up for the Freestyle Building Blocks course. It was a half day of instruction on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; each day taught by a different instructor. They cap each class at 6 students, but there were only two other students in Building Blocks, so we each got a lot of individualized attention from the instructors. With the remaining half day on Friday and Saturday, you can sign up for add-on classes, private lessons, or have free time to yourself. It was great to have a fresh perspective from a different instructor each day, and I think the three half-day sessions is a really effective way to structure the course. After day one I was feeling a little frustrated, and I was regretting taking a freestyle class in such a long, straight keeled boat (my Swift Cruiser 16.8). But on day two, I was making some progress and having a lot of fun. On day three, I was feeling pretty comfortable with two point kneeling, and getting turns out of my boat that I wouldn't have thought possible before.

I'd totally recommend attending one of the symposiums if you are looking to have some fun in your boat. Everyone was welcoming and friendly. There is lots of time for socializing and trying out other peoples boats. And in addition to learning specific freestyle skills, you will overall become a better more comfortable boat handler.