Recorded November 10, 2026
Featuring Jason Eccles of Bending Branches/Aqua Bound and Tony Narcisse of Paddle4Tomorrow, with contributions from Lauri Crowe of Suspenz and industry partners Westbrook Supply Co. and Southeastern Paddlesports.
The session was presented by the Paddlesports Trade Coalition (PTC) Best Practices Committee, with PTC Board Vice Chair Simon Coward, Governance and Operations Manager Pamela Dillon, and Andrea White of Cross Currents Leadership.
Who creates the next lifelong paddler?
It might be an instructor who introduces a child to kayaking, a local nonprofit that makes paddling accessible, a retailer who helps a family select its first boat, or a manufacturer that supports community programming.
But no single organization creates that lifelong paddler alone.
That was the central message of PTC University's November 10 webinar, Building a Stronger Paddlesports Ecosystem. The session explored how manufacturers, sales representatives, retailers, outfitters and community organizations can work together to increase participation, improve retention and build a healthier paddlesports industry.
A case study featuring Atlanta-based nonprofit Paddle4Tomorrow demonstrated what happens when those relationships become a working partnership.
Beyond the Supply Chain: Understanding the Paddlesports Ecosystem
Jason Eccles introduced a distinction that challenges the industry to think beyond traditional business relationships.
A supply chain explains how paddling equipment reaches consumers. An ecosystem also considers how people discover paddling, gain confidence, develop relationships and become lifelong participants.
The PTC Best Practices Committee has identified three interconnected goals:
Increase paddlesports participation and retention.
Improve industry profitability.
Strengthen the paddlesports ecosystem.
These goals reinforce one another. More active paddlers create opportunities for businesses, while successful businesses have more resources to support programs, instruction and community participation.
But growing the market requires more than selling equipment or offering introductory experiences. It requires understanding the entire journey from someone's first encounter with paddlesports to the point where paddling becomes part of their lifestyle.
A First Paddle Is Only the Beginning
The presenters described a pathway to lifelong participation that resembles a traditional sales funnel. It begins with awareness and recruitment, followed by a safe, welcoming first experience. Participants then need opportunities to build confidence, return to the water, develop friendships and become part of a paddling community. Eventually, many acquire their own equipment, paddle independently and introduce others to the sport.
Community organizations play a particularly important role in this process. Their volunteers, instructors and trip leaders often become the trusted faces who help new participants overcome uncertainty and develop a sense of belonging in the paddlesports community.
For the paddlesports industry, these community leaders are more than program volunteers. They are ambassadors who can help introduce new customers to paddling and keep them engaged as they encounter a series of "speed bumps" which might otherwise inhibit long term engagement.
The challenge is ensuring that the different parts of the ecosystem work together to support a paddler's progression.
Paddle4Tomorrow: An Ecosystem in Action
Tony Narcisse introduced Paddle4Tomorrow, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that connects young people and families with outdoor experiences through paddling, environmental education and community engagement.
Since 2018, Paddle4Tomorrow has built a growing network of participants, volunteers and community partners.
Its cumulative results over 4 years include:
1,101 youth participants
677 volunteers
40 youth paddling events
68 community events
15 counties and 37 cities reached
In 2026 alone, the organization engaged 265 youth participants, 164 volunteers and 47 adult paddlers.
But the most important lesson may be what happens between paddling events.
Paddle4Tomorrow conducted nine on-water events in 2026, supported by a much larger calendar of community outreach, volunteer engagement, school activities, environmental films, retailer relationships and other opportunities to connect with potential participants.
These activities create awareness, build trust and keep the organization connected with its community throughout the year. The on-water experience is only one visible part of a much larger effort to recruit and retain paddlers.
From First Experience to Lifelong Participation
One of the webinar's most compelling examples involved a young participant who progressed from Paddle4Tomorrow's introductory youth programming into its RiverTeens program. Her continued involvement also helped introduce other family members to paddling. Eventually, her mother and a family friend acquired their own equipment and began paddling independently.
Lauri Crowe of Suspenz reinforced this example with observations from her involvement in Paddle4Tomorrow activities, describing the enthusiasm of young participants, family engagement and the value of supporting community programs.
These stories illustrate an important opportunity for the paddlesports industry. A successful introductory experience can lead to much more than one additional participant. It can influence families, friendships and entire social networks.
But that progression is not automatic. It depends on clear next steps, providing additional experiences, developing relationships and helping participants find the equipment, knowledge and confidence to continue paddling.
Everyone Brings Something Different
The Paddle4Tomorrow case study also demonstrated how collaboration can make community programming possible without requiring any single organization to provide every resource.
Paddle4Tomorrow: Led community outreach, recruited participants and volunteers, organized programming, and provided the relationships, equipment and local infrastructure that made paddling experiences possible.
Westbrook Supply Co.: Hosted off-season events at its retail store, provided volunteers and instructors, and helped connect community participants with the local paddlesports industry.
Southeastern Paddlesports: Connected manufacturers, retailers and community partners through its sales representation network.
Suspenz: Provided a videographer and social media support to help tell Paddle4Tomorrow's story, donated products for fundraising raffles, and supplied new and used equipment to help families assemble their first sets of paddling gear.
Bending Branches/Aqua Bound: Contributed staff time and paddling equipment
Together, these partners illustrate how different parts of the industry can contribute to a shared objective. By combining resources, relationships and expertise, partners can create opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. Not every community organization can own a fleet of boats, provide transportation, maintain equipment, recruit volunteers and deliver ongoing programming. Nor does every manufacturer or retailer have the capacity to organize local paddling events.
For most paddlesports businesses, the question should not be about organizing another event or even sponsoring one more event. The smarter question is how can your business contribute to making an existing event more successful at converting new and casual paddlers to committed paddlers.
How can your contribution to events already happening in your community help more people discover paddling and keep coming back?
Measuring What Matters: Recruitment Versus Retention
The discussion also challenged the industry to think more carefully about how success is measured. Counting participants at an introductory event tells us how many people were reached. It does not necessarily tell us how many became active paddlers.
A more complete picture includes whether participants return for another experience, progress into new programs, develop relationships, acquire equipment or begin paddling independently. Paddle4Tomorrow's experience demonstrates both the value and the challenge of measuring these outcomes.
Its participation and volunteer numbers document the scale of its community engagement. Stories of young paddlers progressing through programs illustrate what retention can look like.
Developing better ways to track those pathways will help organizations demonstrate their long-term impact and help industry partners understand the value of their investments. For manufacturers, retailers, outfitters and community organizations alike, retention is an important link between community impact and long-term industry growth.
Putting Collaboration to Work in Your Community
The Paddle4Tomorrow model offers practical lessons that can be adapted in other markets.
- Identify organizations and individuals already introducing people to paddling. These may include clubs, nonprofits, schools, parks, instructors, outfitters and community groups.
Consider where partnerships could strengthen the participant experience.
- Could a manufacturer help provide equipment?
- Could a retailer connect new paddlers with appropriate gear or send an instructor to the event?
- Could a sales representative introduce potential partners?
- Could an established club welcome repeat participants into their regular paddling activities?
- What happens after the first event? Can I help create clear next steps?
The goal is not simply to host more introductory events. It is to build relationships and pathways that help participants become confident, connected and independent paddlers. That is how stronger communities can support stronger businesses, and stronger businesses can help sustain the communities that introduce people to paddlesports.
Resources
The Conversation Continues
This webinar launched a four-part PTC Best Practices Committee series exploring how collaboration can strengthen the paddlesports industry. All remaining 2026 PTC University webinars are free and open to everyone. Visit the PTC Events Calendar to register.
The next sessions build on the ideas introduced November 10:
- November 24: Measuring Success Through Collaboration, Self-Assessment Workshop
- An interactive workshop inviting industry stakeholders to evaluate their own collaborative practices and identify opportunities for improvement.
- December 8: Measuring Success Through Collaboration, Stakeholder Panel Discussion
- A discussion of stakeholder perspectives, assessment findings and opportunities to strengthen collaboration across the industry.
- December 15: Growing the Paddlesports Community
- A look at practical ways industry partners can support grassroots organizations and expand participation.
Thanks to Our Sponsors
Gold Sponsor: Esquif Canoes
Silver Sponsors: Suspenz, Rocky Mountain Rafts, Mustang Survival and Aqua Bound/Bending Branches.
Their support helps bring industry education, practical resources and collaborative opportunities to the paddlesports community.
Because building a stronger paddlesports industry isn't just about getting more people on the water. It's about giving them reasons, opportunities and relationships that keep them coming back.