11th Annual Boat Regatta makes big splash at Scott Published Aug. 17, 2018 By Airman 1st Class Chad Gorecki 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- The “Air Force Ballers” from the 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs went home with the prize for fastest time at the 375th Force Support Squadron’s Outdoor Recreation’s 11th Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta Aug. 10 with a recorded time of 1 minute and 56 seconds. The regatta featured 16 teams from various units at Scott testing their ingenuity and competing for multiple categories, including top three fastest times, most creative design, best dressed team and support staff, and the dramatic fastest sinking boat. “I kind of had tunnel vision,” said Airman 1st class Kylie Walker, 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs broadcast journalist. “At the beginning of the race I was more concerned with where people were, but once we got going and got in our rhythm and groove, I lost track of everybody else.” The main goal of the boat regatta was to get different squadrons on base connecting and having fun. “It’s just something that gets squadrons to do something other than their day to day stuff,” said Petot, 375th FSS ODR recreation specialist. “To come together and have fun and cool off. It’s to make sure everybody is having fun, improving morale on the base and getting people together to have a good time.” Petot said the Regatta is exciting because there is kind of an adrenaline rush that comes from not knowing if your boat is going to make it. “Especially as the boat starts to sink and you feel it sinking down underneath you and it’s like no, don’t go!” said Petot. “There’s definitely that heart pounding element added to it and it makes it really enjoyable and makes people have a lot of fun with it.” The boat regatta is a great way for Scott members to connect with each other and for new Airmen at Scott working and living with new people to interact with them in a fun and creative way. “It’s for getting comfortable with the people you’re around and getting comfortable enough to act silly,” said Petot. “It was really cool to see everyone from the wing of all ranks and all different jobs come together and cheering for their teams,” said Airman 1st Class Tara Stetler, 375th AMW PA photojournalist. Petot said the ability for Scott members to come together to build a boat for the regatta says a lot about their teamwork, troubleshooting, and creative abilities. “It definitely shows their ability to think outside of their ‘cardboard’ boxes,” said Petot. 11th Annual Cardboard Boat Regatta winners: Placed Teams: 1st Place = Team “PA1” in Boat “Air Force Ballers” from 375th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs. Time: 1:56:56 2nd Place = Team “Rooks” in Boat “Wee’z Here” from 837 Cyber Operations Squadron. Time: 2:16:11 3rd Place = Team “Can’t Fly Without Supply” in Boat “Hercules” from 436th Supply Chain Operation Squadron Time: 2:45:43 Judged categories Most Creative Boat: Team “Rooks” in “Wee’z Here” Best Dressed: Team “Cookie Monster” in “The Lactose Tolerance” Most Dramatic Sinking: Team “Dino” in “Jurassic”