Students, teachers and parents flocked to "Lake Buccaneer" on the campus of Boyd-Buchanan School on Wednesday afternoon to witness the 19th annual Physics Boat Races.
The event, which consists of teams of senior physics students racing square boats constructed out of nothing more than cardboard, duct tape and paint, has become a school tradition and draws wide attention.
Seventh-grader Tyler Young, a student at Boyd-Buchanan since kindergarten, said he looks forward to the event every year.
"It's fun to see what the high-schoolers come up with, who wins, who sinks," Young said. "There's always at least one."
Hayley Boggs sinks immediately upon launch as Boyd-Buchanan students participate in the 19th annual Physics Boat Day on Wednesday, May 6, 2015, in Chattanooga. Calvin Conn, left, and David Zumbrun watch from their boat. This year, there was no shortage of flair among the teams. There was a group of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, a galley of Roman legionaries in red togas, even the "Dukes of Hazzard."
Calvin Conn and David Zumbrun, dressed as Luke and Bo Duke, respectively, painted their boat bright orange, a nod to the Duke boys' "General Lee" Dodge Charger. Like most of the student teams, Conn and Zumbrun weren't sure if their boat would float. Nevertheless, they were confident in their calculations.
"We're very confident," Conn said. "That's why we're going out there with jeans on."
The event, created 19 years ago by then-student Jason Owens and his physics teacher Nancy Caldwell, isn't just for fun. It counts as a test grade, and the teams have to keep a journal of their calculations, schematics, budget, building materials and descriptions of their build process. In addition to the race, each boat has to prove its buoyancy by holding all team members and at least one teacher.
Owens, now the school's physics teacher, said the project is about outside-the-box learning and having fun.
"It's fun getting the students working on something outside the classroom," he said. "They get to see if their designs actually work. It's fun to watch them engineer and get outside of the test."
When all was said and done, the Roman galley outpaced the competition by a long shot, and the Duke boys' calculations proved out, with their General Lee winning the physics award for most seaworthy boat.
After Owens declared the winners, things devolved as the galley ratcheted up to ramming speed and took out a few flagging vessels that were half-sunk sitting ducks. Legionary Caleb Davis explained his team's rationale afterward.
"You don't build a battleship not to go to war," he said.
Contact Will Healey at whealey@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731.