Deans to set sail in Cardboard Boat Regatta, ‘most rooting for’ McKaig

Whether they sink or float, Deans Dick McKaig, Bob Goodman and Stephen Watt will hit the water of the IU Outdoor Pool on Friday in cardboard contraptions – all for a good cause.

The Council for Advancing Student Leadership’s eighth annual Cardboard Boat Regatta will feature the first-ever Dean’s Challenge today, where the three deans will race each other in boats constructed entirely of cardboard and duct tape.

“We wanted to watch him float across the pool in a cardboard box,” Watt said of competitor and colleague McKaig, the dean of students.

The event is a collaborative effort between the council and its counterpart, the Center for Student Leadership Development in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation.

CSLD director Deb Getz said she hopes the dean division will become a tradition of the Regatta.

McKaig, HPER Dean Goodman and Watt, an associate dean in the College of Arts and Sciences, each said they were excited and have every intention of winning.

“I’m going to try to beat the other deans by whatever means necessary,” Goodman said with a laugh.

He might have some stiff competition – Watt has been swimming with the IU Masters Swim Club for 23 years.

“I’m hoping that will give me the edge,” he said. “I’m planning on winning. I’m taking on all deans.”

McKaig has said he sees this year as his victory lap. And this fifth-year senior wants to get in as many experiences as he can before his retirement next year.

“I’ve gone to the Cardboard Regatta for years and seen others do it, so I can’t leave without having that experience also,” said McKaig, who has his own strategy for victory. “I’m certainly not an avid swimmer. I’m more like an anchor. ... I’m going to try to figure out how to put on an outboard motor.”

And he might be the crowd favorite.

“That’s ultimately who I’m pretty sure most people are rooting for,” said senior Anne Berning, president of CASL.

Proceeds from the race go to the annual Top Ten Student Leaders Scholarship.

“I can’t think of a better cause than supporting scholarships,” Goodman said. “It really affects students across campus, not just HPER students.”

CASL will build the boats and provide paddles and life jackets for the deans, Getz said.

“I’m sure these highly-skilled yachtsmen and yachtswomen are up to the task, and I’m putting myself in their hands,” Watt said. “I’m wearing my swimsuit just in case.”

All other entrants are responsible for their own construction.

“In the past, we’ve had some pretty elaborate designs,” Berning said, listing a dragon and a Nike shoe as two more memorable watercrafts.

While there is no standard dress code or uniform, the deans, at least, have their own standard.

“I’m certainly not going to wear a Speedo. The point is not to scare people away,” Goodman said.

While McKaig won’t be around for the next Regatta, the other deans said they’d be up for round two next year.

“As long as I don’t drown this year, I’ll be doing it every year,” Goodman said.