We just wanted to take (another) moment
to wholeheartedly thank all the sponsors, competitors and supporters who helped
make the first annual Northwest Community Credit Union Bend Paddleboard Challenge such
a success.
With your help, we were
able to reach our goals – to create a venue for our customers and fellow
paddlers to have fun and compete, to firm up Bend’s spot on the map as an SUP
destination, and to give back to the community by raising funds for two
important local charities, the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance and the Bend Park and
Recreation Foundation.
The Challenge attracted many stand up
paddlers from out of the area, including world-class SUP athletes Karen Wrenn
(from Portland) and Chuck Patterson (from Dana Point, California). We received
lots of positive feedback from local paddlers and visitors alike. Several of
the competitors were visiting Bend for the first time and have reported that
they can’t wait to come back next year.
So… thank you, thank you, thank you to
Northwest Community Credit Union
(especially Matt, Deanna, and Thea), Clear 101.7, Fox Central Oregon,
KTVZ, StandUp Paddle Magazine, Premiere Paddle Surf, KIALOA, Robberson Ford
Lincoln Mercury Mazda, Cascade Lakes Brewing Company, TheLongboardStore.com,
Awbrey Glen Golf Club, K-Dog Eco Threads, Anjou Spa & Salon, SUP Connect, Bill Keale, Guayaki Yerba
Mate, Young’s Columbia Wine Company, the Hokule’a Dancers, the Tavita family, Alistair Patterson, Visit Bend, Surftech, Roberto Ricci Designs, and Riviera
Paddlesurf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We hope you'll be on board next year to help make the 2012 Northwest Community Credit Union Bend Paddleboard Challenge even bigger and better than the first one!!
By
the way, for those of you interested in the results, Karen Wrenn took first
place in the six-mile race in the women’s 12’6” class with a time of 1 hour and
18 minutes. Terri Plunkett of San Clemente, California came in second and Kerri
Stewart of Eugene, Oregon placed third. Chuck Patterson of Dana Point,
California took top honors in the men’s 14’ category with a time of 1 hour and
11 minutes, followed by Cyril Burguiere and Matt Spencer, both from Portland,
Oregon. Full results are available
on the race website.
