References to “the Service” in this Policy mean the USRA website at usaraftassociation.com, our event registration systems, and any related digital services we operate.

Information you provide to us

We collect information you give us directly when you:

• Register a team or athlete for a USRA-sanctioned race, including the U.S. National Whitewater Raft Racing Championships
• Apply for board or volunteer positions
• Make a donation to support the USRA
• Contact us by email or web form
• Submit results, waivers, or insurance documentation

This information may include name, date of birth, contact information (email, phone, mailing address), emergency contact, team affiliation, race category, and signed liability waivers. For donors, we collect billing information necessary to process your gift; payment card details are handled by our third-party payment processors (PayPal, Stripe) and are not stored on USRA servers.

Information about minor athletes

USRA fields competitive categories that include athletes under 18 (Under 19 and Under 23 divisions). When a minor registers to compete, we collect:

• Name, date of birth, and contact information
• Parent or legal guardian name, contact information, and signed consent
• Emergency contact details
• Any medical or accommodation information voluntarily provided by the parent or guardian

We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from any child under 13. Registration of minor athletes must be completed by a parent or legal guardian, who provides consent on the minor’s behalf. If you believe we have collected information from a child under 13 without parental consent, please contact us at info@usaraftassociation.com and we will delete it.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, we automatically collect limited technical information such as IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, and the date and time of your visit. This information is used for site analytics and security and is not used to identify individual visitors.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to remember your preferences, keep you logged in to member areas, and understand how visitors use our site. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some features of the site may not function correctly without them.

We use the information we collect to:

• Operate USRA-sanctioned competitions — including registering teams, verifying eligibility, posting race results, and selecting teams to represent the United States in international competition
• Communicate with participants — regarding race schedules, rule changes, safety information, and other operational matters
• Process donations — and provide donation receipts as required for 501(c)(3) recordkeeping
• Respond to inquiries sent to us by email or web form
• Maintain organizational records — including board of directors records, athlete competition history, and historical results
• Improve our website through aggregated, non-identifying analytics
• Comply with legal obligations — including tax reporting, insurance requirements, and lawful requests from authorities

USRA is committed to athlete safety and welfare, particularly with respect to minor athletes participating in USRA-sanctioned competition.

If you wish to report a safety concern involving a USRA-affiliated athlete, coach, or volunteer, please contact us at info@usaraftassociation.com. Concerns involving suspected abuse of a minor should also be reported directly to local law enforcement.

Information shared with USRA in connection with a safety report will be handled with appropriate confidentiality and disclosed only to those who need it to investigate, respond, or comply with legal obligations.

USRA shares information only when necessary and only as described here:

• With service providers — such as our payment processors, email host, website host, and race registration platforms, who handle information on our behalf and are bound to keep it confidential
• With international governing bodies — when selecting and entering athletes for international competition, we share required athlete information with the United Rafting Federation or relevant international body
• With race organizers — local organizing committees of USRA-sanctioned races receive the participant information needed to run the event
• For legal compliance — when required by law, court order, or valid request from a government authority, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of USRA, our participants, or the public
• With your consent — for any purpose not listed above

We do not share, sell, rent, or trade your personal information with advertisers or third parties for marketing purposes.

By participating in a USRA-sanctioned race, athletes acknowledge that race results — including name, team affiliation, race category, and finishing time — are part of the public record of competition and may be published on the USRA website, in event materials, and shared with international governing bodies. Photographs and video taken at USRA events may also be used in USRA publications, social media, and promotional materials related to the sport.

If you do not wish your name or image to appear in such materials, please notify the race director at the time of registration.

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this Policy and to meet our legal, accounting, and recordkeeping obligations as a nonprofit organization. Competition records (results, team rosters, qualifying history) are retained as part of the historical record of the sport. Donor records are retained per IRS requirements for charitable organizations. Routine inquiry emails are deleted when no longer relevant.

We take reasonable measures to protect personal information from loss, misuse, and unauthorized access. However, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is fully secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

You may:

• Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Request corrections to inaccurate information
• Request deletion of your information, subject to our recordkeeping obligations (competition results, donor records, and waivers cannot generally be deleted)
• Opt out of any non-essential communications

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@usaraftassociation.com.

Our website may contain links to third-party sites (race registration platforms, sponsors, international governing bodies, social media). USRA is not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. Please review their policies before providing any personal information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. Continued use of the website after changes take effect indicates acceptance of the revised Policy.