What: Rice Design Alliance's "Anything That Floats" Competition.
Where: Sesquicentennial Park.
The 411: With flowing ingenuity, much elbow grease and a little good luck, young professionals attempted to defy the laws of gravity as the sink and swim "Anything That Floats" competition flooded Buffalo Bayou with teams trying to keep their heads above water — literally. Using building materials donated by Gilbane and D.E. Harvey Builders, it was up to each of the seven teams to glue, hammer, screw and tape a makeshift keel out of plywood, PVC pipes, pipe insulation, vapor barrier sheets, five-gallon buckets and plastic gallon jugs.
The rules are simple: Whoever stays afloat the longest wins. Judges Katherine Whaley of KHOU, Rice Design Alliance board member Carrie Glassman Shoemake of Glassman Shoemake Maldonado Architects and Matt Baumgarten of the SWA Group had the fun task of naming the winners and awarding bonus points — think extra seconds on the clock — for those who crafted a working sail or used three or fewer materials.
With a total time of one minute and 18 seconds, four-time competition vets and smarty pants Mark Smith and Mark Danna emerged victorious.
Who: Nathan McGraw, Jennifer Vu, Joshua Avalos, Oscar Valdez, Dylan Sims, Sean Carney, Michael Digman, Omar Garcia, Leanna Gatlin, Kiel Hockett, Kevin Vega, Alan Bunker, Mary Beth Woiccak, Allyn West, Sean Cowan, Kansas Sartin, Emily Winters and event chair Chris Hill.
Jessica Supinski, left, and Christine Merrill.
