Welcome Culver Canoe Team

This website was created to begin a discussion with Culver Canoers, Culver Academies and in particular the varsity canoe program inspired and initially coached by Kalman Blaho in 1966. Now, this website is integrated with a Digital Display in the Athletic building at Culver showing the history of this sport. In the past, apart from the small display in the Culver museum, there was virtually no evidence that the canoe program ever existed, despite the high level of success by the members and the positive impact on the lives of the many participants. At the 50th year Culver reunion for the Class of 1968, it brought together some of the teammates from 1966-68 and also from subsequent classes, particularly Don Giacchetti (1971) and FT Eyre (1969).  Because of failing health, Jim Etchen (1968), a key member of the 1966 national championship team, was only able to attend electronically. That unique event combined with the perspective one gains with the passage of time prompted the team to action. The conversations and recollections could not have made it more clear that the impact on all of them had been so profound and lasting. Lifelong friendships, leadership and team building skills, individual focus and acquired resilience are among the program’s legacy for each of them.

Few were thinking of the future as they enjoyed the feeling of a paddle in their hands with a Sawyer canoe beneath cutting through some river in Indiana or Ohio. Sometimes paddling a canoe amounted to a race they were striving to win and nothing else mattered in that moment, even 40 degree rain or 90 degree sun.  Who among the team does not recall the icy waters of Lake Maxinkuckee when outdoor training began and winter yet remained? But canoeing was the only sport where essentially every competition was an away game. It provided a way off of campus weekend after weekend. What could have been better than that?

The varsity program ended in 1976. Therefore, this remarkable legacy of Kalman Blaho and successors resides only in those who were part of the story.  It was truly humbling to see how determined the colleagues and successors were after Coach Blaho’s death in September 1966 and how successful they became in the sport. Collectively, the teams competed and won at the highest levels of the sport–US Olympic team, Pan American Games, ACA and USCA National Championships, USCA State Champions, and on and on.

A group was formed to see that this legacy would be remembered and perhaps rekindled. Rob Fogel (’68), Casper Martin (’68), Steve Kling (’68), Keith Oldham (’68), Don Giacchetti (’71), and Lee Robinson (’74) began to meet regularly and others were added. The objective was to bring together the 250+ individuals who were part of this program and wrote this unique story. They obtained an agreement with Culver Academies and the Athletic Department leadership to create a permanent display recognizing the history, achievements and impact of the varsity canoe program. This was in the planning stages then but now a permanent display will reside in the Culver Athletic Building Hall of Fame. This website was originally developed by Steve Kling and launched in August of 1968 . The vision though was to create a Digital Display with an integrated website that could live on into the future. In early February, Chuck Eldred (’72), Rob Fogel, Don Giacchetti, Steve Kling, Casper Martin and Keith Oldham met on Culver’s campus to work through more of the details of the display, cabinets and to review thousands of photos from 1964-1976 of the Canoeing program. Additional  relevant memorabilia was collected along with historical records from old Vedettes and Alumnus archived information. What was critical in accumulating this information though was getting access to the Central Files on the Canoe Teams activities. This file had all the trips that were taken, dates, and who went on the trips. Some Vedettes or news releases were also available.  Today, the Culver Canoe is not only remembered, but comes alive again in their Digital Display.
 

Our thanks for all those who participated in this project now and in the future for helping to preserve this story and the legacy of which so many were a part. 

Thank you and we look forward to hearing from you.