Producing a well-oiled machine

Every year the Newport Beach-based Imua Outrigger Club looks to replace worn canoes and paddles and repair what’s usable. And every year, for the last 15 years, the club has taken a creative and competitive approach to the funding challenge.

The idea of holding an event where friends and family can participate in paddling with the outrigger club occurred to longtime Imua member Kathie Dunn. She thought it would be a great way to maintain the club, and she knew it would be fun. So the Corporate Challenge was born.

“I just thought it would be a lot of fun to share this with other people, and I didn’t want to do bake sales and car washes,” Dunn said.

More than 100 teams have signed up for the event, set for Sunday at the Newport Dunes Resort. That’s an increase from 75 competing teams in 2006 and only nine teams for the inaugural race in 1992.

Longtime member Cathy Viscounty is responsible for bringing in the largest set of teams. Last year she signed up a number of her co-workers to participate, and when she posted this year’s event she had no trouble getting more on board. Meanwhile, teammate Denise Mendelssohn signed up 55 of her friends and family.

“I like to see the returning faces because we do have people who come back year to year,” Dunn said. “I like to see that the club has become a well-oiled machine over the years.”

Each outrigger canoe holds six people — five paddlers and a steersman, which will be an Imua team member.

Registration for the Corporate Challenge begins at 7:30 a.m. and the first qualifying races kick off at 8:30 a.m. Each team competes in two races: the first a qualifier, the second for the prizes. The finals come after a lunch provided by Imua.

The fun part about the race, said Imua Vice President David Martyn, is that, “Everybody gets a day of racing without six months of training.”

Applications for the event will be accepted through Sunday and can be found at the group’s website www.imua.bigstep.com.