CLERMONT, Fla. — The Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club got its hands back around the national title trophy for the first time in six years this weekend, weaving together an impressive team performance at the USA Sprint Canoe and Kayak National Championships in Clermont, Florida.
The LCKC, which won its 11th Yonkers Trophy, prevailed over a field of 26 teams that traveled from throughout the nation, including from Washington, California, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Washington D.C. and Florida. Lanier coaches Kalen Lee Scholz, Jim O’Dell, Cannie Ash, Dave Haack, and Riley Brunner, guided the club to 952 team points -- 368 ahead of the second place finisher.
“Winning the National Championship is truly a team effort – a club has to have strong representation in every category to win, and I have been so proud to see our Sprint Team band together from the youngest bantam paddlers to the most experienced Junior and Senior athletes in the effort to prove the strength of the Lanier Canoe and Kayak Club on the national stage," said Scholz. "It is an honor to lead this team and I look forward to setting goals with the athletes this fall and working toward defending our national title next year.”
Forty-nine athletes from LCKC participated across multiple events and classifications at the event. And when the dust settled, the LCKC owned the most points in the bantam (age 13-14), juvenile (age 15-16), and senior (age 18-30) age groups. The men’s and women’s C4 (four-paddler canoe) and K4 (four-paddler kayak) teams also racked up more points than any other team. The masters team (age 30-and-up) finished in sixth, as the club finished with 42 gold, 30 silver, and 41 bronze medals overall.
“The performances of our entire team exceeded my wildest expectations," O'Dell said. "Our full-court press in the championship was tough and defending the title will be even harder. I look forward to embracing this challenge with our athletes.”
Individual awards included the best male bantam canoer (Kevin Rochester), best male juvenile canoer (Edward Surles), best female junior kayaker (Farran Smith), best male junior kayaker (Owen Farley-Klacik), best male senior K2 team kayakers (Stanton Collins and Aaron Mullican), and best male senior K4 kayakers (Owen Farley-Klacik, Drew Deppe, Stanton Collins, and Aaron Mullican).
“My races were challenging but fun. I feel very fortunate to be a part of such an amazing team,” Owen Farley-Klacik said.
The LCKC also placed eight athletes -- Lisa Swenson, Andrew Surles, Edward Surles, Walker Peck, Caitlin Marsh, Paige Farley-Klacik, Natalie Brunson, and Caleb Copper -- of 30 paddlers aged 15-17 named to the Olympic Hopes Regatta Team. Members will represent the United States in Racice, Czech Republic, in September at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships. Scholz was also selected as one of the coaches for this team.
