CORA Cup Series 2025 Championships Junior / Novice OC Paddle Draw

CORA introduced a new initiative for 2022 at the CORA 2021 Pre-AGM that had been continued 2023-2025. To encourage participation by new paddlers at CORA 2025 events, a new Junior / Novice OC Paddle Draw Grant was funded. Every Junior / Novice participant at each CORA Cup Series 2025 event was given 1 entry for the end-of-season draw. It was possible for each Junior / Novice participant to have up to a maximum of 5 entries for the end-of-season draw. The response was impressive with 183 entries in total from 14 Western Canada OC clubs. There were at least 10 entries in each of the Junior Women, Junior Men, Novice Women, and Novice Men divisions such that 2 winners were drawn from each of these 4 divisions.

Courtenay and District Fish & Game Protective Association

The Courtenay and District Fish & Game Protective Association Clubhouse overlooking Comox Lake was an excellent venue to showcase the CORA Perpetual Trophies (Peter Forand Masters Challenge; Hugh Town Memorial Builder), the Canadian Outrigger Hall Of Fame Commemorative Awards for the eight 2024/2025 Inductees (Daphne Ann Brockington; Helen Currey; Jacinta Sheridan; James Hill; Jan Chavarie; Linda Daigle; Melanie Conard; Sue Milligan), and the sample Junior / Novice OC Paddle along with the 8 Gift Certicates.

Marc Lavertu

Canadian Outrigger Hall Of Fame 20254/2025 Inductee Sue Milligan of Suncoast Paddling Club / Powell River Outrigger Canoe Society presented a collection of photos representative of the career of Marc Lavertu and accepted the Hugh Town Memorial Builder on behalf of 2024 Recipient Marc Lavertu, who was unable to attend the proceedings.

Oddball Workshop

CORA wishes to extend a round of appreciation to Oddball Workshop, our generous sponsor / partner, for contributing Gift Certificates for each of the 8 Junior / Novice winners to redeem for a paddle of a length of their choosing within 1 year from the end-of-season draw date (27-Sep-2026).

CORA wishes to congratulate the 8 Junior / Novice 2025 OC Paddle winners:

  • Desmond McCall – (Comox)
  • Mika Asano – (Lotus)
  • Jasper Morris – (Geronimo)
  • Emie Ransom – (Kelowna)
  • Paige Emanuel – (Latitude 48)
  • Mark Oluic – (False Creek)
  • Marika Anderson – (Edmonton)
  • Erik Baldwin – (Kelowna)
Junior-Novice-Winner
Junior-Novice-Winner
Junior-Novice-Winner
Junior-Novice-Winner
Junior-Novice-Winner
Junior-Novice-Winner
Junior-Novice-Winner
Junior-Novice-Winner

CORA wishes to extend a round of appreciation to the Race Coordinators (Jackie Bell; Dean Dougherty; Don Mulhall; Launa Mandrell; Cheryl Bublitz; Carole Fullerton; Jan Chavarie) from CORA Cup Series host clubs Comox (twice), Penticton; Fort Langley, and Jericho, as well as the CORA Club Reps who collected the names of Junior / Novice participants at these 5 events, and forwarded these entries onto the CORA Board for the draw at the Comox Awards presentation.

Comox Valley Canoe Racing Club
Comox Valley Canoe Racing Club
Penticton Paddle Sports Association
Penticton Paddle Sports Association
Fort Langely Canoe Club
Fort Langely Canoe Club
Jericho Paddling Club
Jericho Paddling Club

FLCC Fall Small, October 25, 2025, Langley, BC

It’s back, and better than ever for 2025!
Fort Langley Canoe Club invites you to join us October 25, 2025, at the Fall Small, a small boat race to help welcome in the Fall!
It features a new venue – we’ll launch from the Derby Reach Regional Park, 21801 Allard Crescent,
Langley Township. It’s an especially great spot for launching your small boat and there is lots of free
parking.
Along with the new venue, there will be a new course, which will pit you against the mighty Fraser River, up- and downstream. You will be able to paddle amongst the sturgeon and salmon while bald eagles sail overhead, and, onshore, deer, beaver and the occasional black bear cheer you on.
Don’t put your small boat away for the winter until you’ve raced in the Fall Small! All types of paddling-propelled small craft are welcome, including OC1, OC2, V1, surfski, kayaks, K1 and K2, marathon canoes, SUP’s, etc.
Come join us and help make the Fall Small big!

Details:
Date: Saturday, October 25, 2025
Venue: Derby Reach Regional Park, 21801 Allard Crescent, Langley Township.
Race Start: short course: 9:00 AM; long course: 10:30 AM
Race Check-in: 7:30 AM, Saturday Oct. 25, 2025
Race Length: short course: approx. 8 km; long course: approx. 12 km. Course set according to day-of conditions but will feature upstream and downstream segments.
Cost: $30
Parking: free, onsite
Registration: registration opens Sunday, October 5 and closes Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM.
Registration, and event details will be on FLCC website at: https://www.fortlangleycanoeclub.ca/small-boat-races/
Boat Categories: all types of paddling-propelled small craft, including OC1, OC2, V1, surfski, kayaks, K1 and K2, marathon canoes, SUP’s, etc.

CORA Town Hall – Kelowna Paddle Centre Youth Programs – Sunday 19 October 2025 @ 4pm Pacific Time

CORA invites you to join our Town Hall on Sunday 2025-Oct-19 at 4PM Pacific 4PM Pacific Time for a forum highlighting Kelowna Paddle Centre (KPC) Youth Programs. Kelowna Paddle Centre has developed youth programs that have seen Kelowna Paddle Centre youth paddlers competing successfully at CORA racing events as well as IVF World Championship events. Kelowna Paddle Centre has events / programs specifically directed toward youths. The Kelowna Paddle Centre Junior Racing Program runs from April through September with a focus on outrigger canoe racing. The Kelowna Paddle Centre Summer Paddling Camps provide a range of paddling activities for children and teens. This forum will be led by various Kelowna Paddle Centre members with topics such as: Programming and Coaching; Funding, Insurance, and Other Logistics; Growing Pains and Challenges. This will be a forum for our audience across Canada to engage with Kelowna Paddle Centre and other clubs who share the vision that youth are the future.

Programming and Coaching:

  • Youth Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) and the model developed at KPC (see below)
  • Mental Skills and Performance
  • Staff Training and Core Values
  • Technical Knowledge
  • Coaching Methodology

Funding, Insurance, and Other Logistics:

  • Having a facility and strong local community
  • Staffing considerations including paid vs volunteer coaches
  • Insurance
  • Safety
  • Bottlenecks and Thresholds
  • Budgeting

Growing Pains and Challenges:

  • Importance of trial and error
  • Paddler feedback
  • Parent feedback
  • Conflict management

This is an opportunity for clubs that already have in place or are building a youth outrigger canoeing program, to share insights, put forward questions, and communicate what resources would be beneficial to youth outrigger canoeing programs for the 2026 season.