Pointe-Claire Canoe Club

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Kayak Club is a sports club on Lake Saint-Louis in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada.

Pointe-Claire Canoe Kayak Club

Abbreviation	CKPC
Formation	February 15, 1989
Legal status	active
Location	Pointe-Claire, Quebec, Canada
Commodore	Christine Seidl
Head Coach	Eric Mihalovic
Affiliations	Canoe-Kayak Québec & Canoe Kayak Canada
Website	http://www.pccanoekayak.ca
Formerly called	Pointe-Claire Canoe Club

On February 15, 1989, the Pointe-Claire Canoe Kayak Club was established thanks to the vision, initiative and determination of its founding members, Bill Cordner, Gaétan Desmarais, Tom Dienstmann, Jean Fournel, Maurice Lamoureux and to the City of Pointe-Claire. The City provided the necessary financial support and offered the old pumping station in Valois Bay as a place to establish the first clubhouse.

The Club’s initial mandate was to develop sprint canoe and kayak racing programs. Later, the facility began providing services and opportunities for the citizens of Pointe-Claire to enjoy all aspects of recreational paddling.

On June 3, 1989, Mr. Malcolm Knox, Mayor of Pointe-Claire, officially inaugurated the Club and was joined by hundreds of West Island residents anxious to see the facilities and learn about the sport. Thanks to the continued support of the City, a new clubhouse was built in 2002.

Over the years, the Club has developed many sprint canoe and kayak athletes from novice to provincial, national, international and Olympic levels and is recognized in Quebec and Canada for its innovation, leadership and performance. The Club has also become a center for the citizens of Pointe-Claire and surrounding cities to enjoy the park, the waterfront and nautical activities.

History of the Pointe-Claire Canoe Kayak Club

Fall 1988

For years, Jean Fournel, former national champion and Olympic paddler from Lachine, dreams of replacing the old Grand Trunk Canoe Club of Point St. Charles-Verdun (expropriated for building the Champlain bridge). Jean Fournel gets together with Bill Cordner (former canoeing champion and Fournel’s paddling coach), Gaétan Desmarais (fire fighter), Maurice Lamoureux (deputy director of the Pointe-Claire fire department), and Tom Dienstmann (technical representative for Canada at 1976 Olympics). The challenge is the prohibitive cost of a waterfront property, not to mention the cost of a clubhouse and equipment. They present a plan to the City of Pointe- Claire which accepts not only to loan them the old pumping station land and building but to finance the project as well. And that is the beginning of the Pointe-Claire Canoe Club...

February 15, 1989

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club is established as a non-profit organization in accordance with Part III of the Quebec Companies Act. The Club owes its existence to the vision and initiative of Jean Fournel, Bill Cordner, Gaétan Desmarais, who are, with Maurice Lamoureux and Tom Dienstmann, our official founding members and our very first executive committee.

April 1989

Maurice Lamoureux (club executive): “Although the major purpose of the club is becoming an active member of canoe racing, we also have pleasure canoes for those members who just want to spend some leisure time out on the lake. [...] Our club wants to let the West Island community know that there is room for everyone to come out and participate. Having fun on the lake is the bottom line.” Source: The Chronicle, April 12, 1989. Jean Fournel (commodore): “The city council is first class. We can’t begin to express how pleased we are with their support.” Source: The Chronicle, April 12, 1989.

June 3, 1989

The Canoe Club officially opens its doors with the support of the City of Pointe-Claire on the site of the old pumping station. The Canoe Club already has 200 members. Mayor Malcolm Knox is present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Hundreds of West-Island residents make their way down to check out the equipment and facilities. The war canoe certainly draws a lot of attention. Mayor Malcolm Knox receives an honorary lifetime membership along with four paddlers: Charles Rudge, Lorne Marshall, Sandy Lindsay and Walter Radford (all over 70 years of age). Bill Kenton, member of the old Valois Boating Club, donates an old Valois Boating Club “most valuable paddler” trophy. Mayor Malcolm Knox: “It seems to be shaping into a fine Club. We’ll do everything possible to ensure its success.” Source: The Chronicle, June 7, 1989. Jean Fournel (first PCCC commodore): “The sport did a lot for me and starting a new canoe club was one way of giving some of it back”. Source: The Gazette, June 22, 1989. Bill Cordner: “Our ultimate goal is to produce elite paddlers”, but all agreed that attracting families and recreational paddlers is just as important. Source: The Gazette, June 22, 1989.

At the time the Membership was:

Family: $70 for residents ($80 for non-residents)

Youth: $30 for residents ($35 for non-residents)

Senior: $50 for residents ($55 for non-residents)

June 27, 1989

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club competes at its first official regatta in Cartierville and finished 4th out of seven participating clubs. Bill Cordner (vice-commodore): “It was our very first regatta. And with just a handful of paddlers we did very well. It’s a promising start.” Source: The Chronicle, 1989.

1989

Thomas Hall joins the Pointe-Claire Canoe Club at age 7.

Two experienced paddlers from the PCCC, Shannon Roberts and Chantal Simonik, earn spots on the Quebec Team. They represent Quebec at the Canada Games in August in Saskatoon.

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club competes for the first time at CanMas and picks up five gold, six silver and seven bronze medals placing 3rd overall.

Frank Csaki competes at the World Masters Canoe Championships in Arhus, Denmark, and returns with one gold and four silver medals.

1990

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club puts on a good showing at the provincial championships. The medallists include: Kerry Ritchie, Claudia Rochon, Marnie Brydon, Michèle Bousquet, Karine Haché, Erin Hall, Guylaine Saint-Georges, Madeleine Hall, Carol Mose, Lise Beaulieu and two female crews in war canoe with Éric Brault as their captain.

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club hosts a very special event: “La Coupe Voyageur du Lac Saint Louis”. Ten canoes of the Voyageur type represent many Lakeshore municipalities. The race starts at the PCCC and the finish line is at the entrance of the Lachine Canal. This event is a great success.

1991 Jan Kruk, 32, former member of the Polish National Canoe Team, assumes his duties as PCCC Head Coach. For Kruk, paddling is a year-round commitment. “For that reason I like to break up the routine with jogging, soccer, basketball, watching (instructional) videos and things like that.” Source: The Gazette, May 9, 1991. The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club hold an information booth at the Fairview Shopping Centre to recruit new members and takes part in the Saint-Jean festivities organized by the city of Pointe Claire.

1992

Forty-two athletes from the Pointe-Claire Canoe Club compete at the National Sprint Canoe Kayak Championships in Dartmouth (Nova Scotia). Remarkable performances allow the PCCC to finish 3rd on the national level. The medallists include Marie-Josée Gibeau, Liza Racine, Michelle Bousquet, Marni Brydon, Erin Hall, Claudia Rochon, Lou Lukanovtich, Lise Beaulieu, Madeleine Hall and Eric Wheeler.

1995

The Canoe Club continues to grow and its membership is around 400. Twelve regattas are scheduled for the summer program and a new K4 arrives at the Club (Olympic Lightning). A Peewee program (for boys and girls aged 12 and under) and canoe-polo program are launched. Over two days in January, the PCCC hosts the first Bantam Olympics for paddlers aged 14 and under. Many clubs throughout Quebec attend and athletes compete in swimming, running and cross-country skiing events.

July 19-20, 1996

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club hosts its Invitational Regatta at the Olympic Basin. Three hundred (300) athletes from Quebec, Ontario, Nova Scotia and the USA take part in this event. The PCCC wins nine gold, 18 silver and 15 bronze medals.

August 11, 1996

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club takes part in the Interprovincial (Quebec and Ontario) Championships for Bantams and Peewees (Cloverleaf) at the Carleton Place Canoe Club. The Quebec Division wins these Championships and the PCCC athletes do their share of the winning (Tom Hall, gold medal in C1 and gold medal in C2 with Ernest Byers; Pierre-Olivier Dufresne and Sebastien Rist, bronze medal in K2).

August 15-17, 1996

The Provincial Canoe-Kayak Sprint Racing Championships are held in Sherbrooke and fifteen clubs take part. The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club finishes in third position. This is the best result for the PCCC in its eight years of existence.

August 21-23, 1996

Thirty-seven Pointe-Claire Canoe Club athletes take part in the National Championships in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. The PCCC finishes in third position among the Quebec Clubs and wins the Junior men’s Burgee award given to the best junior men’s team in Canada. The PCCC wins, among other things, the gold medal in the 1000m Junior Men’s War Canoe.

1997

The year 1997 marks the death of Jean Fournel, co-founder and first commodore of the Pointe Claire Canoe Club. On September 28, 1997, his family, some friends and members of the Canoe Club plant a tree dedicated to his memory. Michel Archambault, Thomas Hall and Virginie St-Onge compete at the Canada Games in Brandon, Manitoba.

1999

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club celebrates its 10th anniversary. The Club is growing and has 450 members. Thomas Hall is a gold medallist in the C1 1000m at the Junior World Championships in Zagreb (Croatia).

2000

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club has 400 members and the racing team now boasts 60 members. The municipal council agrees to a plan for the construction of a new clubhouse. The existing structure (the “bunker”) will be used to store and repair the canoes and kayaks. The cost of the project is estimated at $750,000.

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club hosts the Canada Cup Regatta. Eight teams from North and Central America participate in the event. The PCCC finishes in ninth place and Team Canada wins the Canada Cup. Tom Hall picks up two gold medals. Melissa Mihalovic, 17, races with the Quebec Juvenile team and wins a bronze medal in the C4 event.

2003

Thomas Hall is a two-time medallist (gold in the C1 1000m and bronze in the C2 500m) at the Pan Am Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

2004

Andrew Willows finishes 9th in the K4 1000m at the Olympic Games in Athens.

2006

Thomas Hall wins a silver medal in the C4 1000m at the World Championships in Szeged, Hungary. Andrew Willows wins a silver medal in the K2 500m at the World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.

2007

Andrew Willows finishes 6th in the K2 500m at the World Championships in Duisburg (Germany), qualifying an entry for Canada at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008.

2008

Thomas Hall wins a bronze medal in C1 1000m at the Beijing Olympic Games. Andrew Willows finishes 6th in the K2 500m at the Olympic Games in Athens.

2009

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club celebrates its 20th anniversary.

2011

Philippe Duchesneau makes his debut on the international scene in the World Cup circuit and wins two medals at the Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico (bronze in K1 1000m and silver in K4 1000m). He also wins the gold medal at the Canadian Championships (Welland, Ontario) in K1 1000m and sets a national record.

2013

Philippe Duchesneau’s K4 1000 crew wins a World Cup bronze medal with an Under 23 eligible crew in a senior event (Poznan, Poland). Lissa Bissonnette finished in fourth place in World Cup 3 (Poznan, Poland) in K4 500m and in eighth place at the U23 World Championships in K4 500m (Welland, Ontario).

2014

The Pointe-Claire Canoe Club’s membership is approximately 1,400. Juliette Brault wins a silver medal in the C2 500m at the Junior World Championships in Szeged, Hungary. Juliette Brault wins a gold medal in the C2 500m at the Pan Am Championships in Mexico City, Mexico. The Pointe-Claire Canoe marks its 25th anniversary with a day-long celebration under a marquee. More than 225 guests attend the event. Unveiling of the first permanent public mural in Pointe-Claire which was created at the Canoe Club by A’Shop.

2015

...

Results:

Year Provincial Championships Burgee National Championships Burgee

2014 2e rang Bantam Femmes 2013 2e rang Peewee Femmes 2012 1er rang Midget Juvénile Open Maître 2011 1er rang Bantam Open 2010 2e rang Midget Open Maître 2009 1er rang Open Maître 2008 1er rang Bantam Hommes Juvénile Homme Open Hommes Open 2007 2e rang 2006 3e rang 2005 3e rang 2004 2003 2002 3e rang 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 9e rang 6e rang 1996 3e rang Junior Hommes 1995 1994 1993 1992 3e rang 19916e rang 1990 1989

Founding members 1988 Jean Fournel, Bill Cordner, Maurice Lamoureux, Gaetan Desmarais, Tom Deinstman

Commodores  1988, 1989 Jean Fournel 1990-1991 Claude Rochon 1992-1993 Richard Hall 1994-1996 Suzanne Bousquet 1997- 2006 Madeleine Hall 2007 - ? Guylaine St Georges ? - 2015 Mike Rist 2016 Guylaine St-Georges 2017 - present Christine Seidl

Sports include sprint canoe, sprint kayak, war canoe, standup paddleboarding, canoe polo and dragon boat.[1] Programs offered include summer camps for children, elite training for athletes, and masters paddling (age 25 and up). The club was Quebec Provincial Champion in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015.[2] Athletes associated with the club include Tom Hall, Christine Gauthier,[3] and Tamas Buday.

References

1. Greenaway, Kathryn. "Dragon boating for beginners at Pointe-Claire Canoe Club". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
2. Birch, Liam. "Pointe-Claire". Canada's Sprint Canoe Clubs. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
3. "Gauthier captures two more medals". Canoe Kayak Canada. Retrieved 9 April 2016.