The International Whitewater Hall of Fame (IWHoF) welcomed its newest class of inductees on May 2, 2026, during a ceremony at the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario, in partnership with Canoe Kayak Canada and Whitewater Ontario, bringing together paddlers and river advocates for an evening celebrating the whitewater’s most influential figures.
Hosted at the newly opened waterfront museum, the event honored five individuals whose contributions have shaped whitewater paddling. This year’s inductees include advocates Hugh Canard and George Wendt, champions Danielle Woodward and Dana Chladek, and explorer Roger Parsons.
Since 2005, the International Whitewater Hall of Fame has celebrated accomplished individuals as Whitewater Pioneers, Explorers, Competitors, or Advocates through a nomination process and a vote by an international panel of electors. This year’s inductees included those from the US, New Zealand, and Australia, with two awardees traveling halfway around the world. And the drum (or kayak?) roll, please:
Pioneer Roger Parsons (Canada) is known for having ‘built’ whitewater in Canada from the ground up as an instructor and coach, a race organizer, an organization founder, an international official, a trainer of officials, a recruiter, a mentor, a promoter, a fundraiser, a boat builder, and a designer. Roger was represented by his son Larry Parsons and family.
Champion Dana Chladek (USA) is a two-time Olympic medal winner in canoe slalom for the USA, three-time US National K1W Slalom Champion, and four-time USA Canoe Kayak Female Athlete of the Year. She has also designed and manufactured paddling clothing and served as the coach and race director for the Potomac Whitewater Racing Club.
Champion Danielle Woodward (Australia) was the first Australian woman to win a canoe/kayak medal and the first to win a (silver) slalom medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, and went on to place 12th in Atlanta in 1996 and 8th in Sydney (2000). She has held various positions with working groups of the Australian Sports Commission, Australian Institute of Sport, and the Australian Olympic Committee.
Advocate George Wendt (USA), from the time he founded O.A.R.S. in 1969, saw his company and the life-changing experiences it offered on the river as a conduit to spread river advocacy to the world. The first outfitter to secure a permit to run trips on the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, he was steadfast in his belief that “we save what we love, and we love what we know.” Over nearly five decades, he directed his company to donate more than $ 5 million to nonprofit groups. George was represented by his son Clavey Wendt.
Advocate Hugh Canard (New Zealand) has been at the forefront of the sport for over 60 years through Whitewater New Zealand (WWNZ), which seeks to preserve NZ’s whitewater resources and enhance opportunities to enjoy them safely. As a result of his success raising awareness of the importance of the river environment for recreationalists, kayaking – once seen as a fringe sport–is now recognized as an integral part of New Zealand’s cultural, sporting, and environmental heritage.
After a warm welcome by the Canadian Canoe Museum staff and special tour by Curator Jeremy Ward, Peterborough’s Mayor Jeff Leal welcomed the attendees to the induction ceremony. The program included comments by past inductees or their representatives: Graham Mackareth (UK), founder of Pyrahna Kayaks; Paul Mason on behalf of his father Bill Mason; and Claudia Van Wijk on behalf of her parents, Hermann and Krista Kerckhoff. The program was emceed by former Canadian Canoe Museum Executive Director James Raffan, and the induction began with thoughtful remarks from Christine Lukasavetch on behalf of our rivers’ ties to Indigenous peoples in the region. Attendees included the first International Whitewater Hall of Fame executive and author of River Chasers, Sue Taft. Here are a few post-induction thoughts from Dana and Hugh.
Roger was further celebrated the next day with a commemorative program at the Minden Whitewater Preserve, which he founded and established as a facility special for Canadian whitewater paddlers in Ontario. Here are short videos of Danielle and Graham at Minden.
The induction event was chaired by Claudia Van Wijk, a member of the World River Centre Board of Directors who serves the Canadian Canoe Museum as its advisor on topics related to whitewater sport and has spent her life as both an athlete and the owner of Madawaska Kanu Centre and OWL Rafting, with husband Dirk. John Gregory, event co-chair and World River Centre Board member, is an acclaimed international canoeing journalist who hosts the ICFslalom podcast, a global podcast with 120 episodes covering the Olympics, World Championships, World Cups, and continental championships.
Organized by the World River Center, the IWHoF has recognized more than 65 paddlers from 14 countries since its founding in 2005. For more information about the World River Centre and International Whitewater Hall of Fame, contact Risa Shimoda – risa@theshimodagroup.com, (301) 502 6548.
Listen to podcast episode about the event here: https://icfslalom.libsyn.com/five-go-whitewater-paddling