Update on the canoe and kayak race

The highly coveted Corporate Challenge trophy is looking for a new home in 2022!

submitted by Sybil Kolon for the canoe race committee

Fewer than two weeks to race day! Our team is hard at work in the final stages of planning the 56th Annual Manchester River Raisin Canoe/Kayak Race on Sunday, May 15. Online registration is closed as of Monday, May 2.

However, there is still time to register: 1) drop your form in the mail, 2) drop off your form at the Sharon Valley Bicycle Shoppe, or 3) be at the starting line on May 15. More details below.

There are a few classes we often don’t have enough entries in to have a third-place winner. Those include Women’s Canoe, Single Canoe, and Double Kayak. After two years of limitations due to the pandemic we are hoping for a better turnout.

This is mainly a recreational race, though we have some real competitors in many of the classes. The Competition Canoe Class is for those who are ready to put their reputation on the line. Any two people, age 13 and up, can enter. If you have been a winner in one of the other classes, please consider switching to this class.

Last year we had only two entries in the Corporate Challenge Canoe Class. We can do better than that! First-, second-, and third-place winners will each get their own medal. The first-place team will also get a special trophy to document their bragging rights all year.

The river clearing team will go to work on May 7 to make a path through the log jams that have accumulated since last year. Check out this article if you want to help.

We will post live updates on the status of the river on our Facebook page, Manchester River Raisin Canoe Kayak Race.

Don’t forget, all proceeds this year will be donated to the Teachers’ Fund at each of our Manchester Community Schools.

The T-shirt order has been placed. We will have a limited number of shirts to sell on race day at $15 each. There is still time to mail in your registration this week. Send an email to the address below to receive the form and rules. You can also pick one up at Corrigan Oil (Wacker’s) or outside of Ollie’s Pizza & Grinders. To avoid potential mail delays, you can also submit your form, with your check, at the Sharon Valley Bicycle Shoppe, 108 E. Main, Manchester. Their hours are 10am–7pm on Wednesday and Thursday, 10am–6:30pm on Friday, 10am–5pm on Saturday, and 11am–4pm on Sunday. There are forms there to use.

The entry fee is $20 per person (kids 5–12 are free) except the Corporate Challenge Canoe Class, which is $50. If you get your registration in by Thursday, May 12, we will assign your launch time and ask you to arrive a half hour before that. Registrations received after May 12, including on the day of the race, will launch at the end. Please do not arrive before 12:30pm if you haven’t registered yet. Please read the rules, which are on the back of the paper form.

To get the registration form or for other questions, send an email to: kcampbell@mcs.k12.mi.us

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.