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Racing in homemade boats, teams raise money for Special Olympics of Iredell

Statesville Record & Landmark - 9/19/2017

The inaugural Cardboard Boat Regatta fundraiser was held Sunday at the Stumpy Creek Boat Area on Lake Norman.

Three teams of two each built functional boats made almost entirely of corrugated cardboard and raced roughly 100 yards.

The three teams consisted of Dick Faulkner and Doug Rae, Matt Aschbrenner and David Hamm and Lisa Partin and Hannah Gorman. Each team paid $35 to participate, and the money went toward the Special Olympics of Iredell County.

Designing and building the boats was a complex process, competitors said.

"Well you have to come up with a design," Rae said shortly before the race. "Mainly you get a lot of cardboard. You use waterproof glue. We had to put some tape around the joints, then we had to seal it with oil-based paint."

Aschbrenner and Hamm came finished first, followed by Partin and Gorman in second and Faulkner and Rae in third. All of the competitors said they enjoyed the experience and were glad to raise money for the cause.

"We wanted to raise some money for the Special Olympics and it seemed like a fun way to do it," Aschbrenner said.

Mike Hotze, outdoor education program director for Iredell County Parks and Recreation, which organized the event, said he hopes the event grows in the future. The next regatta is schedule for August 2018.