News - Cardboard Canoe Contest
In their second attempt for victory, sophomores Dan Signori and Kyle Van Kooten try their Drowning Seagull 2 in the waters of the Seminary Pond.
Fleet of Cardboard Canoes Tests the Waters
The task was simple: build a canoe and make it go fast. To a group mostly made up of aspiring engineers, this would be a mere stroke of the paddle.
For the 11 teams participating in this year’s Cardboard Canoe Contest however, the task wasn’t as simple as it appeared considering that they were permitted to use only cardboard, trash bags and duct tape to construct a canoe that would fare the waters of the on-campus pond located between DeWit Manor and Calvin Seminary.
The event, organized by the Calvin chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), takes place each fall and has become an increasingly popular spectator sport. Calvin ASCE president Michael Vance is astonished by the response of the Calvin community.
"I have no idea what attracts so many spectators to the event,” Vance said. "Every year we are blown away by how many people come out. I guess it’s basically the same concept as to why so many people watch NASCAR. If you watch, you’re bound to see at least one team flip or sink.”
Some sink, some swim
If spectators at this year’s Cardboard Canoe Race were there to witness the demise of a canoe or two, they got what they came for.
At least four of the vessels capsized en route to the race’s finish line; two of the four met their fate before exiting the starting block. Still, seven teams managed to steer their canoes in a semi-circle around the watery course—some remarkably quickly; others with great effort.
Preparing for victory
Despite the inevitable failure on the part of many teams, enthusiasm was high before the event began. The sound of tape ripping could be heard around the pond island where the teams were preparing for the race.
“Where’s the extra tape?” was a question emanating from nearly every cluster of students nervously adding last-minute touches to their vessels.
Some teams eyed the waters and formed last minute strategies. Juniors David Van Kampen and Ian Cutcher planned to fight for their victory.
“Our oars double as battering rams if anyone comes close to us,” they said before launching their canoe, Pre-destiny’s Child, into the waters of the pond.
The four team members who crafted the Audacious had but one strategy before the race: go fast. They figured that with more than the usual two or three rowers, they’d have the power to do just that.
Another team made up not of engineering students, but pre-architecture majors had the same idea. “More people, more power” was their motto as they headed into the water to demonstrate their canoe-design prowess. They had added ten layers of cardboard to the floor of their canoe, Noah’s Architecture, to ensure that the vessel would be able to handle the weight of their four rowers.
Round one sets standard high for victory
The air was tense as the first two teams to navigate the course set their crafts in the water. Would they sink immediately, or have a chance to claim victory?
The race began with a bang and a thud. While the Beast, a vessel pieced together to look much like a traditional wooden canoe, glided through the water of the pond to the finish the course in just one minute and 34 seconds, the Missile plodded along, relying on the strength of its rowers’ arms to guide it through the waters to the finish line. Though the Missile’s cross-shaped, kayak-like design looked great, the Beast’s design simplicity gave its creator’s the competitive edge in the race.
The next five rounds saw nine teams struggling to match the Beast’s efforts. La Rosa Negra, “The Black Rose,” a vessel with two female engineering students at the helm, was the first canoe to meet its demise en route to the finish line. The team members celebrated their fate with a water fight.
In round three, the pre-architecture students, with Noah’s Architecture, almost gave their engineering student rivals a run for their money. When the round’s other canoe, the Viking, capsized before leaving the starting blocks, all attention shifted to see whether Noah’s Architecture would clock in under the Beast’s time of 1:34. The race’s timekeeper yelled “one minute twenty seconds” as the canoe entered the canal that would lead to the bridge finish line, then “one minute, thirty seconds” as it was just feet from the goal. Despite the team’s valiant efforts, their time, 1:42, could not beat the Beast’s.
Teams vow to return next year
No other team came close to the Beast’s record time. Clocking in at 2:02, the team that created the Bad vowed to return next year for victory.
“None of this ‘throw it together at the last minute’ next time!” they said.
The creators of the Drowning Seagull 2, sophomore physical education major Dan Signori and sophomore business major Kyle Van Kooten, saw their vessel’s title turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Before the race they had hopes that their history from the previous year’s race (with the Drowning Seagull 1) would not haunt them in this year’s competition—they said they had improved upon last year’s design. This year when their raft-like boat capsized mid-run, they simply pulled their boat out of the water and ran off into the sunset in a dramatic move that endeared themselves to race spectators.
Several teams demonstrated tireless commitment to reaching the canoe race finish line. The four students commandeering the Audacious through the pond waters faced several near-sinking episodes, but eventually steered their course to the bridge marking the end point of the race. They made it in 4:19, which, one spectator noted, “Would be great if they were running a mile!”
One Audacious crew member hopes that lessons learned from this year’s race will lead to victory next year.
“We made it really streamlined, but it was lacking a little in side support. Hopefully next year third time’s the charm!” he said.
Contest awards for more than just speed
When all was said and done, everyone involved in this year’s Cardboard Canoe Race had a great time. While the Beast proved unbeatable in terms of speed, race organizers awarded a prize for another kind of success. Pre-destiny’s Child, with its elaborate mast and sails and overall pirate ship-esque design, won a prize for its architects’ creativity. The winning teams each won a $40 gift card for groceries at Meijer.
Vance says that at the end of the day, the Annual Cardboard Canoe Race is more than just fun and games.
“The competition is designed to be both fun and brain exercise. Nothing gets the creative mind running like a little competition or prizes,” he said.
Perhaps next year will see the creators of the Drowning Seagull series use their ingenuity to row the Drowning Seagull 3 to victory.