By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
Pitting students’ ingenuity versus water, the fifth annual Cardboard Boat Regatta was held at Colonel Crawford High School Wednesday afternoon.
Using cardboard, duct tape, and a little engineering knowhow to build swimming pool worthy boats, students from Colonel Crawford, Lucas, and Crestline competed against one another to take to their home school the traveling oar. The traveling oar trophy, which is in its third year, went to Crestline who tallied up seven total points.
Crestline’s #10 boat finished with the fastest time of the race with a combined time of 188.7 seconds between oarsmen Jordan Sipes, Mikel Knetter, and Kamin Gerhart.
Sipes explained how they built their boat saying, “We used a lot of support beams gluing the cardboard made to make it sturdy.”
He explained there were some worries before going into the water. “I thought it was going to sink because how heavy it was, but it turned out pretty good.”
Part of the Pioneer Engineering Satellite Program, the event was conceived by Crestline’s Keith Strickler. Strickler explains where the inspiration for the race came from saying, “The whole thing started when I did a cardboard boat challenge at Wagon Wheel Campground five summers ago, and I had a ball. I loved doing it. As I was making this boat I couldn’t believe all the engineering that went into it, and all the measuring and teamwork. So I thought this would be great to do with the kids.
“I had the idea to work with the guys from Lucas, Colonel Crawford, and Shelby who was also in it originally,” Strickler continued. “We are all satellite programs of Pioneer, but we are spread out amongst multiple counties and schools. This is a way for us to work together on a cool project that we can do together, and build the awareness of the satellite programs at Pioneer.”
While it was a close call for runner-up of most creative boat between Herbie the Love Boat and Colonel Crawford’s Kitten Boat it was Lucas students Matt Smallen, Joe Fife, and Christopher Boyd who won the most creative boat award for the Lucas Paddle Boat. The Lucas Paddle Boat also won best engineered boat award, which was the first of its type in the five years of the race.
Herbie the Love Boat wasn’t the only Hollywood theme to cruise the waters as boats depicting Jaws and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles also took to the waters at Colonel Crawford.
Most buoyant boat went to Lucas as well for students Dalton Dennison, Kody Thompson, and Trevor Davis, who were able to fit over 800 pounds into their boat without sinking.
For the first time in The Great Cardboard Boat Regatta history teachers, principals, and superintendents got in on the action as Colonel Crawford Superintendent Todd Martin, Lucas Principal Eric Teague, Lucas Superintendent Dan Freund, Crestline Principal Paul Wheeler, and Crestline Engineering teacher Keith Strickler participated in the event.
Lucas’s Wheeler turned some heads as he captained his boat as the Sith Lord Darth Vader, though it was Colonel Crawford’s Martin who defended his home turf finishing first out of the administrators. Martin did have help as the first heat for Colonel Crawford was student Brad Bauer.
Buckeye Central students Clay McCarthy, Eric Hanes, and Alec Baldosser also participated in the event, however they were not part of the competition as it was part of the students’ senior class project.
A photo gallery of the event can be found on our Photos page.