This past Friday, the sun poked out and warmed us all up for the cardboard boat races. They provided plenty of Husky fans with nearly 80-degree weather to come out and support their favorite houses as they sank, floated, and paddled their way to victory.
The chatter behind the scenes and before the races began was pleasant and excited. As participants put last-minute touches on their boats, one group was still reinforcing the bottom of their boat with duct tape. Many of the boats bore the inspiration of this year’s Harry Potter-themed Homecoming with boats like Durmstrang, The Boat that They Took to Hogwarts, the Golden Snitch, and additions like dragon heads at the front and full on masts with cardboard sails.
The cardboard boat races are a favorite Homecoming tradition not only for Michigan Tech students but also for the community of Houghton. Many family members and residents come to watch the triumphs and failures of the boats and boat-goers. Some halls and organizations spend days putting their boats together, and others depend on too much caffeine, an all-nighter of hard work and sheer luck to get beyond two feet in the icy Portage water.
The goal of the cardboard boat races has two parts: to float to make it around the buoy and back to shore the fastest. The participants are saddled up with paddles and life jackets, and several rescue kayaks float near the buoys to help drag stranded cardboard boats back to shore. The announcer tells us who is in the lineup, and when everyone is safe and ready to get wet, they are sent off into the water to do their best.
There were plenty of winners this year, and a fair share of those who sank before they began as well. The crowd cheers just as well for those who sink as they do for those who speed around the buoy and arrive back at the shore in one piece. This year, our very own Bonnie Gorman was a participant in the boat race, although their boat did not make it very far – certainly not around the buoy. The effort was admirable and hopefully next year their boat will make it farther and possibly around the buoy.
Andrew Brown, a second-year electrical engineering student and second-year participant in the boat races, says that he loves participating. Last year their boat made it around the buoy and back before their competitors, but this year they barely managed to fit all their rowers in the boat before it collapsed. “My favorite part is watching people go down with the ship because it’s hilarious. I remember, one guy saluted as he went down.”
It’s true that participants really get into the competition. This year, some had crowns, pirate hats, and even Viking helmets. “We go to an engineering school, and it brings out crappy engineering and really good engineering at the same time.”
This statement cuts to the core of Michigan Tech’s motto, “Crazy Smart.” It is crazy to decide to build a boat out of nothing but cardboard and ridiculous amounts of duct tape, and it’s the intelligence of the students that make it actually work. This tradition continues to build a strong image of the community, as the whole community comes out to support the boats and brings us closer as we are brought back to what Michigan Tech really stands for – turning crazy ideas into functioning ones.
