Students from Team RUSH have a lot to do in less than a month as they prepare for the sixth annual Rush Regatta set for July 27.
The annual regatta breaks the students into eight teams of 3-4 people as they design, build and race a boat made out of cardboard and duct tape on Deer Lake.
“We relay against each other,” said junior Cameron Razdar. “They might sink. They might float. But everyone has a lot of fun.”
A few changes were made to this year’s regatta which will make it not only interesting for the audience but for the team members as they design the boat.
One of the changes is size of the boats. Last year the winner was a quick boat at about 20 feet long. This year the size requirement is 4-foot by 5-foot.
“We are a little bit restricted as far as size,” admitted senior Matt Pasco. “For some people who want to build a big boat and have a lot of people they will have people crammed into the small space. The size requirement is really going to change how the race is going to go and and how you build your boat.”
“It could be beneficial,” Razdar added, “to some teams who try to do too much. They won’t try to overload themselves.”
Another change is the regatta will have a relay, senior Shelby Hopper explained.
“This year you have to get out of the boat and someone has to get into the boat,” she added.
“It’s going to be way more exciting,” senior Ryan Hopper smiled.
It will make the design more challenging as they design their boats. They have to factor in people jumping in and out. They also have to keep in mind added water being brought into the boat during the relay.
“The boat might breakdown,” said senior Jessica Vedrody. “It will be harder to keep it dry.”
“I personally think the calculations for the boat for how much water displacement there will be so how far it sinks down will be needed precisely,” Razdar explained. “That could factor in if they can get in and out of the boat at check point and how far it is from the shore. It could be a huge factor in time.”
Pasco’s team has already sketched their boat on paper and started a CAD file. Razdar and Vedrody’s team have made a smaller model of their boat out of cardboard.
They also work together as a team find local businesses to sponsor them. The money goes towards Team RUSH.
Team #1 with Rasdar and Vedrody networked at the Clarkston Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing to meet more people.
Vedrody added it is great local businesses show their support every year for the regatta.
“It brings everything onto a community level,? she smiled. ‘They can see what we are doing.?
“It is really cool when our sponsors come to the beach when we are racing,” added Shelby. “They can see the boats. We can talk to them and thank them.”
The students are also accepting donations of duct tape, liquid nails, cardboard and paint and can be dropped off at Clarkston High School at CSMTech Academy.
For anyone not in Team RUSH and wants to race a cardboard boat, they have the Typhoon Division. There is an entry fee and entrants can win prize money.
RUSH Regatta is set for July 27 at Deer Lake Beach, 350 White Lake Road, 12 p.m.
For more information or to enter the Typhoon Division, please visit www.teamrush27.net or email info@teamrush27.net.