Ninth annual Onaway Pro race this weekend

by Angie Asam, Staff Writer

Black River, Kleber Pond and Tower Pond will buzzing with canoe racers this weekend at the ninth annual Onaway pro races will take place Saturday evening and Sunday morning.

The Onaway High School Class of 2011 has been busy gathering sponsorships for the race from local businesses as it took on the race as a fundraiser opportunity. Saturday will be the one-man canoe race beginning at 5:30 at the 638 Hwy. bridge. The race will be a time trial start this year with canoes leaving in 20-second increments. The racers will go down the river to M-68 (Tower Pond) where they will turn around a buoy before heading back upstream to finish at Black River Road. The winner of the race will win $500.

Organizer Steve Watson said the course for the one-man race is completely new this year and offers many

opportunities for spectators to view the racers.

Beginning at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Tower boat launch will be the C-2 or two-man race. From the boat launch racers will make a loop around Tower Pond before portaging the Tower Dam. Racers will then enter Kleber Pond where they will turn around at a buoy, return to the dam, portage it again and go through Tower Pond.

Racers will then portage across M-68 at the Tower Shores Motel and paddle up to Black River Road where they will turn around at a buoy and return to the Tower boat launch for the finish. Winner of the C-2 race will receive $1,000.

Last year Andy Triebold of Concord and Matt Meersman of Indiana won the C-2 race with a time of 1:41.40. According to Watson they will once again be the team to beat. Watson expects 25-35 canoes for each class and some paddlers from as far away as Indiana and Ohio. The race is sanctioned by the Michigan Canoe Racing Association

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