Slalom: Canoe & Kayak - ACA | Canoe - Kayak - SUP - Raft

Slalom: Canoe & Kayak

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What is Slalom?

The Olympic Canoe Slalom (CSL) discipline is a timed event where athletes navigate a minimum of 150m and a maximum of 400m long whitewater course through rapids and a combination of 18 to 25 downstream (green) and upstream (red) gates, of which six (6) or eight (8) must be upstream gates. The athlete receives a 2-second penalty for a touched gate and a 50-seconds penalty for missed gate or incorrect navigation of the gate.

Canoe slalom is contested by two types of boats, a canoe (C) and a kayak (K). Athlete knees in a canoe and propels the boats with the single-blade paddle. In a kayak, an athlete uses the double-bladed paddle in a seated position. At an international level, male (M) and female (W) athletes currently compete in four individual events: Single Kayak (MK1 & WK1), and Single Canoe (MC1 & WC1). A couple of years ago, the International Canoe Federation (ICF) replaced the men's C2 (MC2) event by introducing Mixed Double Canoe (XC2) event to ensure slalom met the IOC's gender equity criteria.

Canoe slalom originated in Switzerland in 1933 as a summer alternative to slalom skiing. It debuted as an Olympics sport during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, and it appears continuously in the Olympic program since the 1992 Games in Barcelona, Spain. Earlier Canoe Slalom was also known as the "Whitewater Slalom."

In the previous Olympics, the USA Canoe Slalom team has had 1 Gold Medal (MC2), 2 Silver Medals (WK1), and 2 Bronze Medals (MC1 & WK1).

Connect & News: www.americancanoe.org/Slalom (This page)

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- ACA: Canoe - Kayak - SUP - Raft - Rescue

Competition section of Paddle eMagazine

Events:

Slalom Racing Calendar
- USA and International Canoe Slalom (CSL & CSLX) Races
- Post a Race

Team Trials
- 2020 -- QUALIFICATION EVENTS ARE POSTPONED DUE TO COVID-19 (PDF)
  - Competition 1: Oklahoma City, TBD
  - Competition 2: Oklahoma City, TBD
- 2019
  - Oklahoma City, April 12-14, 2019
  - Results (PDF)

Age Group Nationals and USA Nationals Championships
- 2019
  - Potomac Whitewater Racing Center (PWRC), Dickerson, MD, October 4-5, 2019
  - Results (PDF)
- 2018
  - Potomac Whitewater Racing Center (PWRC), Dickerson, MD, October 6-7, 2018
  - Results (PDF)
  - Judge's Report (PDF)
Youth Olympic Games
- 2018
  - Buenos Aires, Argentina
  - Canoe & Kayak events prove a big hit @YOG
  - Results (PDF)

Pan American Games
- 2019 - Lima, Peru
  - Before the games
  - Results

Olympics
- 2020 - Tokyo, Japan
- 2016 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Athletes:

ACA Athlete Code of Conduct
Athlete Grievance Process (Online Form)
SafeSport (ACA SafeSport Policies, Handbook, etc. / U.S. Center for SafeSport)
U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)

Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs)

Athlete Selection Criteria
- CURRENTLY UNDER REVIEW FOR AMENDMENTS DUE TO POSTPONEMENT OF THE GAMES (3/26/2020)
  - ACA Athlete Selection Procedures for Tokyo Olympics (PDF)
  - ACA Athlete Selections Procedures for CSL & CSLX World Cups, Jr/U23 Worlds, ICF Races (PDF)
- 2019
  - ACA Athlete Selections Procedures for CSL & CSLX for Worlds, World Cups, and ICF Races (PDF)
  - Addendum to the 2019 Athlete Selection Procedures (PDF)
  - Letter from CSL Committee Chairman regarding the Selection Procedures (PDF)
  - 2019 Pan American Games - staff selection procedures (PDF)

Grants:
- ACA Elite Female Slalom Athlete Grant
- Women's Sports Foundation
  - Travel & Training Grant
  - Girls Serving Programs

Canoe Slalom Competition Rules:
- 2018 ACA Canoe Slalom Competition Rules (PDF)
- 2019 & 2020 ICF Canoe Slalom Competition Rules

U.S. Canoe Slalom National Teams
- 2019 Teams (PDF)
- 2018 Teams

Criteria for U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee Direct Athlete Support (DAS)
- 2020 (PDF)
- 2019 (PDF)
- 2018 (PDF)

Athletes Representation:
- Elite Athlete Slalom Director to the ACA Board
  - Scott Mann (contact / Bio)
- USOPC Athlete Advisory Council (AAC)
  - ACA Representative: Emily Mary Wright (contact / Bio)
  - Alternate ACA rep.: Brandon Holiday (contact / Bio)

Canoe Sports Olympians (PDF)

Travel

Coaches:

SafeSport (ACA SafeSport Policies, Handbook, etc. / U.S. Center for SafeSport)
ACA Staff Code of Conduct (PDF)
Required NCIS Background Check

Coaches Selection Procedures
- 2020 Olympics (Tokyo 2020)
  - Accreditation Procedure (PDF)
- 2019 Pan Am Games
  - Staff & Coach Selection Procedure (PDF)
  - Volunteer Selection Procedure (PDF)

Travel
- International Travel Requirements
- USOPC/ACA Partnership with United Airlines

Officials:

Slalom Officials Policy - Renewal of Credentials for IJCSLs (PDF)

Volunteers:

SafeSport (ACA SafeSport Policies, Handbook, etc. / U.S. Center for SafeSport)
ACA Volunteers Code of Conduct (PDF)
Required NCIS Background Check

Volunteers Selection Procedures
- 2020 Olympics (Tokyo 2020)
  - Accreditation Procedure (PDF)
- 2019 Pan Am Games
  - Staff & Coach Selection Procedure (PDF)
  - Volunteer Selection Procedure (PDF)

Travel
- International Travel Requirements
- USOPC/ACA Partnership with United Airlines

Slalom Paddling Clubs:

Nantahala Racing Club: Bryson City, NC (NRC)
Mach 1 Slalom Team: State College, PA (Mach1)
Potomac Whitewater Racing Center: Potomac, MD (PWRC)
Durango Whitewater: Durango, CO. (DW)
Team Colorado: Colorado Front Range. (TC)

In memory of First Coach of the U.S. Whitewater Team: Robert Jay Evans, July 17, 1925 - April 20, 2018 (PDF)

Reporting Abuse or Misconduct:

To report forms of misconduct or abuse, such as sexual, emotional or physical misconduct, bullying, hazing or harassment, please report via: U.S. Center for SafeSport

Donations to Support Slalom Athletes and Slalom Program:

ACA Governance:

ACA Board of Directors
- Competition Council
  - Slalom Committee

National Office Staff:

Director of High Performance & Competition: vacant
- Slalom High Performance Manager: vacant
  - Slalom National Team Coach: Rafal Smolen (contact / Bio)