Champion Adventures Training Scholarship & Subsidy
Application Opens September 2nd 2026
Closes October 15th 2026
Investing in the people who strengthen our paddling community
At Champion Adventures & Coaching, we believe the future of sea kayaking depends on people who are willing to keep learning, challenging themselves, sharing knowledge, and supporting others.
The Champion Adventures & Coaching Professional Development Scholarship & Training Subsidy was created to help reduce financial and access barriers to professional development. Each year, Champion Adventures & Coaching will provide financial support to an individual or individuals who demonstrate a strong commitment to their development and to contributing positively to the sea kayaking community.
The scholarship will be applied directly toward an eligible professional development opportunity delivered through Champion Adventures & Coaching Ltd.
What Does the Scholarship Support?
Funding may be applied toward professional development opportunities offered through Champion Adventures & Coaching, including:
Sea kayaking skills development
Advanced skills development
Instructor and coach development
Mentorship opportunities
Certification and non-certification training
Other professional development opportunities agreed upon with Champion Adventures & Coaching
The specific opportunity will be determined in consultation with the successful applicant and based on their goals, experience, and appropriate next steps.
Who Should Apply?
We welcome applications from paddlers and leaders at a variety of stages, including:
Developing paddlers
Anyone experiencing barriers (financial, cultural, economic, logistical etc)
Aspiring or current instructors
Guides and coaches
Trip leaders
Emerging leaders
Experienced paddlers developing new skills
You do not need the highest certification level or the longest paddling resume. We are interested in where you are going, not simply where you have already been.
What Are We Looking For?
We want to understand your journey, goals, and how this opportunity could support your development.
Applicants will be asked to consider:
What do you want to learn or develop?
Why is this the right next step for you?
What do you hope to gain from training with Champion Adventures & Coaching?
What barriers currently make this development difficult to access?
How will your development allow you to contribute to the paddling community?
Scholarship Support
The successful applicant will receive either full tuition for an appropriate program or a subsidy toward an eligible Champion Adventures & Coaching professional development opportunity.
Support may include:
Course or training fees
Mentorship fees
Coaching programs
Other approved professional development opportunities
The scholarship is not redeemable for cash, cannot be transferred, and must be used within the timeframe established by Champion Adventures & Coaching.
Our Approach to Development
We believe professional development is about more than collecting certifications. Strong paddlers, instructors, guides, coaches, and leaders develop through experience, reflection, mentorship, challenge, feedback, and time on the water.
Every person's path will look different. For one recipient, the next step may be advanced technical skills; for another, instructor development, leadership, decision-making, confidence, or coaching skills.
Our goal is to support someone who is ready to take a meaningful next step in their development.
Access & Financial Barriers
We particularly encourage applications from individuals who may not otherwise have easy access to professional development because of:
Geographic barriers
Limited access to experienced mentors
Work or time commitments
Limited local training opportunities
Being early in their paddling or instructional journey
Other circumstances affecting access to development opportunities
Financial need is one consideration, but it is not the only one. We are ultimately looking for someone who demonstrates potential, commitment, curiosity, and a desire to contribute.
Application & Selection
Applications close: October 15, 2026
Successful applicant announced: October 30, 2026
Training must be completed by: End of the 2026/2027 season
Applications will be evaluated based on:
Development goals
Commitment to learning
Potential for growth
Contribution to the paddling community
Financial need and access barriers
Thoughtfulness of the application
Applicants will not be selected solely on certification level, years of experience, or resume. We want to support someone for whom this opportunity can make a meaningful difference.
Learn. Develop. Give Back.
Strong paddling communities are built by people who are willing to learn from others, share what they know, and create opportunities for those who come next.
Champion Adventures & Coaching is proud to invest in that process.
If you're ready to take your next step, we want to hear from you.
Donate Your Time
If you would like to support the scholarship in another way, we will be looking for volunteers each year to assist with the application review and selection process. If you have experience in the paddling industry, coaching, guiding, or professional development and would like to contribute your time, we would love to hear from you.
Donate Gear
That piece of gear collecting dust in your garage could become someone's first piece of kayak kit.
If you have sea kayaking gear that you no longer use and is still in safe, working condition, we would be happy to discuss donating it to a paddler who could put it to good use. Donations could include anything from an older drysuit or paddle to safety equipment or a kayak that is no longer getting the use it deserves.
What may no longer serve you could help remove a barrier for someone just beginning their paddling journey.
Donate a Kayak
Many paddlers have thought about what will eventually happen to their kayak. Some plan to sell it, some hope to pass it along to family or friends, and others like the idea of seeing it continue on as part of someone else's story.
If you have a good, seaworthy kayak that you no longer need and would like to see it continue its life on the water, we would love to hear from you. We accept suitable kayak donations that can be passed along to paddlers in need.
Your kayak may have already carried you through countless adventures but it could also become the beginning of someone else's.
Donate Money.
If you’re looking at this list and you feel compelled to donate towards paddler’s futures, feel free to do so below.
Previous recipient Testimonial
“Receiving the Champion Adventures & Coaching (CAC) Professional Development Scholarship really helped me to set out the right path for me to pursue my professional goals and contribute meaningfully to the sea kayaking community. The exceptionally high level of professional dedication in developing a tailored plan designed to meet individual requirements, and work together towards my goals opened up so many opportunities for me to start the work towards professional growth and skills refinement.
Advancement and growth only come with continuous hard work and dedication, with being humble, and a willingness to continuously learn from others and getting to know yourself, and a passion for what you are doing. Receiving this scholarship meant I was able to meet so many amazing coaches, fellow paddlers, and instructors in the community so I could challenge my own beliefs and build a strong foundation in my professional development process. Most importantly, the sea kayaking community has a huge potential to contribute to building a solid, sustainable future for the sport. It is built on passionate people with a willingness to share knowledge and learn from each other, making you stronger as a paddler and a human being. Champion Adventures & Coaching’s deep commitment to sharing these values within their programming is one of the most meaningful aspects of this opportunity that I will carry forward.
Fostering a culture of sharing and unlimited learning is one of the strongest reasons for me to seek professional development. The scholarship opened up that opportunity that I otherwise may never have found, and it inspired me to seek creating opportunities for others by sharing and exchanging our knowledge.
It can sometimes be challenging to find the opportunities for learning that you need to develop your skills and expertise, or to figure out what exactly it is you need. CAC has the exceptional ability to tap into this and help you figure that out. The scholarship and the unwavering support and commitment towards my journey that I received were the door to professional training, mentorship, and job opportunities that I had been seeking. Not only that, it also brought me into the community and enabled me to network, build lasting friendships, and discover more opportunities for future professional development. It gave me the confidence to believe in my own potential, to nurture the opportunity to challenge myself and to find so much joy in learning.
CAC provides some of the best training not only in Canada but is also
recognized in the industry for its high-quality professional development training, personal approach and community building. Receiving my training here enabled me to seek job opportunities internationally, and it ultimately led to my first job.
Sea kayaking for me is as much about professional growth as it is about personal development, and the training with CAC seamlessly recognized and built upon my development journey so far. Receiving the scholarship empowered me to build and refine my leadership and instructional skills and start my professional journey within the community. It gave me the opportunity to start contributing to building a community that is about respect for each other and the environment that we get to go out and play in.
To build an awareness that the next generation can benefit from so we can nurture the natural spaces we get to explore. It is hard to describe how much joy I feel when seeing someone else find success, try a new skill, take on a challenge, or find joy in being on the water. It is a continuous circle of giving and receiving which is the most beautiful thing, and something I will be forever grateful for to be given the opportunity to be a part of it by receiving this scholarship.”
L.B 2025/2026 recipient.