Sprint Racing
Sprint Canoe (alos known as Flatwater) racing is exactly what the name suggests. It is a sporting competition that in simplest terms, involves an individual or team paddling a boat (canoe or kayak) as fast as they can. Competitions known as 'regattas' allow for competitors to race against others over a wide range of categories based on age groups, distances, type and size of boats and gender.
Opposite to rowing, a paddler faces forward. Sprint racing is an Olympic Sport and at the 'elite' level of our sport, races are geared towards those events that are in the Olympic games. As well, regattas can consist of races which cater to age groups from 8 and up.
The Sport
Flatwater, sprint racing takes place on a straight course with each boat having a designated lane. The distances recognised by the International Canoe Federation (ICF) and generally raced at most competitions, can be of lengths of 200, 500 or 1000 metres. Periodically, longer races may also occur which usually involve competitors doing "loops" of a set distance; thereby eliminating lanes. The Canadian Championships for example, has 6000m races for their "Midget" age-category participants, in solo canoes or kayaks.
In Canada, both men and women race canoes and/or kayaks but at most international events, women race only in kayaks. Flatwater racing has been part of the Olympic Games since 1936 (Berlin) for men, and since 1948 (London) for women.
Equipment
The official boats recognised by the ICF as 'International Boats' are the following: K-1, K-2, K-4, C-1, C-2 and C-4, where the number indicates the number of paddlers, “K” stands for kayak and “C” for Canadian or Canoe, depending on location. However, flatwater racing has exisited in Canada since the 1800's and hence has certain styles of boats and events which are unique to Canada. In Canada, a boat commonly referred to as a "War Canoe" is raced at most events. This boat holds 14 paddlers and a coxswain, who stands at the back of the boat and steers.
Kayaks have a steering rudder, which is operated by the (foremost) paddler with his/her feet. In a kayak, a paddler is sitting while in a Canoe, they are kneeling on one knee and paddle only on the one side. For competitions, there are rules in place governing the length and weight of each boat. For example, by ICF rules, a K-1 is at most 520 cm long, and weighs at least 12 kg for sprints. Modern boats are usually made of carbon fiber and/or aramid fiber (e.g. Kevlar) with epoxy resin.
Governing Body
Sprint Racing in Canada is governed by Canoe-Kayak Canada. The CKC (formerly the Canadian Canoe Association) was founded in 1900 and is an organization made up of three distinct and self-governing disciplines; sprint racing, white water and marathon canoe racing. The National Office is located in Ottawa.
The Carleton Place Canoe Club (CPCC) is a member of the Eastern Ontario Division (EOD) of the Canadian Canoe Association (or CKC). The EOD Flag Officer is currently Dave Statham of the Rideau Canoe Club.
The Ontario Canoe Sprint Racing Affiliation (or OCSRA) is the governing body for the sport in the province of Ontario. The OCSRA is responsible for selecting a provincial team, running training camps, overseeing the selection of Ontario's team for Canada Games and administering financial assistance for athletes, as awarded by the province. The board of directors consists of volunteers from each of the two divisions, with the Chairperson alternating between divisions every three years.
