United States Canoe and Kayak National Championships

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Hosted by the New York Marathon Canoe Racing Association

Contributing Sponsors: Ramano Subaru, USCA NY Delegation, Hammer Nutrition, Byrne Dairy, Hull Speed
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Results!

Events

Racing class

Thursday

Opening Ceremony, Youth Sprints

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Racing class

Friday

C1, K1 women, C2, K1 men and more

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Racing class

Saturday

C2, K2 woman, C1, K1 men and more

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Racing class

Sunday

C2, K2 mixed, SUP men, SUP woman and more

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Racer Information

What you need to know

The full USCA racer information packet including safety information and schedule can be found here

USCA membership and event registration information can be found on the registration page.

  • To participate in the 2018 USCA nations you will need to have a current USCA membership. You may sign up online here or by mail, instructions can be found here. Registration will be available on sight but we strongly recommend signing up ahead of time to avoid delays.
  • Important Information for the Paddlers with Physical Disabilities: New for 2018. Athletes entering the National Championship Sprints for Paddlers with Physical Disabilities must send ICF Paracanoe Athlete Diagnosis Form and ICF Paracanoe Athlete Certificate of Diagnosis Form or USCA Adaptive Paddler Vision Qualification Form to Jan Whitaker at 560 Shore Drive, West Henrietta, NY 14586 or janwhitaker@twc.com by July 1, 2018 for eligibility assessment. Phone: 585-292-6107 (See Event Application for information and links to ICF forms.)
  • Paddlers are allowed to compete in a younger age class for adault races. Awards will only be awarded in age classe in which a participant registers.
  • In tandem events the age group is determined by the younger of the two paddlers.
  • All boats should be jigged prior to events. A 2018 sticker will be provided to all boats who have passed inspection and the top 5 finishers will be immediatly jigged after every event. Jigging times and location will be posted on the schedule when available and also posted on the bultin board on site.
  • Special age recognition awards will be awarded to the first place finisher in the following:
    1. OC1 Man and Woman, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69
    2. K2 Men and Women, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 team
    3. First 70+ teams or individual in any event without a Grand Veteran class
    4. First 80+ team or individual in any event without a Grand Master Veteran (octogenarian) class
  • Medals: Awarded as follows: All adult USCA classes: 3 medals deep. All Junior (15-17), Adult/Youth (5-14), and Adult/Junior(15-17) classes: 5 deep for sprints and 6 deep for marathon. Trial events awarded 3 medals deep. (USCA membership is required.) A special medal will be awarded to each SUP marathon participant.
  • Barton Youth Award: The USCA offers the Barton Youth Award to encourage youth participation in solo kayak (K1) or solo canoe (C1). Participation is open to all paddlers ages 9-17. The award goes to the fastest female and the fastest male in K1 and C1. The winners will each receive a new paddle.
  • Traveling Trophies may be delivered to Race Headquarters upon arrival to check-in or register for the week’s events. Please make sure these trophies are checked in by a USCA official. Trophies will be securely stored until distribution.

Volunteers

Chuck Bolesh Sr

It would not be possible to host a sucessful Nationals without the dedicated work of our volunteers. If you are interested in supporting our endevour to put on the best Nationals ever, please contact us right away.

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Course Descreiption

  • The starting area is immediately south of Klein Island. Warming up will be allowed anywhere to the west of the island.
  • Boats will line up facing Onondaga Lake (south).
  • Start heading south towards the lake and make buoy turn (location may vary based on weather / water conditions).
  • Then head north out of the park, keeping the island on your left.
  • At the main canal, turn right (east) and head about a half mile to the next buoy turn.
  • Then head west on the canal for about 2.3 miles. After making this buoy turn head back to the park, always keeping the island to your left.
  • Turn right (south) towards the lake. Repeat the first buoy turn and complete a full second lap of the course.
  • The finish line will be by race headquarters before the Long Branch Rd bridge.
  • Total distance will be between 13 and 14 miles (depending on location of initial buoy)
  • ALL BUOY TURNS ARE COUNTERCLOCKWISE (keep buoy on left).
  • ALWAYS KEEP THE ISLAND ON YOUR LEFT

Course Map

Course Map

News and History

The USCA Nationals and Central New York

Erie canal in Clinton Square, Syracuse in 1906

The United States Canoe Association (USCA) Nationals Canoe Race is a 4-day event where canoers and kayakers from across the US and Canada test their race skills against the best in their sport.

The 2018 edition of this premier race event is being hosted by the New York Marathon Canoe Racing Association (NYMCRA) and will be held Aug 10-12 in the greater Syracuse area. This will be the first time NY plays host to the USCA Nationals since they were held in Syracuse in 1995. The races will be held on the outlet of Onondaga Lake and the Seneca River, part of the historic Erie Canal.

Onondaga Lake was once one of the most polluted lakes in the United States. Last year marked the completion of the dredging portion of the restoration plan, which recently won the Western Dredging Association's 2017 Environmental Excellence Award for Environmental Dredging. The lake is now the cleanest it has been in over 100 years and it continues to improve. The Erie Canal was an engineering marvel in its time. Cities like Schenectady, Rochester, Buffalo, and Syracuse thrived due to the cheap shipping the canal provided.

Modern day Syracuse is located on the former lands of the Onondaga Nation. Syracuse is known as “The Salt City” as the region was known for commercial salt production between the 1700-1900’s from the Halite beds just south of the modern day city and the salt springs that are found on the southeastern edge of Onondaga Lake. Until 1900 the bulk of the salt used in the US came from Syracuse and was largely distributed on the Erie Canal. The combination of the Erie Canal and the salt industry led to the increase of population in the local area.

In hosting the 2018 USCA Nationals, NYMCRA plans to showcase the amazing clean-up efforts of Onondaga Lake as well as the historic waterways of Upstate New York. We look forward to 4 great days of racing in Syracuse! See you there!

Visit Syracuse

Cuisine

Syracuse has a rich history of Irish and Italian immigration and the most popular foods of the region reflect this. Salt potatoes were originated from Syracuse. Irish immigrant salt miners would bring potatoes and boil them in the salt brine for their lunch. Syracuse and Central New York also have some unique Italian dishes such as Chicken Riggies (pasta-based dish usually consisting of chicken, rigatoni and hot or sweet peppers in a spicy cream and tomato sauce) and Utica Greens (dish made of hot peppers, sauteed greens, chicken stock or broth, escarole, cheese, pecorino, breadcrumbs and variations of meat and prosciutto).

Entertainment

Syracuse is home to numerous kinds of entertainment, shopping, and historical venues.

  • Armory Square (shopping, bars and restaurants)
  • Destiny Mall (shopping, bars and restaurants)
  • Tipperary Hill (Bars and restaurants)

Visit www.visitsyracuse.com for many more places to visit and things to do when visiting Syracuse.