On April 17-18, Kinney Natatorium was transformed into a battlefield for current students, faculty, and even newly-admitted students. Activities & Campus Events (ACE) and Outdoor Education & Leadership (OEL) co-sponsored Canoe Battleship. Teams of four to five members boarded canoes armed with buckets, water guns, and shields. The team’s mission was to sink its opponents’ canoes before they were sunk themselves. While attempting to keep the boat afloat, the teams were bombarded with water fired from supersoakers or thrown by buckets. As the canoe filled with water, it became harder to balance and one person could tip the entire canoe by leaning a little too far.

On April 17, the teams were divided into two groups and given a letter, A or B. The groups were then alternated to allow all teams a chance to participate multiple times. Each team had the chance to play three times and conquer its round. During the last round, everyone was encouraged to jump into a canoe. During the competition on April 18, the teams were required to register and were placed into brackets to fight to become the overall champion.

“The event was a resounding success—we had the highest turnout yet with over 40 teams between the two nights and over 130 participants. Additionally, we had over 20 admitted students and their families come and watch,” ACE President Anthony Carno ’15 said. 

Battles were won and canoes were sunk, but the two-night competition provided fun and excitement for all participants and spectators. The winner of Canoe Battleship was team Aquaholics with J.T. Ferrara ’16, Aakash Shah ’16, Alec Creta ’16, and Fallon Foster.