Over 100 participate in 9th Annual Canyon Lake Regatta held at Indian Beach

BY Dawn Rankins

More than a 100 people gathered to enjoy the lake and paddle together Saturday at the Canyon Lake Triathlon and Fitness Club’s 9th Annual Paddle and Peddle Regatta at Indian Beach.

In addition to a fun day on the water, the club raised funds for the Temescal Canyon High School football program.

Organizer Karin Cassidy and club president Maria Kivrizis said they were very pleased with the turnout after so recently coming off the COVID-19 restrictions. The club raised $829.25 to donate to the football program. Gifts for this year’s raffle were donated by Impact Promotional Products and G-Force Fitness Center, so 100% of the proceeds went to the team.

Photos by Dawn Rankins

“This is such a fun event,” Karin said. “It was nice to meet so many great Canyon Lakers and enjoy a fun paddle on the lake. We had paddleboards, kayaks, canoes, pedal boats, pedal boards, a rowboat, and even a swimmer.”

The event kicked off with everyone arriving and getting their boards, kayaks, row boats, canoes and paddle boats into the water for a group photo. With the photo taken, the participants took off. They pedaled or pedalled from Indian Beach to the East Port launch ramp and then returned to where they had started.

Once all participants were back, there was a short break and hamburgers and hotdogs were served and more donations were collected.

With lunch served, the competitions began. The youth paddle board race winners were 1st place, Leo Andres, age 13, 2nd place, Aiden Kivrizis, age 12 and 3rd place, Lucas Burton, age 14. The adult winners were 1st place, John Foster, 2nd place, Mark Yegisigian and 3rd place, Matt Kivrizis.

Joe Triolo, a Canyon Lake resident for about nine years, said this was his first regatta.

“I always wanted to do this along with all the Canyon Lakers and like-minded people who came out to participate,” Joe said. “I wanted to meet people and this is a great community thing.”

Kids hitch a ride on boards participating in the 9th Annual Paddle and Peddle Regatta.

Mark Yegisigian, a club member who broke his back just six weeks ago, said he was excited to participate in the regatta.

“This is a great event for everyone,” he said. “This is Canyon Lake fun on steroids.”

This was the club’s ninth regatta and it takes quite a few individuals to make it successful, Karin said.

“The Canyon Lake Triathlon and Fitness Club would like to thank all the participants,” she said. “We’d like to especially thank our volunteers for doing such an amazing job setting up, cleaning up and of course, keeping the burgers coming.”

The Canyon Lake Triathlon and Fitness club puts on a variety of fitness events throughout the year, including the Tour de Canyon Lake, the Paddle and Pedal Regatta and the Turkey Trot 5K. In addition to these community events, club members also participate in monthly running, biking and swimming events and triathlon training activities. The club is open to new members and the annual dues are $30 for individuals or $40 for the entire family.

The club’s next events are a 70.3 mile race event/rehearsal on Aug. 28 and a Sprint Triathlon in September.

This kayak sprinted past the paddle boards during the regatta.

Winners of the Canyon Lake Triathlon and Fitness Club’s 9th Annual Paddle and Peddle Regatta youth paddleboard race pose afterward with awarded medals. They are 1st Place: Leo Andres, 13, 2nd Place: Aiden Kivrizis, 12, and 3rd Place: Lucas Burton, 14.

Adult winners are 1st Place: John Foster, 2nd Place: Mark Yegsigian, and 3rd Place: Matt Kivrizis.

Regatta participants were all smiles at annual event.

Regatta participants use different methods for moving about the lake Saturday.