Welcome to the final Paddle Pulse of 2022, and what a year it has been. From the tremendous results our Australian senior and junior teams have achieved on the international sporting stage, to the incredible return of our national events, as well as more people getting back on water and taking part in our grassroots programs.
As the festive season approaches, we know many of you will be making most of Australia’s iconic water waterways. Summer is a great time to see our beautiful country from the water, but we remind you to please be safe while on the water. Remember:
- Wear a lifejacket
- Let someone know where you are going
- Keep clear or to the right of vessels
- Know your limits
- Check the weather
Check our website for all the safety tips.
In this edition of Paddle Pulse we finish off the year in style. Firstly, congratulations to two of our senior high performance leaders who have received special recognition this month.
Our National Canoe Kayak Slalom Coach, Myriam Fox-Jerusalmi, was earlier this month awarded by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) a Coaches Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding support for and mentoring of Olympic athletes.
Olympic Canoe Sprint champion and now PA National Performance Pathways Lead Kenny Wallace was announced by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) to lead Australia’s Solomon Islands 2023 Pacific Games Team as Chef de Mission.
In a major milestone for Australian sport, Paddle Australia is proud to have joined forces with the country’s peak Olympic, Paralympic and Commonwealth Games bodies, fellow National Sporting Organisations and other key high performance stakeholders to launch a national strategy aimed at building success towards Brisbane 2032 and beyond. Paddle Australia was proud to have had our High Performance Director Kim Crane as part of the group that co-designed the strategy designed to bring long-term success to sport in Australia.
It was great to cap off the year with plenty of grassroots competitions taking place across the country including Shaw and Partners WA Race Week, the Bendigo Cup and Tasmania’s Slalom & Downriver Championships.
As the year draws to a close, special thanks to the many volunteers around Australia that support our Clubs, State Paddle Associations and Paddle Australia. You have again stepped up to meet the challenges as they have presented themselves, and there have been many. I am sure all our thoughts are with those clubs and their members that have been, and in many cases are still impacted by recent floods. The stories of resilience continue to inspire us. We hope for a much easier year for everyone in 2023.
On behalf of the Paddle Australia Board and Staff, we want to wish everyone a happy holiday, enjoy our waterways safely this summer and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year.
Yours in paddling
Phil Jones
Paddle Australia CEO
