Sink or Swim: Buckets, Boats and Battleship

Most intramural sports involve a ball, a court or a field. Battleship replaces all three with canoes, buckets, shields paired with a swimming pool, creating an interactive game built around fun and camaraderie. 

Battleship is a five-player team sport where canoes are placed throughout the Student Recreation Center’s indoor lap pool, with one team assigned to each canoe. Four teammates sit inside the canoe armed with buckets or shields while a fifth teammate, known as the navigator, pushes the canoe through the water. Teams earn points by sinking opposing canoes while avoiding penalties.

While Battleship may look chaotic from the pool deck, most participants quickly find their footing — even if they have no idea what to expect.

“They’re so confused [and] they have no idea what’s going on,” said Austin Herbert ’23, intramural coordinator. “But they pick it up really quickly, and then they have the time of their lives.”

What begins as a lighthearted event often transforms into fierce competition once the games begin. Carly Herndon ’26, graduate assistant for Intramural Sports, said many students initially approach Battleship as a goofy activity before becoming invested in the outcome.

“We’ve had to change the sportsmanship ratings because people are getting really intense,” Herndon said. “We had somebody come in and protest that another team should have been the champions. People are invested, and we have to figure out how to cater to them. And so, we’ll have people watching very intentionally and pointing out specific things. It’s becoming one of our more intense sports.”

That growing competitive spirit has also fueled Battleship’s popularity across campus.

“We’ve gotten to where registration fills faster and faster,” Herndon said. “It used to be three days and we’d be half full, but now it’s five minutes, and we’re completely full. We’re looking for ways to open new spots.”

For Brian Chou ’27 and his team, Battleship became a new experience after participating in traditional games like volleyball, soccer and softball. 

“Battleship looked like a lot of fun,” Chou said. “We just said, ‘Let’s give it a shot,’ and then we loved it. Afterward we always go get Andy’s, win or lose. It kind of became a tradition, and then we sit and chat there for a while.”

Those friendships and traditions are exactly what Herndon hopes students take away from the event.

“I’m a strong proponent of silly games bringing people together,” Herndon said. “There’s something about just doing something that nobody’s super good at, that’s really fun and bonds people. You’re all trying something new, you’re all a little unsure about it and it forms a bond with the other people on your team.”

Battleship is available to sign up through IMLeagues during both the fall and spring semesters. To play any intramural sport, students would need to purchase a play pass. As the semester comes near, wait for the opportunity to win an Unlimited Play Pass for free and keep an eye out for more information on all Rec Sports’ offerings on our website.