Rowers rowed their boats while a crowd cheered for them at the cardboard boat race as part of the Residents On Campus Fest on Thursday.

The winners of the race were Stevenson, Weller, and Lincoln Hall respectively in order from first to third.

Morgan Blackmore, a junior communication studies major and National and Illinois Communication Coordinator for the Residence Hall Association, said she was happy with the amount of people who came to the event.

“I’m excited to see who wins,” Blackmore said.

Drew King, a sophomore kinesiology and sports studies major and rower for Stevenson Hall, said it felt great to achieve first place in the race.

“(I was thinking) please God don’t let this boat collapse in this cold water,” King said.

King said he felt safe riding in the boat, which he did not fall out of while riding.

Shane Witzki, junior psychology major and pusher for Stevenson Hall, said they felt confident in their strategy of moving slowly and staying balanced.

“It was a nice system and it worked very well,” Witzki said.

Megan Schaffter, a senior elementary education major and rower for Stevenson Hall, said she was positive that they would not go down.

“I wasn’t very nervous because we just made sure we went slow and steady,” Schaffter said.

The first rower for Stevenson was senior kinesiology and sports studies major Gerard Ganshirt. None of the Stevenson Hall rowers fell out of their boat, while some of the other halls’ rowers did.

Bethany Houda, a freshman kinesiology and sports studies major and rower for Weller Hall, said she was telling herself not to sink before going into the boat.

“It was a fun experience to get involved and have fun hall bonding,” Houda said. “I’m happy we got second place.”

Madelyn Brost, a freshman communication studies major and rower for Weller Hall, said she was nervous about going into the boat after her teammate.

“When I got on the boat, it was fun,” Brost said.

Madisyn Garner, a freshman psychology major and rower for Weller Hall, said she feared tipping over in the boat and disappointing her team.

At the start of the race and throughout, there were rowers who fell out of their boat. There were some rowers who tried to get back in their boats and others who decided to swim with it.

Ryan Alderman, junior kinesiology and sports studies major and rower for Thomas Hall, said he tipped over, but he took a dive into the water before the race started to test it out.

“Our boat flipped in the beginning and it was heavy to carry it,” Alderman said. “Pulling the boat after going into the water was probably the hardest part.”

Parker Park, a sophomore marketing major and rower for Thomas Hall, said the water was cold and the bottom was muddy when he fell out of his boat.

“My friend pushed me and as I went into the water, the boat and I lost balance and I flipped,” Park said. “I was so embarrassed but I still had fun.”

The boat relay race was the last event the RHA scheduled for their annual ROC Fest.

The last of the panther babies hidden by the RHA executive board were hidden Thursday night after the boat relay race.

Alex Seidler can be reached at 581-2812 or at ajseidler@eiu.edu