Dearborn Recreation Department employees Andrea Gomez (front left) and Lela Lofton, both of Dearborn, pilot “Lucky” to a first-place finish during the the city employees race during the cardboard boat regatta Feb. 21 in the lap pool at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Piloting the “Powers Pirates” in the adult and child race are sisters Leona Powers, 7, and Alaina Powers, 21, of Dearborn, who received a first Dolphin Award during the cardboard boat regatta Feb. 21 in the lap pool at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – In a deliberate break from winter, the Recreation Department held its annual Cardboard Boat Regatta Feb. 21 in the lap pool at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Four races were held: adult and child, teens, adults only, and city employees.
Not all of the boats proved seaworthy. Contenders have learned that liberal use of duct tape and the careful weight distribution of passengers contribute to a winning ride, as does the use of kayak paddles.
Winners in the adult and child race were: first place “Power Pirates,” with sisters Leona Powers, 7, and Alaina Powers, 21; second place “James 2000,” with Arriana Blake and her brother James Gripper, 6; and third place “Ramadan Mubarak,” with Sukainah Alabbasi, 8, and her father, Karar Alabbasi.
Winners of the teen race were: first place “Shark Merman” with brothers Caleb Stolman, 15, and Aaron Stolman, 12; and the second place winners, “Lightning McQueen” with Kyla Foreman, 13, and Harper Hamilton, 13.
The adult race found Megan Cook, 38, of Dearborn successfully defending her title.
The city employees race found “Lucky,” piloted by Recreation Department employees Lela Lofton and Andrea Gomez, in first place.
The Medusa Award went to city lifeguards Khaled Amro, Casey Sullivan, Wafi Ahmed, Mo Alshakdary and Ryan Brown.
Samantha Montoya, assistant recreation supervisor for aquatics, said this is the fourth year that the city has held a cardboard boat regatta, and this year featured four categories and 10 registered teams.
Montoya said it’s a fun test of skill and teamwork to see what will actually work.
“Honestly, I think it’s a balance between leak-proof and weight balance,” she said.
Montoya said the city supplies some cardboard, and teams can supply their own as well. The city also supplies two rolls of duct tape, though many entrants purchase and use more to seal their boat.
She said they may not use wood, nails, Styrofoam or glitter, but pool noodles are acceptable.
“I hope they all had fun,” Montoya said.
Sukainah Alabbasi (left), 8, and her father, Karar Alabbasi, receive the third place Titanic Award for their vessel “Ramadan Mubarak” during the adult and child race of the cardboard boat regatta Feb. 21 in the lap pool at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
She said the one year she participated in the race, her team’s craft flipped during launch.
Lofton, city employee and participant, who has raced for four years, said they’ve honed their craft with more duct tape and by making a bigger boat.
She said the year they had a small boat, it sank immediately.
Lofton said the secret to getting from one end of the pool to the other is “sheer brute force.”
“We just go and whatever feels right, and we try to stay in our lane,” she said.
Lofton said they used five rolls of duct tape to seal their boat this year.
“It is so much fun,” she said. “It sounds weird, but once you start building the boat and putting that effort into it and then getting into racing the other boats, it’s just so much fun.”
She was excited to win a race in her fourth year of trying.
Facility Coordinator Teddy Shaskas said it’s a great event for the children, and their faces showed that they had a great time.
He said it also brings out the inner child in the adult participants.
Shaskas said taping seams tightly is important to keep the vessel from leaking and sinking, and the best paddles are those that are sturdy.
For more information about activities at the Community & Performing Arts Center, go to the city’s website.
Contestants prepare to launch for the cardboard boat regatta adult and child race Feb. 21 in the lap pool at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Not all of the vessels proved seaworthy during the cardboard boat regatta Feb. 21 in the lap pool at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Harper Hamilton (left), 13, and Kyla Foreman, 13, both of Detroit, pilot the “Lightning McQueen” to a second place Van Gogh Award finish in the teen race against first place Dolphin Award winners Caleb Stolman, 15, and Aaron Stolman, 12, during the cardboard boat regatta Feb. 21 in the lap pool at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
First place Dolphin Award winners Caleb Stolman, 15, (left), and Aaron Stolman, 12, celebrate their win in the teen race, during the cardboard boat regatta Feb. 21 in the lap pool at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
Megan Cook, 38, of Dearborn pilots the “Ft. Dearborn” to a first place Dolphin Award finish in the adult race during the cardboard boat regatta Feb. 21 in the lap pool at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.
James Gripper, 6, receives a helping hand as he exits the “James 2000” after the adult and child race, for which he and his sister, Ariana Blakes, received the second place Van Gogh Award during the cardboard boat regatta Feb. 21 in the lap pool at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.