Club History
Early in the 1950's, Dr. Ted Houk, Sr., had a dream of involving young people in a "little league of water sports" and ultimately placing paddlers on Olympic teams. Houk was then known as the local "father" of the sport. Together with a handful of other early Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club members, Houk built the team and even designed and built the boats.
In 1969, Houk obtained the old Aqua Theater on Green Lake's south end from Seattle's Parks Department. Together with Ben Dotson, Houk established the official club. The Sprint Team immediately began workouts under Head Coach Imre Szupkay.
SCC gained respect by grooming excellent paddlers and developing strong supporters. Subsequently a number of competitions were hosted on Green Lake, including the 1973 National Flatwater Championships.
Houk's health failed in 1975 and the club floundered for a time without leadership. In 1979 the city demolished most of the Aqua Theatre to make way for a new boathouse. Meanwhile, club emphasis shifted from Olympic flatwater racing to marathon racing.
In 1979, the year after Houk's death, the club decided to host an annual Regatta to honor the man who had given it so much. The Ted Houk Memorial Regatta was born, featuring sprint and primarily marathon races. The event has been held every year since then, however today features sprint races exclusively.
The new boathouse was completed in 1980 and the club flourished throughout the 80s with a continuing emphasis on marathon racing. During this time the Ted Houk Memorial Regatta was held each year and a few serious flatwater sprint paddlers remained in the club.
One of the most notable was kayaker David Halpern, a four time World Team member, 1984 Olympian and top US paddler, who still holds the distinction of winning an unprecedented (in any discipline) six medals at the National (Olympic) Sports Festival. Halpern later returned to serve as Head Coach of the SCC Sprint Team 1997-98 and continues today as a club member.
In 1988 two new members, Warren Edwards and Dan Henderson further revived enthusiasm for flatwater racing and the following year the Youth Sprint Racing Team was formed. The sprint team has performed strongly since 1989, when over 20 members went to Nationals. The club brought home several medals, including a National Championship by Jeff Walkky in the one-man canoe event. Henderson and Edwards held the Head Coach position for the team respectively.
In 1995 SCC hosted a very successful USCKT National Championships.
In 1996 and 1997, SCC sent the team to Nationals. In ’97, 25 athletes to Nationals, with excellent results!
Also in 1997, six members of the SCC Team were named to the US World Team. Five of these young adult paddlers had recently completed training as members of our Youth Sprint Team, and the sixth was a Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club coach.
In 1998 Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club again hosted a very successful USCKT National Championships. The '98 Nationals holds the highest attendance record for all USA Canoe/Kayak National Championships.
In August of 1999, Seattle sent 25 athletes to the National Championships at the Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, NY.
Again in 1999, a number of Seattle club athletes are top in the nation. The #2 women's kayaker in the country is Tamara Jenkins. The #1 canoeist in the country is Nate Johnson, followed by teammates Jordan Malloch at #2 and David Fort at #5. Ludovit Tatos is ranked #6 and Gerts Bietlers at #13 in men's kayak. Johnson, Jenkins and Malloch and Kathy Colin are named to compete on the US team in world competitions this year. Nate and Jordan also represent the US in the Goodwill Games.
In 2000, the team places 4th at Nationals. Three of 14 paddlers named to the US Olympic Team are from SCKC. Jordan Malloch, Kathy Colin and Tamara Jenkins compete for the US in Sydney Australia. Nate Johnson becomes the 2000 US National Champion in Men's Canoe.
In 2001, Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club wins the overall USACK National Championship Title and takes home the Yonkers Trophy for the highest points. Also the team boasts 4 individual National titles including Jordan Malloch with the overall high in individual points in the championship.
For more details see our Team Highlights and Club Awards pages.
Member of Honor
Our club history would not be complete without mention of Greg Barton. Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club is extremely proud that Greg Barton is a member of our club. Greg made history at the 1988 Seoul Olympics winning double gold medals, in both his K-1 and K-2 1,000 meter races, all within one hour's time. Although he was not a member at that time, Greg has been an SCKC member for a number of years now and represents Seattle in competition regularly, most recently at the 2001 Nationals. Greg is an incredible inspiration and great source of pride to the club.
Dedication
The sustenance and success of our program could not have been possible without the leadership and guidance of Dr. Eric Hughes, who for more than 30 years has served Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club unfailingly. He has been Coach, Class Instructor, Instructional Chair, Board member, Dockmaster and volunteer extraordinaire. Eric continues to lead activities and most recently was responsible for gathering and inspiring the Nationals 2001 team. Thank you, Eric Hughes!
By Alicia Van Buskirk (Team History partially adapted from an article by Eric Hughes), 2001
5900 W Green Lake Way N, Seattle WA 98103 | 206.684.4074 | sckc@scn.org