The 16th annual Fisher Regatta is back once again and the title is up for grabs from returning champions Carroll Hall in the men's division and Walsh Hall in the women's division.

Carroll Hall won the Regatta for the past two years and the members of crew are not about to give it up this year. Their boat "Wood 'N' Caulk" is primed for the race and will be led by creator and two-year champion, senior Steven Bomeli.

Two seniors, two juniors and one sophomore will be leading the "Wood 'N' Caulk." Bomeli wants to prime the underclassmen so that when he leaves next year, there will be someone to take over in his place.

"I would like someone to give us a challenge this year, but I will bet on the fact that we win," Bomeli said.

The race is broken into two separate tournaments, one from the women's dorms and the other for the men's. It is run in an NCAA style, where two teams go head-to-head with the victor proceeding to the next bracket. In the past, nearly every dorm participated, so the event tends to last five hours.

Bomeli's main pearl of advice to all those participating in the Regatta is to go out there and give it the best shot. Fisher Hall sophomore Nick Williams relays the same message, however he feels that 2001 second-place finisher Fisher Hall stands a chance.

"If we have talented rowers, Fisher Hall can win this thing. Our "Jolly Piggot" was by far the coolest boat last year. Although it tipped, we have guys working on it this year to work out the kinks, and so I think Fisher stands a chance," Williams said.

Junior Jim Flynn agreed with Williams that Fisher is in prime position to steal the title from the returning champs of Carroll Hall.

"I think that Fisher is going to be putting out a valiant effort. With all our returning rowers and our pirate ship, we should be in a position to take that trophy home," Flynn said.

Flynn, along with the creator of the "Jolly Piggot," Matt Piggot, is in charge of the actual Regatta this Saturday. According to Flynn, at least 50 hours have gone into preparing for the event, so it should be worthwhile. The chairmen ordered the food, ordered T-shirts, looked into all the safety regulations and held the captains' meeting Wednesday. Fisher Hall Assistant Rector Tony DeSapio has also put a great deal of time into ensuring that the Regatta is a success.

The activities will begin around 11 a.m. Saturday when people begin to bring their boats out to the lake. Flynn, Piggot and their crew members will be out at the site around 8:30 a.m. to begin set-up. They will set up the grills for the free food and drink and set up the course for the tournament. The tournament will be sponsored by Coca-Cola and free soft drinks will be provided as well.

The tournament begins at 1 p.m. and the heats usually go until 4 p.m. Last year, there were 16 teams on each side and the heats shrank from eight teams to four teams before the two championship races. Last year, Carroll Hall defeated Fisher and Walsh Hall defeated Badin.

In years past, the "boats" raced ranged from miniature golfing ships to garbage bins taped together. Various pieces of dorm furniture and pieces of Styrofoam have also commonly been seen on the race course. According to Williams, people put whatever they want out there — just as long as it slightly floats and is handcrafted by the dorms.

In addition to winning the race, one lucky boat will be awarded the honor of "best in show." This award goes to the most creative and entertaining boat that is seen in the tournament. Although the boat may not exactly sail, it will at least maintain the possibility of winning a creativity award.

Williams and Greg Celio are in charge of Fred and Sally Week in Fisher Hall. The week of events, named after Fisher Hall benefactors Sally and Fred Fisher, began Saturday, April 6, and continue through April 13. The week of events has grown from merely serving food to events scheduled every night.

"In the past it hasn't been this huge, but now we are doing a lot more with the dorms. Since Fisher is such a small dorm, this week is geared towards getting the guys fired up and showing the rest of the campus our dorm spirit," Williams said.

The week began last Saturday with a trip to a Chicago Cubs game. About 50 guys took the bus trip and spent the day in Chicago and at the game. On Sunday, there was a dorm picture and free food throughout the dorm.

One of the most novel and popular events of the week took place on Monday — the Section Wars. Two-thirds of the dorm was involved in these "male-bonding" events of arm-wrestling, pie eating contests and the "roommate game."

The roommate game is focused on finding out how much you know about your roommate. It is reminiscent of the "Newlyweds Game" and the pair that scores the highest, or knows the most about one another, wins on behalf of the section.

There are heavy- and light-weight divisions and representatives from each section take part in the events.

Tuesday night, the Fisher residents attended a talk by Father Theodore Hesburgh in the Main Building, followed by a Mass in the Log Cabin Chapel. This event also had a large turnout from the members of the dorm.

Wednesday is called the "Red Mock Awards" and is for the dubious characters of the dorm. The night consists of cigars, poker and chicken wings. The award ceremony was hosted by Williams and awards were given to the deserving men of Fisher.

The men voted days ago and selected the most deserving dorm mates for the honorable and not-so-appealing awards. Freshman Thomas Patrick Callaghan was awarded the "Prodigal Son Award" (the man most wanted back in Fisher Hall) and Freshman Tony DeVito was awarded the "Ball and Chain Award" (the man most seen with his girlfriend). Freshman Tom Gorman received a muzzle and a shovel (for his roommate to use) after receiving the "Legend in his Own Mind Award."

Additional, not-so-nice awards were the dorm drunk, the smelliest, the Chewbacca award (hairiest guy) and the future seminarian award. They also recognize the guy with the hottest girlfriend and the laziest man in the dorm.

Many other awards were given out, mostly to freshmen and sophomores, honoring or dishonoring positions they hold within the dorm. According to Williams, the "Red Mock Awards" is one of the most traditional aspects of Fred and Sally Week.

Because it is also Breen-Phillips dorm spirit week, the men of Fisher will be co-hosting a lu'au on North Quad, complete with a pig-roast and three campus bands, with Fisher men in each band.

The "Kinky Bootbeasts" will be performing first. They are an acoustic act featuring Dave Lodewyck and Joe Andrukaitis on acoustic guitars.

Performing next is "Rex Ladado," and according to freshman Brian Cullen (Bucket), this is the premier concert of a band which promises to start a worldwide musical revolution. Bucket is on bass, Dave Lodewyck is on guitar and lead vocals, Matt Morgan is on drums and Pete Balogh is on guitar.

The headliner is the "Skamunists," a well-known campus ska band. Bucket will again be on bass, Pete Balogh is on guitar, Matt Morgan is on drums, Omar Arizpe is on the trombone, Mike Zodda and Chris Giese are on the trumpets and Sean Brooks is on the saxophone. All three bands are scheduled to play throughout the duration of the event.

Also, beginning on Thursday, the men wore their sailor caps to promote the events happening at Fisher Hall.

Today, a Fisher 3-on-3 basketball tournament will occupy the men's day and a dorm-wide party will fill the men's evening. Every section has a social gathering, and the Fishermen unite to show spirit in their dorm.

Williams sums the evening up in two words: "It's huge."

The week is concluded with the race on Saturday. The tradition behind the race is also a large part of the week because it all began as an attempt to incorporate Fisher in the Notre Dame community.

Because Fisher was the only dorm that did not have a signature event on campus, a young man from Boston thought it would be unique for Fisher to have a Regatta race to salute his dorm. It began in April of 1987 as a small event that few dorms participated in and has grown into the biggest dorm event on campus.

"Our whole dorm year is centered on this one event," Flynn said.

The event will be monitored by five policemen out on the water enforcing regulations and providing for the safety of the participants. Safety regulations need to be followed at all times, and the captains are responsible for their ships.

The event should last all day long and admission is free. There will be free food, a DJ playing all day and Regatta T-shirts on sale for $10.

According to Williams, this is a day of entire Notre Dame unity that can't be found anywhere else.

"It's the biggest dorm event on campus. You don't want to miss it," Flynn said. "Come enjoy our fine cooking as you watch dorms compete against each other for pride and prizes."

Contact Emily Howald at Howald.2@nd.edu.

• Fisher Regatta