Disabled veterans and military members are invited to enjoy a Paracanoe weekend

Marine Corps Base Quantico --
The Town of Quantico, in cooperation with the American Canoe Association (ACA), USA Canoe/Kayak (USACK), and Adaptive Expeditions are looking for eligible disabled Veterans to participate in an upcoming Paracanoe athlete development project being held the weekend of Aug. 27 and Aug. 28 at Raftelis Potomac River Park, 408 River Rd. , Quantico, Virginia. This is a rain or shine event and is free to participants, but registration is required.

The project is being funded through the Veterans Administration’s (VA) Adaptive Sports Grant (ASG) and managed and led by Adaptive Expeditions. The Paracanoe athlete development project is an adaptive sports outreach program to introduce disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces to elite levels of paddlesports.

On Aug. 27 the project will focus on introducing participants to the whole-life health benefits of using a kayak as a recreational activity. This day of training will be led by ACA Adaptive Paddling Instructor Trainers teaching beginner adaptive paddling best practices. Up to 20 veterans or active duty military members with Paralympic classifiable disabilities, along with up to five local coaches, can participate. Coaches’ training is 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and paddler training is from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. with each class consisting of 10 paddlers.

On Aug. 28 participants will interact with former and current Team USA Paracanoe athletes and elite level Paracanoe coaches. The trainings will focus on the basics of sprint kayak racing in the Paracanoe context. The training will follow the same schedule as Saturday.

Participants must meet the following criteria to be eligible to participate in the event:

For day one you simply need to be a disabled veteran or a disabled active duty military member. For day two participants must attest to having a “Paralympic classifiable disability.” A “Paralympic classifiable disability” is a physical or sensory disability. Cognitive, intellectual, emotional, and mental health related disabilities are not Paralympic classifiable disabilities.

A light breakfast and a lunch will be provided to all participants.

For more information call or text Quantico Mayor Kevin Brown at 571-334-3432 or email him at mayor@townofquantico.org.