The longtime tradition of cardboard boat racing made its presence at Tech this weekend. Students, parents and locals gathered at Houghton Waterfront Park to partake in the festivities. Participants from every residence hall and a number of sororities and fraternities spent the previous week putting their heads together to build over 40 sustainable boats for Friday afternoon. Cardboard boxes from move-in weekend were used in unison with a hefty amount of duct tape to support eight people afloat in the Portage. Teams competed for time in sections of men, women and coed volunteers. Aside from simply not sinking, groups were awarded separately for their creativity.
Collaborating with the 2016 Homecoming theme, Game of Thrones, lots of fictional characters were incorporated into the designs of their boats. When asked about their experience, students were excited to share their work. “It took us probably 10-12 hours to build the boat, we stayed up really late last night finishing it. We thought it turned out pretty good. I was happy they chose this theme. I was one of the smaller people, so of course I’m riding in it today,” said Samantha Nelson, a first year. Other students enjoyed watching their classmates risk it for the victory. “It was nice to see the community come together to do something fun. I’m from a big city, so I don’t get to see events like this often,” said Karina Aranda, a first year from Chicago. She’s right — the connections made in a small town allow us to have traditions like these at Michigan Tech. All in all, it was a great opportunity for students to get involved while having fun with friends. For more information regarding upcoming events, visit the Michigan Tech Involvement Link at https://www.involvement.mtu.edu/.
Cardboard Boat Race Results
Men’s Teams
First: Sigma Tau Gamma
Second: Asgard-FYE
Third: Mama’s Boys
Women’s Teams
First: Delta Phi Epsilon
Second: Alpha Sigma Tau
Co-ed
First: Elysium, Tombstone, 4-D
Second: Olympus
Third: Atlantis and the Laboratory
