Tub Races Return to Southern Poly

An old tradition returned for a second year in a row, giving hope that the university's Bathtub Races, and the alumni gathering that goes with it, may be back to stay. For the races, students devise people-powered bathtubs and race for the best times in a variety of heats. At least eight teams competed on Saturday.

Many years back, the tubs were motor driven, but school campus expansion and liability issues but an end to the races about 20 years ago. (Some tubs could actually top out at nearly 90 miles per hour!) But alumni, current students and administrators bonded together to bring back the race, but with human power instead of machines this time. For old time's sake, the school did a few parade laps in some of the vintage racing tubs, but the official race was all human-powered.

The newer tubs are much slower now, but still yield a tub of fun.  Team members push the tubs down an incline until gravity takes over, then it’s all downhill from there. The tubs changed lanes between heats to keep it fair.

The race was won by Team Housing and Resident Folks with a combined race time of 108.216 seconds. And then everyone celebrated with a big pig roast and a day in the sun.