American Canoe Association

Each year the ACA and the Palisades Park Commission with the help of several camps in the park sponsor and organize the Youth Regatta. The event is a very important canoe regatta for the youth camps in the park. Every year many of the camps bring the entire camp to the race. For some camps this is the most important session for their campers who return year after year especially for this event. At other camps the kids train for the entire summer leading up to the race. We have 34 different events; a short course for the younger campers and longer course for the older paddlers. The races are for females, males, campers and staff. Everyone has a great time. Most camps bring many campers to act as a cheering section for their paddlers.

The regatta now includes a Spirit Award, which is independent from the race results. This has enabled the camps to get a great effort from their kids to show camp sprit and have a good time. Some of the camps use talented and artistic campers to make banners and costumes for weeks before the race.

The American Canoe Association has sponsored this event from the start. Young paddlers from the ACA camp also compete in the regatta.

Running this event takes a great amount of work on the day of the race.

We need several people on the finish line as timers and spotters; some people are need for the scoring of the events. Many paddlers are needed on–the-water to help line up the campers and to help rescue them when they fall in. They also serve, as on the water referees, to make sure that competitors don’t crash into each other.

We also need people on the starting line to help organize the paddlers for their races and to start the race. The job of on-the-water volunteer is very strenuous so we need at least 30 volunteers to help. Many of our safety and starting people need relief during the day so that we need people early to get the race started and then more around noon to give the first group a break.

Volunteers should contact Scott Greifenberger 1425 Bellmore Ave, Bellmore, NY 11710 Home Phone 516 781-8889 Cell 516 993-3692 E-mail scottcanoe@aol.com or Sue Scher 845 351-2883, E-mail scher5@optonline.net