As part of homecoming week, students gathered at Chassell Centennial park with their cardboard boats ready to race. The teams were made up of a mix of halls, clubs, fraternities and sororities. The boats could only be created with duct tape and cardboard. The theme of the race this year was Amazing Race and Husky Survivor.
The event organizer, Amy Hjerstedt, with Student Leadership and Involvement stated, “My favorite part is all of the crazy designs that they come up with.” The boats varied in shape from stitched-together cubes, to kayaks and paddle boards, to Viking longboats. Most boats had some sort of duct tape art or writing to show what group they were part of. Many teams were made up entirely of freshman students hoping to finish the race. Each race began with getting everyone in the boat without flipping or destroying it. Then, racers rushed out to the buoy and back. Fortunately for the teams who sank trying to steer around the buoys, the weather was not too cold.
This year the race was held at Chassell Lake due to a beach washout at the usual location, Kestner Waterfront Park. Hjerstedt explained, “I think it is going to work out better for us, the water is shallower, we have a lot more space for a crowd. It is harder for students to get the boats [here], but we partnered with facilities. So, anyone who needed a ride, facilities were able to take their boat; which is something that students normally don’t get.”
The overall winners of the race this year were Delta Zeta and Kappa Delta Psi, and the fastest boat belonged to Sigma Tau Gamma.
