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As members of each team in today's 19th annual Cardboard Boat Regatta strapped on their orange life jackets and grabbed their oars, they hoped to stay afloat and make a qualifying time to get into the finals.
The 46 boats made their way around two buoys at Lake Ellyn and through the 200 yard course, but not all boats made it past the finish line before sinking.
The cardboard boats were designed to look like sharks, giraffes and pencils, to name a few, but it was "Made in the USA," a huge boat fashioned to look like a Harley-Davidson road bike, that finished with the fastest time for the adult finals.
Jim Craig, a Glen Ellyn resident and team captain for "Made in the USA," has participated in the cardboard boat regatta for 12 years. He said the large Harley-Davidson cardboard boat held eight men and took roughly 350 hours to build.
"We like to make the boat creative… but also to compete," he said, "and we want to encourage the kids."
Team member Pete Felske, of Wheaton, who also raced with Made in the USA said in previous years, the group has made boats resembling a dog sled and a log.
The Cardboard Boat Regatta is run by the Glen Ellyn Park District; however it was originally started by the Glen Ellyn Fourth of July committee.
Jim Rasins, the committee's treasurer, said he's been involved with the group for over 20 years, and was around when the boat regatta was first started.
"For the first year there were only about 10 boats," he said.
The idea to host the cardboard boat regatta came from a graduate of Southern Illinois University who was on the committee.
"There was a design instructor at SIU who had a (cardboard boat regatta) as a class project… and it expanded to the whole school," Rasins said.
When the SIU grad brought the idea of a cardboard boat regatta to the Fourth of July committee, Rasins said he was pretty skeptical at first.
"I voted against it that first year… thank God I was overruled," he said. "The committee hosted it for four to five years, but then it just got so big we turned it over to the park district."
Since that first race 19 years ago, the event has grown into a huge community event for Glen Ellyn residents — as well as residents from neighboring communities — to showcase their creativity and skills, because the race is not always about winning with the fastest time, but also about the looks.
As members of each team in today's 19th annual Cardboard Boat Regatta strapped on their orange life jackets and grabbed their oars, they hoped to stay afloat and make a qualifying time to get into the finals.
The 46 boats made their way around two buoys at Lake Ellyn and through the 200 yard course, but not all boats made it past the finish line before sinking.
The cardboard boats were designed to look like sharks, giraffes and pencils, to name a few, but it was "Made in the USA," a huge boat fashioned to look like a Harley-Davidson road bike, that finished with the fastest time for the adult finals.
Jim Craig, a Glen Ellyn resident and team captain for "Made in the USA," has participated in the cardboard boat regatta for 12 years. He said the large Harley-Davidson cardboard boat held eight men and took roughly 350 hours to build.
"We like to make the boat creative… but also to compete," he said, "and we want to encourage the kids."
Team member Pete Felske, of Wheaton, who also raced with Made in the USA said in previous years, the group has made boats resembling a dog sled and a log.
The Cardboard Boat Regatta is run by the Glen Ellyn Park District; however it was originally started by the Glen Ellyn Fourth of July committee.
Jim Rasins, the committee's treasurer, said he's been involved with the group for over 20 years, and was around when the boat regatta was first started.
"For the first year there were only about 10 boats," he said.
The idea to host the cardboard boat regatta came from a graduate of Southern Illinois University who was on the committee.
"There was a design instructor at SIU who had a (cardboard boat regatta) as a class project… and it expanded to the whole school," Rasins said.
When the SIU grad brought the idea of a cardboard boat regatta to the Fourth of July committee, Rasins said he was pretty skeptical at first.
"I voted against it that first year… thank God I was overruled," he said. "The committee hosted it for four to five years, but then it just got so big we turned it over to the park district."
Since that first race 19 years ago, the event has grown into a huge community event for Glen Ellyn residents — as well as residents from neighboring communities — to showcase their creativity and skills, because the race is not always about winning with the fastest time, but also about the looks.
"We like to make things that surprise people and don't look like boats," Craig said.
Finishing results (based on time)
In the Legends division, which is for boat-builders with five or more years of experience, the adult group winners were Made in the USA: Jim Craig, Bill Bickhart, Jim Owens, Pete Felske, Paul Heggeland, Pat Roche, Mark Tucker and Kelly Brady. The youth winners in the Legends division were Terror of the Lake: Joshua Delamater, Jacob Holan, Janelle Standinger and Joey Velazquez.
In the Yachtsmen division, which is for boat builders with less than five years of experience, the Skittle boat took home first place for the youth group. The Skittle boat teammates were Maggie Bickhart, Will Bickhart, Evan Roche, Haleigh Van Wagner, Sean Reid and Jake Kislosky. The Easy Rower Team Extreme III took home first place for the adult group. Easy Rower Team Extreme III crew members were Brad Carlson, Mark Ick, Eric Maaske, Mike Smid, Matt Baker, Glenn Ranchero, Darryl White and Mike Kornak.
And in the Schooner division, which is for first-time boat builders, The "B" Team won first place for the youth group, with crew members being Michael Kellenberger and Ryan Holm. Pride of America won in the adult group, with crew members Steve Rossignol and Dan Kelly.
The judges also gave a special award to Made in the USA for the best looking boat.
