Have you ever wanted to sink your friend’s canoe? Now is the time to try it.
On Friday, Dec. 11, Campus Recreation Services (CRS) will host its semi-annual canoe battleship tournament at the Student Life Center.
Campus Recreation Services is billing this event as a fun way to de-stress before heading into finals week and the end of the semester, and its website invites students to come and “sink the competition.”
Matt McCarthy, CRS intramural and sport clubs manager, said it is an event open to all, and anyone with a valid campus recreation membership can participate. Students automatically have a membership. Their friends or significant others, as well as faculty and staff, can purchase one.
For those who have never witnessed or participated in a game of canoe battleship, picture a group of canoes with three or four people in each and a lot of splashing. Armed with buckets, team members work to pour water into competitor’s boats while blocking incoming water with provided shields. Participants should note that it is illegal to bail water out of one’s own canoe.
“The event is not difficult at all,” said McCarthy. “We have staff in the water maneuvering the boats, so all a participant has to do is throw water at their opponents. It’s a great event for anyone.”
Alex Wilson, a sophomore in chemical engineering, participated in canoe battleship last year and enjoyed the event. While he found some aspects challenging, he said the sport has “minimal anxiety.”
Though “pouring hundreds of gallons of water while trying to balance in a canoe” was “quite the workout,” Wilson said. “It was just a lot of fun, and I remember laughing basically the whole time.”
McCarthy said canoe battleship began at the U in 2013 after the sport’s success at other universities. The event was previously held in the HPER Natatorium. It has been fairly successful at the U and has been held regularly since.
Last year 14 teams signed up to play, and 55 people total participated. McCarthy said he hopes to see even more compete in the tournament this year.
Registration opened for this event Monday, Nov. 23 and will close Monday, Dec. 7 at 11:59 p.m. The tournament will take place from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Dec. 11. To sign up for a canoe battleship team, visit IMLeagues.com, where you can find a complete rules handbook.
@NikiVenugopal