The Scottish Canoe Association ( sco, Scots Canoe Associe; gd, Comann Curach na h-Alba) is the national

governing body A governing body is a group of people that has the authority to exercise governance over an organization or political entity. The most formal is a government, a body whose sole responsibility and authority is to make binding decisions in a taken ge ...

for

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

ing,

kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

ing and other paddlesport in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. It covers all branches of the sport from recreational activities to

canoe slalom Canoe slalom (previously known as whitewater slalom) is a competitive sport with the aim to navigate a decked canoe or kayak through a course of hanging downstream or upstream gates on river rapids in the fastest time possible. It is one of th ...

; wildwater racing; flatwater sprint racing and marathon racing;

canoe sailing Canoe sailing refers to the practice of fitting an Austronesian outrigger or Western canoe with sails. Austronesian sailing canoes The outrigger canoe was one of the key technological innovations of the Austronesian peoples. Although there is ...

;

canoe polo Canoe polo, also known as kayak polo, is one of the competitive disciplines of kayaking. The sport is also known simply as "polo" by its players and supporters. Each team has five players on the pitch (and up to three substitutes), who compete ...

; surf kayaking and canoeing; and

extreme racing Extreme racing involves paddling a kayak down a section of hard whitewater. The race is similar to a timed version of creeking. The rivers used for this sport are typically class V, containing waterfalls and dangerous rapids. Races may have mass-s ...

(including the international event on the

Glen Nevis Glen Nevis ( gd, Gleann Nibheis) is a glen in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, with Fort William at its foot. It is bordered to the south by the Mamore range, and to the north by the highest mountains in the British Isles: Ben Nevis, Càrn Mor ...

Lochaber Lochaber ( ; gd, Loch Abar) is a name applied to a part of the Scottish Highlands. Historically, it was a provincial lordship consisting of the parishes of Kilmallie and Kilmonivaig, as they were before being reduced in extent by the creation ...

). It was founded in 1939 by four canoe clubs, the Canoe Section of the Camping Club,

Clyde Canoe Club Clyde may refer to: People * Clyde (given name) * Clyde (surname) Places For townships see also Clyde Township Australia * Clyde, New South Wales * Clyde, Victoria * Clyde River, New South Wales Canada * Clyde, Alberta * Clyde, Ontario, a to ...

, Forth Canoe Club (1934) and Scottish Youth Hostels Canoe Club. The body now has approximately 3,000 individual members, including 1,750 qualified coaches, plus 90 affiliated clubs and associate organisations.

Performance

In March 2019, SCA announced double Olympic medallist

Jon Schofield Jon Schofield is an Australian musician (bass guitar, guitar and vocals) who has played in a range of bands from indie rock 1960s inspired band, Grooveyard, to The Coloured Girls (a.k.a. The Messengers) of Paul Kelly & the Coloured Girls.Spence ...

as their Head of Performance & Pathways. SCA Performance runs programmes in 2 Olympic disciplines, Sprint and Slalom canoeing. Rio 2016 saw the introduction of Paracanoe in the Paralympic programme and SCA aim to support the identification of Scottish athletes to join the British Canoeing Programme centrally delivered in Nottingham High Performance Centre.

Disciplines

There is a diverse range of different disciplines covered by Scottish Canoe Association. Along with the traditional competitive disciplines (including the two Olympic disciplines of Sprint and Slalom) there are several recreational disciplines:

Regional development

SCA have 9 regions in Scotland. They are Borders, Central, Fife, Tayside, Grampian and Shetland, HIghlands and Islands, Lothians, South West and West. Each region has its own Regional Officer, whose purpose is to: * Support the delivery of SCA strategy within the region * Act as a regional contact for SCA members, affiliated clubs and centres linking them to SCA volunteers, committees and staff as appropriate * Support SCA coaching and development work in the region * Represent the SCA Coaching Service within the region * Be a regional ambassador for SCA and British Canoeing

Governance

The SCA Board is responsible for high-level planning, governance, and compliance with legislation. SCA Committees deal with specific paddling development and planning and therefore play a key role in the delivery of SCA activities. The Board and Committees are strongly supported by employed staff in areas of Coaching & Development, Performance and Administration.

References

Sports organizations established in 1939

Canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

Sport in Edinburgh 1939 establishments in Scotland Canoe organizations Kayaking Paddleboarders Canoe polo {{sport-org-stub