With cardboard flying all over town as desperate teams realize that tomorrow is race day, the 3rd Annual Rock the Boat competition from Whirlpool Corporation to benefit the United Way of Southwest Michigan is quickly intensifying.
United Way organizers have not only shared with me the heat times for tomorrow’s race so you’ll know when your favorites will be in the waters of the turning basin at the inner harbor, they’ve also inadvertently leaked a photo from their own craft themed “Out of Time,” which appears to be their version of a Back to the Future-style DeLorean motor car. They must not have realized that the picture was attached to their time trials heat line up. At any rate, now you know what you’re up against at least in that particular “boat.”
We’ve also learned what types of awards will be handed out at the big event alongside the Inn at Harbor Shores in St. Joseph tomorrow night, Thursday, July 19th. The include:
- Fastest Overall Boat
- Fastest Whirlpool Boat
- Fastest Community Boat
- Fastest Brewery Boat
- Best Theme *
- Most Creative *
- The Titanic – most epic sinking
The People’s Choice Award can actually be voted right now by the general public. Simply click the link below, but keep in mind…this is a fundraiser, and you have to “pay to play,” in that balloting underway, but it’s all for the great cause of the United Way campaign. Here’s the link:
http://www.uwsm.org/rocktheboat
The Best Theme and Most Creative Award categories will be judged by the following official judges for Rock the Boat:
- Berrien County Undersheriff Chuck Heit
- St. Joseph Mayor Mike Garey
- Gloria Ender, President, Freedom Finishing Co.
RACE HEATS HAVE JUST BEEN PUBLISHED TO THE UWSM.ORG/ROCKTHEBOAT site:
All times are tentative. Heats are subject to change.
Heat #1 (6:00pm): USS Big Data 2.0 (Whirlpool GIS), Yellow Submarine (Whirlpool – Key Account Sales)
Heat #2 (6:05pm): Out of Time (United Way of SWM) Sweat Ship Nessie (YMCA of Southwest Michigan), The InternShip (Kinexus)
Heat #3 (6:10pm): W.E.R.L.D. Domination (Whirlpool WERLD Program), Camakau LEARN (Whirlpool), Liquid Asset (Whirlpool Finance)
Heat #4 (6:15pm): Roadrunner (Southwestern Michigan College), Rocky BalBOATa (Lake Michigan College), Royalty Racers (Blossomtime Festival Inc.
Heat #5 (6:20pm): U.S.S. Operation Sinks Alot (Pasha Hawaii – GSS), ISC you at the finish line (Whirlpool TCS), Boaty McBoatface (GSS Indirect), MSC Revenge (MSC, sponsored by Whirlpool)
Heat #6 (6:25pm): Shipfaced (Silver Harbor Brewing Co.), McGilligan’s Island (The Livery), Hard Core – The Wassail Boat (Peat’s Cider), North Pier Nation (North Pier Brewing Co.)
Heat #7 (6:30pm): The Ex Parte Barge (Whirlpool Law Department), Noel’s Ark (Whirlpool Corporation (Corp Communications), H-Arrgh (Whirlpool Human Resources)
Heat #8 (6:35pm): Wise Kraken (Holt Bosse), The Overture (Overture), Approved. No Changes. (Aisle Rocket Studios)
Heat #9 (6:40pm): S.S. MPI Cutter (Whirlpool – Key Account Sales), S.S. Under Allocated Part II (Whirlpool Field Sales), FSNC Rocks – In it to WIN it! (Whirlpool Field Sales)
Heat #10 (6:45pm): Cook Revengers (AEP, D.C. Cook Plant), Gast Boat #1 (Gast Manufacturing), Gast Parrot Heads (Gast Manufacturing)
Heat #11 (6:50pm): Wipro BOT (Wipro Limited), The Cool Boat (Accenture), Compensation Nation (Deloitte Consulting LLP – GSS)
INTERMISSION
Heat #12 (7:00pm): S.S. B&S (Whirlpool: Brand & Strategy Organization), T Party (JennAir – Marketing), SeaPG (Consumer Products Group)
Heat #13 (7:10pm): SS Good Enough (Rock 107 WIRX), SS Y Tanic (97.5 Y County), Flick’s Dinghy (Celebration Cinema)
Heat #14 (7:15pm): The Incredible Hull (Whirlpool Corporation – GIS GPO), Knotty CXC (CAC/cXc), SS Safe Launch (Whirlpool – Quality Team)
Heat #15 (7:20pm): Up Up and Away (The Caring Circle), Shake Your Tail Feather (Professional Hearing Services), Lettuce Turnip the Beet (Berrien County Health Dept., sponsored by CMG Financial)
Heat #16 (7:25pm): Unsinkable II (Whirlpool), Gone Phishin’ (Whirlpool), Floating Arrrtists (Whirlpool Creative Studios)
Heat #17 (7:30pm): Cornzilla (Alex’s Veggies), The Swimterns (Erhard Furniture & Flooring), DroneBait (Great Lakes Drone Company)
Heat #18 (7:35pm): Big Orange (Whirlpool – Home Depot), Still Afloat (Sears Team), Best Buy Sails (Whirlpool – Best Buy Sales Team)
Heat #19 (7:40pm): Maiden Lane Cottages (Fenner Homes), This Putts 4 U (United Federal Credit Union), SS Hasselhoff (Wightman)
Heat #20 (7:45pm): One Love, One Kitchen (Whirlpool – Kitchen Team), The Extra Power Agitators (Whirlpool Laundry – Marketing), AcquaCucina (Whirlpool – Cooking Engineering Team)
Heat #21 (7:50pm): Pride (Whirlpool PRIDE ERG), Champions for Change (Whirlpool Women’s Network ERG), WHL (Whirlpool Hispanic and Latino ERG)
All awards will follow the final heat of the night. The public is encouraged to come and join the fun, cheering on their favorite watercraft, as well as raffle drawings, an on-site brewpub opportunity and more.
