PPP Episode 37: ACA Surfski Instruction with Matt Murphy

Peak Paddle Performance Podcast

My guest on this podcast is Matt Murphy. Matt is a Naval Architect and Ocean Engineer by trade, who grew up in and on the waters of Northeastern Canada. After school, Matt made his way to Houston, Texas where he currently lives with his wife and four kids.

Matt has a very diverse paddling background spanning both racing and multi-week adventures. In this podcast we cover much of Matt’s paddling background and the paddling scene in Houston and across Texas, but most importantly we talk about the work Matt has done helping to build the American Canoe Association (ACA) surfski education curriculum.

The ACA serves as the National Governing Body for paddlesports (Sprint, Slalom, Paracanoe) for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and as the U.S National Federation to the International Canoe Federation. They have recognized Surfski as a unique discipline and are excited to support it’s growth both through competition and education. Matt has worked extensively over the past four years along with Ben Lawry to develop a four stage curriculum of education including the following:

• Level 2: Essentials of Surfski
• Level 3: Fundamentals of Open Water Surfski
• Level 4: Downwind Surfski
• Level 5: Advanced Open Water and Downwind Surfski (Under Development)

The ACA is hopeful to start certifying surfski instructors across all major regions of the US. If you are interested, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Matt

• Fort Myers Level 3 Instructor Certification March 11-13
• Website: http://www.shamrockpaddling.com (note: don’t be confused when you land on his social media and website, Matt has also launched a product for Standup Paddle Fishing – but this is the same guy)
• Instagram: @ ShamrockPaddling
• Facebook: ShamrockPaddling
• YouTube: https://youtu.be/hikNNrDDqto