KOKOMO, Ind. Cougar spirit was on full display at one of the biggest events of the year at IUPUI.
A team from Indiana University Kokomo’s Women in Business (WIB) student organization represented the campus Saturday (Sept. 24) at the IUPUI Regatta, an annual canoe race and festival in downtown Indianapolis on the canal.
“I think it’s important for us to be represented at events like these, to show how big our little campus is,” said Ginger Slisher, who, along with Alexis Pier, Brianna Smitley and Elizabeth Smith, participated in the team, with Lia. Roudebush also practicing with them.
“I know the other campuses are a lot bigger, so it’s good that we can participate in their events to show that we are small but mighty,” the Fulton resident said. “I think seeing IU President (Pamela) Whitten and being able to talk to her and take a picture with her was a great opportunity and shows her that we’re involved and we love IU.”
His team was fourth in the Campus Connections category, for non-IUPUI teams. More importantly, they finished dry, a great feat for a team of novice rowers.
“Our goal was not to tilt the canoe,” said Smith, of Logansport. “We didn’t care where we finished as long as we didn’t capsize.”
WIB sponsor Gloria Preece, assistant dean of the School of Business, encouraged them to compete, after receiving the invitation from colleagues on the Indianapolis campus. After watching videos of previous races, they thought it looked like fun and decided to give it a try.
The race, which raises money for scholarships, features teams of four. Two start the race, paddling a steel canoe a quarter of a mile down the canal, where they disembark, the second pair jumps off and returns to the start/finish line, as they are timed.
Teams compete in categories that include IUPUI Men’s, IUPUI Women’s, IUPUI Coed and Campus Connection. After their first race, they visited the festival, at Military Park, which included a mechanical shark, food trucks, bounce houses and more.
After finishing second in the preliminary heats to earn a spot in the afternoon finals, they finished fourth.
“It was definitely an experience,” said Smitley, of Kokomo. “It was something I had never done before and I would do it again.”
Peter agreed.
“It was a lot of fun and something I never expected to do,” she said, adding that the highlight of the day for her was taking a photo with the university chancellor.
They hope to return in 2023 and bring more IU Kokomo participants to cheer each other on.
Slisher said it was an honor to represent the campus in the greater UI community.
“We’ve really grown over the last couple of years and it was exciting to see that we were able to step out of our comfort zones and try something new,” he said. “We were proud to show our school spirit.”
Education is KEY at Indiana University Kokomo.
