The IUPUI Regatta returns to the downtown canal bigger than ever

IUPUI Regatta

The IUPUI Regatta Steering Committee and Student Organization for Alumni Relations announce the fourth annual Regatta, a canoe race on the downtown canal

On Saturday, Sept. 22, the IUPUI Student Organization for Alumni Relations and the IUPUI Alumni Council will hold the fourth annual IUPUI Regatta on the downtown Indianapolis canal. The IUPUI Regatta is a half-mile canoe relay competition involving teams of up to six IUPUI students, faculty/staff and alumni. The race begins at Fairbanks Hall at the north end of the canal at 11th Street and continues down to the Walnut Street basin -- the location of the USS Indianapolis monument -- and back to complete a full half-mile race.

“Our main goal with the IUPUI Regatta is to bring students, alumni, faculty, staff, administration and the greater Indianapolis community together to inspire a stronger community through healthy competition all while collecting funds for a new IUPUI student scholarship," said Benjamin Judge, the executive director of the 2012 IUPUI Regatta. "This year is important because we are finally able to offer a scholarship for a student who exhibits some of the same qualities that make the Regatta great, like involvement in the IUPUI and Indianapolis community and showing campus pride.”

In 2011, about 3,500 participants and spectators attended the Regatta despite dreary weather conditions. The planning committee anticipated 96 teams this year, but after interest grew, the committee increased the number of teams to 112.

“The Regatta is at maximum capacity again this year with 112 teams that will be racing down the downtown canal," said Josh Van Goey, the 2012 IUPUI Regatta director of rules and teams. "With so many teams competing for the Regatta Championship, we anticipate a major increase in attendance this year. The competition is definitely going to be tough, so I am excited to see which team will come out on top.”

The festivities will begin Friday, Sept. 14, with Regatta Week, coordinated by student organizations across campus. This year, Regatta Week includes the IUPUI Day of Caring, an annual campus tradition where teams of IUPUI students, faculty, staff and guests volunteer at nonprofits across greater Indianapolis; Greek Life Battleships, a water balloon fight among IUPUI’s fraternity and sorority community with cardboard battleships; a Beach Volleyball Cookout; and much more.

“Regatta Week is our preview for what is to come race day," said Lindsey Keener, the 2012 IUPUI Regatta director of entertainment. "We have so much in store for this year's entertainment, including local bands like Peter Terry and the City Profits and dance performances by IUPUI dance organizations. We will also have a free photo booth sponsored by Party Reel, so be sure to stop by and show your Regatta pride.

"Other family-oriented activities include the Murat Shrine Clowns, face painting, the annual dog costume contest, and Tony Hoard and his K9 crew. We also have some of the best food vendors in town supporting the Regatta this year including Moe’s Southwest Grill, Edward’s Dashboard Diner and Judge's BBQ.”

With the support of sponsors like Herff Jones, Regal Printing, NUVO Newsweekly, the IUPUI Division of Student Life, IUPUI Housing and Residence Life, and many more, the Regatta continues to grow annually, engaging both the IUPUI and Indianapolis communities while supporting education through the IUPUI Regatta Scholarship Program. The IUPUI Regatta brings the IUPUI campus and Indianapolis community together, which directly reflects IUPUI’s daily connectivity and involvement in the Indianapolis community.

Jayme Little, director of alumni programs and co-advisor to the Regatta Steering Committee, continues to be impressed by the strong leadership and vision demonstrated by IUPUI students in the planning and execution of such a large campus event.

“The strength of the planning committee for the 2012 IUPUI Regatta continues to come from a dedicated and committed student leadership working in close cooperation with IUPUI alumni. They have spent countless hours over the last eight months to build an event for all to enjoy,” Little said. “It is truly a collaborative event involving almost every school and department at IUPUI and has fast become a significant campus and Indianapolis tradition.”

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Established in 2009, the IUPUI Regatta has quickly become a signature event for the IUPUI campus. The IUPUI Regatta is coordinated and hosted by the Regatta Steering Committee, the Student Organization for Alumni Relations and the IUPUI Alumni Council. The purpose of the event is to create a high-energy campus tradition that involves both the campus and Indianapolis community while benefiting an IUPUI student scholarship. 

The Student Organization for Alumni Relations, or SOAR, was formed on the IUPUI campus in 1996 in order to increase student awareness of IUPUI alumni activities and programs. SOAR's mission is to serve students past, present and future at IUPUI and serve as the official IUPUI Campus Ambassadors. The Regatta Steering Committee consists of members of SOAR as well as other campus leaders and IUPUI alumni who volunteer their time and talents to continue the success and tradition of the Regatta Experience.