American Whitewater and Wave Sport Create Steward of the Year Award

American Whitewater (AW) and Wave Sport are pleased to announce the creation of the American Whitewater Steward of the Year award presented by Wave Sport. This annual river stewardship achievement award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to river access, conservation, or safety on behalf of American Whitewater. A formal announcement of the program will be made at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in the Confluence Watersports booth (32085) at 5pm on Friday August 11th.

Mark Singleton, Executive Director for American Whitewater notes “Wave Sport has had a long history of supporting AW’s river stewardship efforts and we are very excited to work with them to recognize these deserving individuals.”

“Without the hard work of these volunteers we wouldn’t have many of the paddling opportunities we currently have and Wave Sport is proud to recognize those who have worked so hard protecting our resources,” says Jimmy Blakeney, brand manager for Wave Sport Kayaks.

Beginning this year, the American Whitewater Steward of the Year award will be announced annually at the American Whitewater Gauley River Festival with the recipient presented with the Wave Sport whitewater kayak of their choice. The 2006 American Whitewater Gauley River Festival runs from September 23rd through the 25th in Summersville, WV.

Recipients of the American Whitewater Steward of the Year presented by Wave Sport will be selected from nominees submitted by any of AW’s 120 affiliate clubs or by AW executive board members. Nomination forms can be found on AW’s website.

Nominees will be evaluated based on:
• Impact on local river access and conservation issues
• Diversity of project work
• Engaging and providing leadership to additional volunteers to assist in river stewardship efforts
• Effectively communicating regional stewardship goals and activities to the whitewater community
• Advocating for higher standards of river safety and practices

NOMINATIONS FOR 2006 ARE DUE BY SEPTEMBER 1ST.

American Whitewater’s efforts have always been supplemented by the hard work of hundreds of volunteers nationwide. These volunteers are not only AW’s eyes and ears on local projects; they also serve as AW’s voice by attending local meetings, working with local partners, and building the necessary relationships for successful river stewardship projects.

Wave Sport Kayaks is a Class IV sponsor of American Whitewater and has been so since 2001; for more information on Wave Sport visit www.wavesport.com and www.doubleyouess.com. For more information on the American Whitewater Steward of the Year award and all of American Whitewater’s programs please go to www.americanwhitewater.org.