CRESTLINE — It’s been nearly a decade since Austin Strause tested his luck in a cardboard boat.
He revisited that high school project Wednesday during the 3rd Annual Mike Cauley Cardboard Boat Regatta, hosted by Colonel Crawford High School.
A 2017 graduate of Colonel Crawford, Strause now works as an industrial tech teacher at his alma mater. After watching his own students compete, he hopped into cardboard boat for the administrator’s race.
Strause’s students chanted from the sidelines as he rowed past Jason Knight, the principal of Crestline High School, in the high school pool.
Knight arrived at the finish line seconds after Strause, who was declared the winner after some deliberation — his boat flipped right near the finish line.
While the administrators race ends the yearly competition, it’s high school students who spent the majority of time in the pool.
Wednesday’s competition included about 40 teams of high school students. Competitors hailed from Buckeye Central, Colonel Crawford, Crestline, Galion, Lucas and Pioneer Career and Technology Center (CTC).
“It started out as just Pioneer satellite programs,” Pioneer Supt. Greg Nickoli said. “Over the course of the first couple of years, some of the other area schools that had engineering programs wanted to join.”
“It’s great way to take a project from concept to design,” he added. “It teaches the principles really well and it’s a lot of fun.”
The regatta has been around for at least a decade. It was later renamed in honor of the late Michael Cauley. Cauley taught industrial arts at Colonel Crawford for more than 40 years and helped found the regatta.
Each team had to build and race their own cardboard vessel. Strause said the process is a good educational opportunity for students because it gets them out of their comfort zone.
“A lot of students just do what they’re told all day,” Strause said. “I try to give them the least amount of teaching on it and they have to figure it out. It’s a lot of problem solving.”
Crestline won team competition
On race day, three different team members had to row their boat one pool-length. Some teams managed to make the journey. Others watched as their boats flipped or filled with water.
“We love that they get to test their product at the end,” said Matt Parr, who supervises Pioneer’s satellite programs.
“A lot are going to learn more from failure, but that’s still a great thing. We want the kids to learn so those that will be participating again next year will be able to think it through and think ‘Okay, this is how I need to improve it.'”
Teams competed for awards in speed, engineering, creativity and buoyancy. The heaviest teams to complete the race with their boat in tact win the buoyancy awards.
Crestline earned the most team points, securing the traveling oar trophy for a second consecutive year.
“It feels good to see the kids succeed, knowing how much effort they put into it,” said Joe Slone, Pioneer’s satellite engineering instructor in Crestline.
Sophomore Anna Baker, whose team won first place in the engineering category, said the key to a good boat is a lot of duct tape. Her favorite part of the project was the race.
“I like all the suspense,” she said.
Logan Gerger, Brayden Winemiller and Kody Lawhorn, a trio of freshman from Crestline, clinched a first place win for fastest boat.
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