Fisher Regatta

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‘Favorite day of the year’

This year’s Fisher Regatta set records in a series of categories: temperatures, fun and attendance.

Fisher Hall hosted the annual regatta last weekend, the most outrageous dorm event at Notre Dame.

The regatta, held on St. Mary’s lake at Notre Dame, is a one-on-one boat-racing tournament. Each boat entered must be homemade.

“This is my favorite day of the year by far,” Charley Berno said. “Everyone has a great time being outside, watching the races, and hanging out together.”

A resident of Fisher Hall, Berno said that he and his fellow hall-mates look forward to the regatta all year long.

Drawing over a thousand spectators, people lined the shore of St. Mary’s lake to enjoy the free food, music, and catch a glimpse of the racing boats.

Most dorms enter at least one boat to race in the regatta. Non-dorm boats may compete as well.

Susan Nichols, a resident of Pangborn Hall, helped build a boat for the event last year.

“Our boat won last year, so it was an especially exciting year for Pangborn,” Nichols said.

Fisher Hall took the victory last Sunday. Four “Fishermen,” residents of Fisher Hall, who rowed their hearts out for the win, drove their speedy plywood canoe.

“Winning the regatta is a big deal for us,” Jack Souter said. “This is the first victory for Fisher Hall since 1992. I am beyond proud.”

The second Fisher Hall boat was a raft supported by hollow pylons that supported the raft. Five residents of Fisher Hall steered the raft from the North shore of the lake to the West shore finish line.

“This was my first year actually riding in a boat, or on the raft I guess,” Garrity McOsker said. “It was crazy. The boat felt like it was sinking and we had to try and balance it from every side.”

The regatta brought out all different types of boats, constructed with materials ranging from Styrofoam to wood to plastic to concrete.

Many of the boats even capsized in the water, leaving the students to swim their boats to the shore.

“The water is pretty nasty,” Jasmine Moxley, a freshman spectator, said. “I would definitely not want to be riding in one of the boats. The water looks cold too!”

The day, however, was beautiful. One of the first sunny days to hit South Bend in springtime, Saturday’s regatta was scheduled for the perfect day.

“This year, the weather made a huge difference,” Chase Mlarnik, a Fisher Hall junior, said. “Last year the rain was too bad. The regatta is always fun, but the sunshine made it an especially great day.

Notre Dame students flocked outside to enjoy the sunshine, and this meant record attendance for the 2013 regatta.

Music was blasting from a DJ booth behind the lake, and students took advantage of the opportunity to dance and hang out, enjoying the scene.

Allie Gerspach, a sophomore in Welsh Family Hall, said this day felt like what college should be like all the time.

“It feels like summer and I love being here with all of my friends enjoying the party,” she said. “This is my first time at the regatta, but I am already counting down until next year.”

In fact, the Fisher Regatta has been placed on ESPN’s list of Top 100 College Events. The legendary day is filled with good food, fun boat races, loud music, and marks the beginning of Spring for Notre Dame students.

One thing is for sure, the Fisher Regatta is a signature student event that Notre Dame undergrads don't want to miss.