Nationals – Ventura Canoe & Kayak Club

2026 Winter Update

Drew Story — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 23:32:37 +0000

Nearly all of our club members took part in the Hal Rosoff Classic “Short Course” race at the Newport Aquatic Center on Valentine’s Day this past Saturday. (One of our paddlers couldn’t attend due to illness, another due to being at a team boat training camp in Gig Harbor, Washington, and a couple did not make our group photo…) Despite somewhat rough conditions and a strong headwind on the…

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What It Takes to Build a Sprint Paddling Club

Drew Story — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 00:49:05 +0000

Perhaps the title should include “in the United States of America” as the requirements are vastly different in other countries. The United States prioritizes sports played in our high schools, and especially sports that have collegiate and professional leagues like basketball, baseball, and American football. Most Americans have never heard of sprint canoe and kayak. Coach Drew here.

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Summer Update 2025

Drew Story — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 18:49:17 +0000

The club has had a very busy summer! Here are some of the highlights – While we also purchased new equipment, we sold a great deal of our older inventory this summer. We found new homes for two surfskis, five kayaks, and one canoe, plus a few of our oldest paddles. This older equipment had largely gone unused – some items for several years – and all of it will now get regular use…

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2024 Annual Report & Board Meeting Minutes

Drew Story — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 18:24:23 +0000

Below is our 2024 Annual Report which will provide details about our funding, expenses, and the state of our club. We are grateful to the support from our community which has enabled us to be on sound and solid footing. VCKC 2024 Annual ReportDownload in PDF Format Report from Board Secretary, Drew Story on September 2, 2024: Nationals & Competition We had a very successful…

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Summer and Nationals 2024 Update

Drew Story — Sat, 07 Sep 2024 21:46:41 +0000

We had a very successful trip to Lake Lanier for Nationals at the first week of August, with the club earning roughly 18 medals in all. Gus Peterson, a Masters athlete and Ventura club member from the 70s and 80s, came to race with us traveling from San Jose by himself and was our high point winner with 4 gold medals, 2 silvers, and a bronze to his credit. Not bad for a guy that hasn’t been to a…

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2023 Summer Update

Drew Story — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 14:43:33 +0000

The club did not send any paddlers to the Nationals at Nathan Benderson Park this summer. This choice was made mostly because it’s an expensive trip to get an athlete to Sarasota, Florida. To go to Nationals, one must consider airfare (or gas & time), car rental, spending a minimum of five days in a hotel, money on race fees, and either paying to trailer/carry your own boats to the race or renting…

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2022 Summer Update

Drew Story — Mon, 12 Sep 2022 20:23:10 +0000

The Turkeys were again represented at the US Nationals as two members of the Ventura Canoe & Kayak Club went to Cincinnati, Ohio, for the competition the first week of August. Drew Story and Ed Goldthwaite, both Masters, competed in the canoe singles, doubles, and fours. Unfortunately, neither Ed nor Drew reached a podium at this regatta. The Masters division was more competitive than it has…

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Goal Setting

Drew Story — Sat, 27 Aug 2022 19:32:00 +0000

It’s the end of the sprint canoe and kayak racing season in America. Our Nationals were at the beginning of the month, our Junior World and U23 athletes are competing now, and the Olympic Hopes Regatta will finish soon, too. For most paddlers, now is the time to set goals for the next season. This post will try to distill the lessons taught by our club founder, Bill Bragg.

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What’s it like to race at the US Nationals?

Drew Story — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 15:21:21 +0000

For some sprint paddlers in America, the only regatta they will attend all year will be the US Nationals. There may be a club putting on a race near enough for some to attend, or a distance race that a sprint boat can be entered in and raced, but due to the small size of our sport, this could also be the only major race one has to look forward to here in America. This post will provide coaches…

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Fall Update – 2021

Drew Story — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 22:42:28 +0000

Despite the pandemic not abating, we have been able to safely have some Beginning Paddler training sessions. Five adult athletes came down regularly this Fall on several Saturdays with four gaining enough stability to paddle in our “trainer” sprint kayak and one managing a sprint canoe. Despite cold water, and everyone tipping over practically at each workout, there was a great deal of…

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