On Thursday, March 6, the students in physics, MILES, Model U.N., and some club “fun boats” all came together to race their homemade boats at the Lakewood indoor pool. They had to create a stable and sturdy boat with only cardboard and tape in one month. Groups had 3-4 students each, with two people on the ship simultaneously. Once they entered their boats, all they had was two oars, or in some cases just their feet as paddles (Model U.N students Beckett Broadwater and Wyatt Crouch). They have the brains, but their architectural skills might need some work! There were 11 Heats of 4 groups at each time, and a full audience of students, teachers, and parents. Teachers helped time the boats and keep track of the winners.
A fun part of the tradition is the costumes–picked by each group; the students got to choose a fun theme for their boats and dress up accordingly. There were a variety of outfits, from typical sea creatures like Vikings, pirates, and mermaids, to more abstract choices, like construction workers, cowboys and cowgirls, ballerinas, and Super Mario characters. Some students go all out, which is one of the most entertaining parts of the race. Our favorite theme personally had to be the Vikings! They truly went all out.
Getting into the race results, there were 44 boats in total. Twenty-two boats successfully made it across the pool, but that is a different story for the other 22. 50% of the aspiring sailors from the 2025 boat regatta weren’t as fortunate to stay dry. Some groups made it halfway and sank, while others sank as soon as they stepped into their boats. Ella Hyatt, Fallon Todd, and Kylee Zingale share why they thought their group’s boat was unsuccessful.
“I believe my group’s boat failed because we didn’t do the greatest job at taping around all the seams,” Zingale, who wasn’t in the boat, said. “We made it past the starting line though which is a win-win for me.”
Ballerinas Todd and Hyatt made it only so far before sinking… maybe they should stick to dancing and not swimming!
“I knew the moment we went in the boat we were going to sink, but it was honestly funny and a bit disappointing,” Todd said.
While the other 50% of groups successfully made it across the pool, they weren’t as speedy as the winning group consisting of Kaia Schroeder, Owen Bees, James Gollon, and Anthony Metri with their first attempt making it across the pool in 21 seconds!
“[The key was] the amount of cardboard we used made it successful,” Kaia Schroeder said.
Their sturdy structure visibly had a solid and sturdy amount of cardboard and tape. Not only did they win this year’s boat regatta, but they snuck their way into the top 11 of the all-time boat regatta times. They are tied in 6 places along with Olivia Brown, Azaia Novak, Vince Shell, and Ture Crymnck sneaking their way into 10th place. The best time in previous years was 16 seconds in 2004 by Eric Polet, Mike Zandy, Mike Johncok, and Jason Fuller.
Physics teacher David Hille has been doing the boat regatta for 23 years. He shared with us some of his favorite parts of the races.
“[My favorite part of the regatta is] the fact that everyone is smiling, laughing, and having fun…and it all revolves around physics,” Hille said.
The boat regatta at Lakewood High School is a fun tradition that brings students and teachers together while serving an educational purpose. It sure does bring a smile to everyone involved (except maybe a few whose boat sank), but whether it sank or not, it’s a memorable tradition for the viewers and the swimmers. The excited faces of those racing and reaching the finish line are hard to forget!
