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EDINBURG — The U.S.S. Danger Zone set sail early Friday evening with Maverick and Goose rowing through uncharted waters, racing their way from either side of the pool.
Edinburg police officers Noe Ponce and Efrain Muniz took on the seventh annual Edinburg Cardboard Boat Regatta where they created the vessel — built nearly entirely out of cardboard — based on the popular 2022 film, “Top Gun: Maverick.”
The crowd cheered with smiles across their faces as Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone,” popularized in the original film, 1986’s “Top Gun,” began to play while Ponce and Muniz made their way to the edge of the pool.
On this late Friday afternoon, there were many boats that set sail, each one decorated with colorful themes.
Among them was a boat decorated as Pua, the baby pig from the Disney film “Moana.” This wasn’t the only Disney-themed entry, however. In the most fitting manner, another boat was decorated with the fishy characters of “The Little Mermaid.”
Another sea-themed boat also made an appearance that day with a row of painted windows stretched across the side of the cardboard boat and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” playing in the background as the Titanic sat, docked if you will, awaiting its turn. Except this was not an ill-fated ship.
These were just a few of around 24 boats Friday as community members from across the Rio Grande Valley gathered at the Edinburg Municipal Pool for the regatta.
For Edinburg City Councilman Johnny Garcia, an outdoor event such as the regatta is a way of giving community members a chance to test their creativity.
“It’s an opportunity for the kids to work together on a project,” Garcia said. “The important thing is, though, that the kids are not at home watching television and they’re out here enjoying the sun, getting a quality of life.
“They’re getting very competitive, they’re challenging each other, but more importantly you see the joy in their face.”
The crowd cheered as children, teens and adults of all ages rowed with determination as they faced the challenges of steering and attempting to stay afloat while also staying ahead of the race.
Seventeen-year-old Jose Torres of the McAllen school district participated with his team who each wore team shirts with a red dragon and a naval ship printed on the fabric, along with the team’s name “U.S.S LEVIATHAN” written in white.
Their boat, a rather large, silver-painted cardboard box formed in the shape of a Navy vessel sat intimidatingly among the others.
According to Torres, it took them about three weeks to build their boat, starting off with the base to make sure it was sturdy enough to hold their weight while also light enough to float.
“Right now we’re just going to YOLO it I guess,” Torres laughed, adding that they hadn’t tested their boat before the competition, and were therefore winging it.
Torres added that he didn’t have much confidence in the boat’s ability to float, ranking his odds somewhere around less than a 50% chance at victory.
“I give it a solid 4 out of 10,” he said.
Although many teams believed their vessels would sink almost instantly they still jumped with excitement as they watched each boat make their way across the pool.
“I’m going to watch my teacher go!” yelled one child as they made their way to the edge of the pool in anticipation.
Canterbury Elementary School faculty members Alexandra Sanchez, Sarah Acevedo-Garza and Terry Krska participated in the event dressed in red shirts and red lipstick.
“There (are) three of us on the boat and we’re all female, so our boat is called ‘The Drowning Damsel,’ because we plan on sinking rather quickly,” Sanchez said with a laugh.
Her team created their cardboard boat in about two weeks with an additional two or three days to paint it.
Just based on the thrill of the crowd and the excitement of each participant, Sanchez and her team are excited to return for next year’s event.
“We already decided on our name for next year,” Sanchez said, laughing as she looked around at each boat. “We’re going to go ahead and stick with the red lips and next time around we’re going to call us ‘The Lip Sinkers.’”
But Friday wasn’t about winning, the fun, laughter and thrill of competition proved far more fulfilling for the competitors who are already looking forward to charting a course for 2024’s event.
To see more, view Monitor photojournalist Delcia Lopez’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: Seventh annual Cardboard Boat Regatta sets sail in Edinburg
