Major Stand Up Paddle Event to Take Place in Bend on Father’s Day Weekend

The first annual Northwest Community Credit Union Bend Paddleboard Challenge will take place at Riverbend Park on Saturday, June 18. The Challenge will include three competitive events: a six-mile long course, a two-mile short course, and a judged “Expression Session.” Contestants and spectators will also have the opportunity to try out the latest gear from popular SUP manufacturers like KIALOA and Surftech.


The spectator-friendly course will run from Riverbend Park, just past Bill Healy Memorial Bridge, through the “Old Mill stretch” of the Deschutes River, and back (three times for the six-mile event and once for the two-mile event).

All proceeds of the 2011 Northwest Community Credit Union Bend Paddleboard Challenge will be divided equally between the Bend Paddle Trail Alliance (BPTA) and the Bend Recreation Foundation Scholarship Fund. “It’s very important to us to give back to our wonderful community,” says Lainey Booth, one of the organizers of the Challenge and co-owner of local SUP shop, Stand Up Paddle Bend. “We’re excited to raise awareness about the BPTA’s efforts to improve the Colorado Dam and build a whitewater park at Miller Landing. That project will have a terrific effect on Bend’s economy,” she says.

Because the 2011 Northwest Community Credit Union Bend Paddleboard Challenge will be one of the first races to count toward the World Paddle Association’s recently announced Pacific Northwest championship, many high-profile SUP athletes are expected to compete.

Matt Purvis, Marketing Vice President of title sponsor Northwest Community Credit Union, says it was a natural decision to support the Challenge. “We celebrate everything ‘northwest.’ The Northwest Community Credit Union Bend Paddleboard Challenge is the perfect place to meet our current and future members and support a great community event,” he says.

All contestants will be invited to attend a VIP pre-party, hosted by Northwest Community Credit Union, on Friday, June 17th.

Well-known Portland paddler, Karen Wrenn, who has finished impressively in SUP events all around the world and recently made history by becoming the first person to paddle consecutively between all eight Channel Islands, will be teaching a paddling clinic on Friday, June 17th so that athletes can learn new skills to utilize in the Challenge.

To register for the 2011 Northwest Community Credit Union Bend Paddleboard Challenge or for more information, readers can visit www.BendPaddleboardChallenge.com, email Info@BendPaddleboardChallenge.com, call 541.639.2655, or drop by Stand Up Paddle Bend or the Bend or Redmond branches of Northwest Community Credit Union.

The 2011 Northwest Community Credit Union Bend Paddleboard Challenge is proudly supported by Stand Up Paddle Magazine, Robberson Ford Lincoln Mercury Mazda, Cascade Lakes Brewing Company, Clear 101.7, KTVZ, Fox Central Oregon, and Stand Up Paddle Bend