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This year the American Canoe Association Sanctioned Canoe Poling National Championship Races return to the place they began. The Meramec River at Route 66 State Park, (formerly Times Beach) near St. Louis, Missouri.

We honor the birth place of the modern sport of canoe poling, and also the Beletz brothers, Al, Syl, and Frank, who founded and developed our sport.

This year we will offer canoe poling workshops and river trips prior to the races. It will be an excellent opportunity to learn or further develop your canoe poling skills and then compete in the National Races.

There are two types of races, Wildwater and Slalom with races classes from intermediate to expert (open) and masters for some of us older folks. The Masters class is for age 40 and over. It has an age bonus of 1% time reduction for every year over 50. There will also be Women only races.

The races are timed events, with the fastest time including penalty points being the winner. Wildwater races are straight upstream and downstream runs. Slalom races include turns and backwards maneuvers dictated by colored buoys. All races will be managed according to the National Canoe Poling Bylaws.

Al Beletz was instrumental in getting canoe poling as a sanctioned event and held the first ACA National Canoe Poling Races at Times Beach, (now Route 66 State Park ) in Eureka, Missouri, in 1965. Ralph Brown was the first National Canoe Poling Champion.

Al introduced the National Slalom Bowl for the Champion. The Bowl is passed on each year to the slalom champion. Syl Beletz introduced the aluminum pole and also the take apart two piece pole. The races were held at Times Beach for several years then moved around to New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Connecticut, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maine and now back to Eureka, Missouri, the place of beginning.

May 29 to 31, 2008