Teamwork and Tape: Kappa, ZBT, and Color Guard’s Path to Regatta Victory

Maddie Psomas - Contributing Writer

A long-standing homecoming tradition, the boat regatta brings teams from a variety of fraternities, sororities, and student clubs together to design and race handmade boats crafted from cardboard and other limited materials.

Held in the Huff Athletic Center’s natatorium, teams are judged based on their boat's performance with an emphasis on speed and buoyancy. Many boats sink mid-race as they fill with water or fall apart under participants’ weight. This year was no different; several boats began to collapse or fill with water before reaching the finish line.

“This event is always a lot of fun and brings the whole campus together,” said Reese Hicks, a senior member of Kappa Kappa Gamma and veteran regatta participant. “It’s a great way to celebrate homecoming, and we’re really proud of how our team came together this year.”

Kappa Kappa Gamma, alongside Color Guard and Zeta Beta Tau (ZBT), claimed first place.

Hicks attributed their win to the detailed design changes made to their boat. “We’ve been close to winning before, but we realized we needed to make the boat more durable and better equipped to handle the water,” Hicks said.

They increased the height of the boat to keep out water, a recurring challenge for many teams. “The taller structure helped prevent the boat from getting swamped, which is usually the biggest problem,” said Hicks. Additionally, they used two layers of cardboard and reinforced it with duct tape, significantly strengthening the vessel’s integrity.

The level of preparation was months in the making. “We started planning the changes last year after coming in second, so we came into this year with a clear idea of what needed to be done,” Hicks said.