Last Wednesday, Oct. 19, Rowan student clubs and organizations all came together to compete in the school’s annual Homecoming Battleship event. Battleship is a unique competition, where four students from each participating club fight to sink one another’s canoes in the Rec Center pool. Each team is given an oar to steer, a shield to block water from entering, and two buckets to push water into the boats of other teams.
This year, 24 teams showed their Homecoming spirit by coming down to the Rec Center and doing their best to take home the title of first place. In each round, four of the teams went head-to-head to try and stay afloat. The winner of each round moved on to the next until two remain to see which ship sinks first.
The event was highly anticipated by teams and fans alike.
“It’s exciting… it’s high energy the whole time and it’s definitely something that Campus Rec looks forward to as a department because we host the whole event,” said Drew D’Elia, the assistant director of Sport Clubs and Student Development. “It’s great just to see all the student organizations supporting themselves. It’s a good indicator of the fun of Homecoming week.”
Nyindu Kabangu Jr., the Graduate Coordinator of Intramural Sports & Special Events, organized and led the event. He credited a lot of the event’s success to the teamwork and cooperation of the staff.
“Our intramural sports staff and aquatics staff are the ones that make the event as great as it is. From their suggestions to their willingness to be in the pool while getting splashed left and right, they do a great job in making the event run smoothly,” Kabangu said. “It is also awesome to watch everyone from the participants to the crowd to the judges and staff have so much fun. Seeing all the smiling faces and laughter is the best part of leading the event.”
The support that students got from one another was very evident, as club members and friends came out to support their friends. In the final championship round, the Rowan Men’s Ultimate Frisbee Team faced off against the Rowan Club Swimming team, where they fought to stay afloat and sink the swimming team’s boat, taking home first place this year.
“After winning third place last year, we were really excited to get back out there and try and win this time around,” said Rowan Men’s Ultimate Frisbee player Joseph Prancl. “We did it, with a whole bunch of our friends right behind us backing us the whole way through.”
The team made it clear that as their teammates competed, they would be there for them through the entire competition. They cheered and supported each other from the sidelines with each round.
The competition this year was high energy and competitive. Students embodied the school spirit that Homecoming week is all about. Whether students were competing or just cheering on their friends, the event was full of support for one another, and bonding between the different clubs and organizations.
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