Poenn was a true pioneer in the sport of canoe slalom in Canada. In 1965, he was a member of the first Canadian team at the World Championships in Spittal, Austria. He competed in the Men’s K-1 at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, the first appearance of canoe slalom as an Olympic-level sport. He was later a Coach for the National Team and served on the International Canoe Federation Slalom Committee. He worked to bring the Slalom and Downriver World Championships to Jonquière, Quebec in 1979.