Notre-Dame sails past competition in cardboard boat race

Collège Notre-Dame students captured the gold medal in the regional cardboard boat race competition Nov. 29.

The activity, which was held at the Espanola Recreation Complex, was put on by Skills Canada Ontario, a nation-wide organization whose mission is to awaken student interest in the trades.

It requires each four-student team to design and build a boat during the event. Students were judged on the design and construction quality of their boats, teamwork, organization, security and cleanliness, creativity, team spirit and the speed and resistance of their vessels.

Fifteen teams from nine schools in northern Ontario participated in the competition.

Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario schools captured the top five positions.

The gold medal team scored an almost perfect 99 out of a possible maximum of 100 points for having designed the quickest boat in the competition.

Their boat was also the one that succeeded in carrying the highest load of the day: 685 pounds (311 kilos).

The teams from École secondaire catholique Champlain in Chelmsford won the silver and bronze medals, respectively, a second team from Collège Notre-Dame took fourth, while students from Blind River’s École secondaire catholique Jeunesse-Nord took fifth place.

The gold, silver and bronze medal teams will travel to Waterloo Feb. 21 to participate in the Cardboard Boat Races Provincial Championships.

Posted by Heidi Ulrichsen