Whatever floats your boat: Washington Park hosts cardboard boat races
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Elizabeth Engle, left, and Cameron Spencer, right, approach the finish line of the Shark in the Park Cardboard Boat races held Saturday at Washington Park Pool. The boat won Best Design.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Brothers Kaden Lese, left, and Konner Lese, right, maneuver their cardboard and duct tape watercraft toward the finish line during the inaugural Shark in the Park Cardboard Boat Races held at Washington Park Pool on Saturday.
Karen Mansfield/ Observer-Reporter
Heather Popeck, left, and Shannon O’Bryan, right, steer their boat, West End Girls, during the Shark in the Park Cardboard Boat Races on Saturday. The duo participated in the all-female category.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Berkly Hatfield, front, and Layla Yakubik race toward the finish line during the Shark in the Park Cardboard Boat Races at Washington Park Pool as their soggy vessel takes on water during the 12-and-under race.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Despite captaining a sinking cardboard boat, Berkly Hatfield, front, and Lyla Yakubik, back, lead a boat paddled by Isabella Patterson and Amelia Walters during the Shark in the Park Cardboard Boat Races on Saturday at Washington Park.
Karen Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Isabella Patterson, front, and Amelia Walters, back, paddle across the Washington Park Pool in their cardboard boat on Saturday during the inaugural Shark in the Park Cardboard Boat Races.
Karen mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Logan Spencer, front, and Jason Engle, back, compete in the Shark in the Park Cardboard Boat Races held at Washington Park Pool on Saturday.
For contestants in Washington Park’s inaugural Shark in the Park Cardboard Boat Race, the goal was simple: row your boat from one end of Washington Park Pool to the other.
But that’s easier said than done when your boat is constructed of nothing more than cardboard and duct tape – lots and lots of duct tape.
On Saturday, spectators stood alongside the pool to watch as children, teens and adults paddled and splashed their homemade cardboard vessels to the finish line.
In all, a total of eight boats participated in three divisions: 12 and under, male, and female. Some boats remained intact for multiple races.
Sure, participation was low. But enthusiasm was high.
“It was exactly what I imagined: the parents and fans running down the poolside cheering for those kids. It wasn’t a huge turnout, but the crowd was great. I was impressed with how into it they were,” said DeAnna Martin, Washington Park director and the mastermind who organized the race.
Martin said she got the idea to host a race after she heard about cardboard boat racing from a friend whose grandfather participates in races on a lake in New York.
“I loved the idea and I thought, let’s do that here,” said Martin.
The races, it turned out, were as entertaining and as the boats.
Lyla Yakubik, 11, and Berkly Hatfield, 10, managed to win the 12-and-under division despite their boat taking on water from the get-go.
By mid-race, the pair abandoned their oars and splashed their way to the finish line using their arms, with Yakubik mostly submerged in the water.
“We tried to use the paddles, but they didn’t work so we used our hands,” said Hatfield.
Team EADS – the duo of Isabella Patterson, 10, and Amelia Walters, 11, who lost to Yakubik and Hatfield – rebounded to capture the female division.
Patterson and Walters, who dance together at Evolving Artists Dance Studio (EADS) thought it would be fun to participate in the “regatta” after hearing about it.
They spent three days and used five rolls of duct tape fashioning their flat-bottom boat and thick, sturdy oars.
Contestants were permitted to use permanent markers to decorate their vessels, and Patterson and Waters took full advantage, covering it with drawings, words of inspiration, and a boat registration number that was a combination of the girls’ birthdays.
Brothers Konner and Kaden Lese, ages 12 and 8, captained the S.S. Tweety B, which featured Looney Tunes cartoon characters including Tweety Bird, Sylvester, and Grandma.
“My original plan was to build a Viking ship, but it was going to be too long, so we turned it into a cartoon ship,” said Konner.
The pair, with some assistance from their father, spent four days constructing the boat.
The Leses wanted to take part in the fun and challenge of building and racing a cardboard boat.
“We read about the competition and thought it was pretty cool, so they signed up for it,” said Joe Lese. “I work construction, so I had a lot of cardboard to bring home.”
In addition to medals awarded to first-place winners in each division, awards were given for Best Overall Design, Team Spirit, and the Titanic Award for the best sinking (which was awarded to a 12-and-under team from Ohio, whose boat fell apart before the competition began).
The Best Overall Design was captured by Jason Engle, 10, and Logan Spencer, 9, whose sturdy, water-tight craft featured shark-like fins, a U.S. flag and the names of everyone who helped built it. The vessel was dedicated to the memory of Logan’s great-grandfather and Jason’s grandfather.
“I’m pretty confident about our boat,” said Spencer, minutes before he and Engle launched their boat. “We used about six rolls of duct tape on it.”
And, in fact, the watercraft proved especially seaworthy, surviving all of the races before the hull grew waterlogged.
The Team Spirit Award went to Patterson and Walters.
After the boat races, families were treated to a movie, “Shark Tales,” which was shown on a big screen set up near the pool.
Proceeds from the boat race entry fees benefit the pool and pool activities.
Martin hopes to the quirky race becomes an annual tradition.
“There was a lot of banter about the race and bringing it back again next year,” said Martin. “I think it will grow from here.”