The United States Canoe Association announced the selection of Newaygo Michigan's Muskegon River as the site for its Canoe and Kayak National Championship for 2011. The USCA Nationals holds a major, six-day national canoe and kayak championship event every year, usually in early-to-mid August. The week-long event caters to paddlers from 5 to 90+ years, with marathon races for adults and combined adult-youth teams. Hundreds of competitors and their families from around the country and the world can be expected to attend the 2011 races from August 9th to 14th.

"The Newaygo team made an outstanding presentation and won the bid by a sizeable margin," stated Gareth Stevens, Chair of the Publications and Marketing Committees at USCA.

"This is a huge victory for Newaygo, Michigan and for the Muskegon River, stated Gabriel Slominski from Powers Outdoors, which has its flagship store in Newaygo. “We will be encouraging new and experienced paddlers to get involved in paddling in this event and participating in the USCA in a meaningful way. We can’t wait to showcase all that the ‘Mighty Muskegon’ has to offer."