International Whitewater Hall of Fame

Join us at the ceremony honoring the International Whitewater Hall of Fame Class of 2010! This year’s induction ceremony will take place Saturday, September 25th from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm, in conjunction with the 2010 US Slalom National Championships Banquet and the National Slalom Foundation outside of Washington, DC at the Bretton Woods Recreation Center, located at 15700 River Road, Germantown, Maryland.

The evening’s program will include the induction of this year’s honorees, presentation of the DVD that honors their accomplishments with a keynote speech by past inductee and C1 slalom racing icon Jon Lugbill.

Purchase Options
Either purchase your sponsorships online through our secure Google Shopping Cart by clicking the “Add to Cart” Buttons, or Mail your check or money order to the address below.

Mail sponsorship or ticket purchase checks, payable to Paddlesports Industry Foundation, to:
Paddlesports Industry Foundation c/o Rachel Wisner, PO Box 62, Newaygo, Michigan 49337 USA.

If you have any questions, please contact either Risa Shimoda at rshimoda@iwhof.org or Matthew S. Urdan at msurdan@iwhof.org. We thank you for your generous support!

Purchase one ticket for yourself, or get a table of ten and save!
Sponsorships are also available. Please visit our Sponsorship Page to purchase.
Space is limited, so sign up today!

Table Sponsor $425
Induction tables of ten (10) can be purchased for a 15% discount off of the standard price.

Directions to Bretton Woods Recreation Area

From Virginia:
Take I-495 North to Route 190 West (River Road) toward Potomac. Continue on River Road through the traffic light in the Center of Potomac Village and proceed another 8 miles. You will pass Violets Lock Road on the left and Bretton Woods will be the next drive on the left. (Bretton Woods is on the left immediately before River Road ends at Seneca Road.)

From Points North in Maryland:
Take I-270 South to Route 118 South toward Germantown. Continue on Route 118 for approximately 6-7 miles and turn left at the light at Route 28 East (Darnestown Road). Drive 0.7 miles and turn right at the traffic light onto Route 112 South (Seneca Road). Drive 2.8 miles and turn left onto Route 190 East (River Road). Bretton Woods is the first drive on the right.

From Bethesda (near Montgomery Mall):
Take Fernwood Road to Democracy Road and turn right. Proceed 3.7 miles and turn left onto Falls Road. Go to the traffic light at River Road (Route 190) and turn right. Follow River Road for 8 miles. You will pass Violets Lock Road on the left and Bretton Woods will be the next drive on the left. (Bretton Woods is on the left immediately before River Road ends at Seneca Road.)

From Points East in Maryland:
Take I-495 South to Route 190 West (River Road) toward Potomac. Continue on River Road through the traffic light in the Center of Potomac Village and proceed another 8 miles. You will pass Violets Lock Road on the left and Bretton Woods will be the next drive on the left. (Bretton Woods is on the left immediately before River Road ends at Seneca Road.)

From Gaithersburg (near Lakeforest Mall):
Take Route 124 (Montgomery Village Avenue) past I-270. Continue on Montgomery Village Avenue and it will become Quince Orchard Road. Follow this to the intersection of Route 28 (Darnestown Road). Make a right on Route 28 and continue about 4 miles. Make a left onto Route 112 (Seneca Road). Continue another 2.8 miles and turn left onto Route 190 (River Road). Bretton Woods is the first drive on the right.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 9, 2010
Contact: Matthew Urdan
865-304-3428
msurdan@iwhof.org

Five Individuals from Five Countries Chosen by International Electorate

(Gatlinburg, TN) – The International Whitewater Hall of Fame (IWHOF) Board of Governors has announced its 2010 Inductees. The eldest of this year’s class was born 100 years ago and the five individuals elected hail from as many nations. A celebration of these individuals’ contributions will be held at the 2010 IWHOF Induction Ceremony on September 25, 2010 outside of Washington, DC at the Bretton Woods Recreation Center:

Pioneer – Theo Bock (Germany) was renowned as the country’s first river explorer, an accomplished racer, and the organizer of the first German national championships.

Explorer – Mikey Abbott (New Zealand) is paddling’s first truly global adventurer having completed multi-day self-supported expeditions in all major mountain ranges in the world.

Champion – Michal Martikán (Slovakia) has won more Olympic medals than any other individual in four Olympic Games (2000-08).

Advocates

• Helen Brownlee (Australia) has contributed to the sport at the international level for over 50 years from co-founding the Australian Canoe Federation to contributing to the success of canoeing at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
• Risa Shimoda (USA) has been an active river steward and organizer for grassroots advocacy, freestyle paddling, and whitewater park promotion.

“We are extremely proud to have an opportunity to honor these paddlers,’ notes Ed Council, Chief Executive Officer for the Paddlesports Industry Foundation. “This group, as in the past, represents heroes we know, or should get to know due to the their tremendous drive and dedication to the treasures humans can find only on rivers.”

The International Whitewater Hall of Fame is a program of the Paddlesports Industry Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization whose mission is “to recognize and honor individuals who have made significant contributions to whitewater related activities.” IWHOF was founded in 2004 and is endorsed by the International Canoe Federation and International Rafting Federation. Honorees are chosen through nominations submitted through its Affiliates, a screening committee and a body of international electors. IWHOF welcomes the contribution of time, in-kind and financial resources from paddlers, the industry, and members of the public.

For more information contact Matthew Urdan, msurdan@iwhof.org, 865-304-3428 or visit www.iwhof.org.

# # # #

It is my distinct honor and pleasure to inform you of the results of the 2010 IWHOF Election. The following individuals have been elected to the International Whitewater Hall of Fame in the following categories:

ADVOCATE
Helen Brownlee, Australia
Risa Shimoda, United States

CHAMPION
Michal Martikan, Slovakia

EXPLORER
Mikey Abbott, New Zealand

PIONEER
Theo Bock, Germany

More detailed information and brief biographies of the newly elected honorees will be available in an upcoming press release.

The induction ceremony and dinner will be held September 25th, 2010 at the Bretton Woods Recreation Area in the Washington, DC area. We are still firming up details for the induction weekend and expect to have them available shortly. It is our sincere hope that you will all be able to attend. Please return to this site for up-to-date information as it becomes available.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at any time.

Matthew S. Urdan
Program Director
International Whitewater Hall of Fame
667 Turkey Nest Road
Unit 1
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
msurdan@iwhof.org
865-304-3428

(Silver Spring, MD) – The International Whitewater Hall of Fame has announced the beginning of its sixth march toward honoring the world’s most accomplished whitewater Pioneers, Explorers, Champions and Advocates as Inductees in the International Whitewater Hall of Fame. The 2010 IWHoF nomination forms, instructions, election procedure and timeline are now available on the IWHOF website Nominations Page.

Program manager Matthew Urdan looks forward to strong participation this year. “Based on the enthusiastic participation, endorsement from the International Canoe and Rafting Federations, and the great feedback from 2009, we look forward to hearing from paddlers around the world to nominate their whitewater champions through one of the affiliate organizations listed at www.iwhof.org,” he says.

Nominations will be accepted through April 30th, at which time a panel of screeners will review the submissions. The IWHoF electorate, comprised of whitewater experts from around the world will vote on the inductees. “Inductees aren’t honored randomly, but because someone nominated them,” says Risa Shimoda, IWHOF Board of Governors Chair. “We’re encouraging paddlers to put forward their favorite whitewater icon by utilizing this nomination procedure.”

Urdan adds that no further action is necessary on the part of the nominating individual or organization other than filling out the nomination form. But he adds that people should update their nominations each year for the life of the nomination. “Nominating individuals and organizations are asked to include as much published information with submissions as is possible,” he says. “This can include documents, articles, photographs, news clippings, DVDs, video footage, Websites, story links, blogs and more – basically any information that’s helpful in evaluating a nominee. Should the nominee be elected, this information will also be used in the production of the annual DVD highlighting the honoree’s achievements.”

During the nomination period, IWHoF will also be auctioning off a Jackson Kayak All Star signed by IWHOF Inductee Eric Jackson! Those interested are asked to send bids (starting at $600) to Risa Shimoda.

IWHoF encourage all honorees, electorate members and other interested parties to join the IWHoF Faceboook Page to start discussions, upload photos and video, receive IWHoF-related news and interact with others in the whitewater community. Send questions about nominations to Matt Urdan, IWHoF Project Manager or Risa Shimoda, or contact Risa Shimoda by phone at: 301-502-654.

A research program initiated by the MIT Sloan School of Management (USA) and Copenhagen Business School (Denmark) seeks to study open innovation in sport communities. They want to better understand how individual kayakers contribute to the development of the sport and to the development of the whole industry by their innovative ideas and contributions. Please help by completing their ten minute survey at www.kayakingsurvey.org/.

If anyone who knows kayak innovators who are not online- some of the older paddlers- and could provide them a paper copy of the survey, that would be very helpful. Both Word and PDF files are available at www.theriverchasers.com/theriverchasers_005.htm. These responses can be returned via email or regular mail.

Thanks for you help and participation.