In 2017, twin brothers Aidan and Shamus Menard were trying to source high performance paddling gear for their athletes while the team was gearing up for Nationals. Through the process they struggled with complicated ordering processes, language barriers, and finding trustworthy suppliers.

In 2018, the twins set out to make quality paddling gear more accessible by founding Twin Paddlesports. What started as organizing small drop-ship orders has grown into a paddling shop with everything from hats to adjustable carbon fiber paddles. The twins continue to coach some of Canada's top teams and support the community through leading club programs and providing paddler scholarships.

Since 2011, Aidan and Shamus have paddled on some of Canada's fastest teams from the Junior to Premier divisions including One West, JUICE, Eric Hamber Eternal Dragon, 24U National Team and the Premier National Team.

The twins' passion for growing the paddling community led them to start and coach new teams such as JUICE and UBC Current. have coached successful teams such as JUICE, Dragon Zone Premier, Eric Hamber Eternal Dragon, Dragon Zone U24, and UBC Current. Their highest accolade is acting as the Program Directors and Head Coaches for the Canadian U24 National Team which competed at the 14th and 16th IDBF World Dragon Boat Racing Championships, claiming the world title both times.

Aidan and Shamus have a passion for growing the paddling community, and love helping teams get on their feet and grow! If you are a leader in your community looking to start or grow your team, we would love to connect with you!

As a part of our mission to grow paddling communities, we created the Twin Paddlesports Youth Leader Scholarship.

This is an annual award given to a student who has made, and continues to make, exceptional contributions to the Canadian dragon boat community in the U18, 24U, 24U-PS or University divisions.​

Click here to learn more about the award!

Applications are currently closed.