At Murray State, some organizations have to raise their own money to pay for their expenses. To fundraise for itself, the Murray State rowing team hosted a cardboard boat race Thursday.
“A couple years ago one of our team members had entered a cardboard boat race held by a fraternity,” said Matthew Fischer, senior from Evansville, Ind. “ She brought it up in one of our meetings as an interesting proposal for an event.”
The first entry cost $50 but if a team wished to race more than one boat they only had to pay an additional $20 per boat.
Only two team members were allowed to race the boat with paddles. No additional help was allowed, such as using floatation devices to keep the boat afloat.
While teams could use cardboard and tape to make their boats, there were rules. For example, teams were not allowed to wrap the boats in plastic to keep the water out. They were also forbidden to push off from the bottom of the pool or cover the boats with paint or water sealant. They also had to make sure the boats could fit in the Carr Health Building doorway.
At the start of the race, team members were allowed to steady the boat while their two rowers got in.
The race was in the Carr Health Building and the top three finishers left with prize money.
The first place winner received $100, the second place winner was given $75 and the third place winner received $50.
There was another award for the team with the most dramatic boat sink called the Titanic award.
Story by Brandon Cash, Staff writer