Nicholls State University - La Pirogue Yearbook (Thibodaux, LA)

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Bumping into another pirogue, or the sudden movement to avoid hitting a swimmer whose head popped up, result- ing in a swamped pirogue. End of pirogue, end of race. Still, many experienced or careful rac- ers managed to cross the finish line and glide to the pier to come ashore and pick up their trophy. As playful as people get, and the pres- sure of finals only a week away, more than a few people decided to take a dip in the water, taking along a few friends. Lacking a fire truck, ice chests used to keep beer cold were borrowed, along with water from fountain, and that mud- slide was there again. The first couple of victims were treated to more hard ground than mud, but as the water and free-for-all continued, a ACES? nice layer of sticky mud was created. Sometime between the first pirogue race and the first person thrown into the bayou, Kelly Lafont crowned Gayle Echols, a New Orleans junior, as the 1976 Pirogue Queen. Echols was presented with the tradi- tional bouquet of roses and was toasted, along with her court, with a bottle of Strawberry Hill. At least some tradition remained intact. Back at the mudslide, it was discovered if a person were dropped into the bayou lt had to come oll somewhere, and the University Fountain was available. Pranksters dropped people into the fountain to wet them, then rolled them inthe mud. ' When the curious ventured out onto the pier, they paid the price and ended up in the bayou. A four-at- one-time dunking was achieved with one push and a big splash. if 'le V 1- ,. ,. I , U - V . 'l 3 Q V, I- ,:m fEk.an:'-'- 55 Ng ' If ' ss. .nv 5' .. - . 7.. 1- . ' M . 2' Q ff . - V , . , ' -4 .. Y ' tw- ' KW ' K . ,-1' T' F3115 A' N, -4 ' . 'fi' ' I X, x X -...N Xa if Y 5. A 'J . I f . . ' . -7 . - ' A-7 X , 1 , ' . W- x w 4 Bi ' ' N l .. 4' Q x :I ' .: X ' e Q . . f. , . if if ' 57 1 V I 5 I L- . L f '..,4 A' '. .-,. ,.Qz+?ii1'-feet' rr- s. t ,sf J' H-45J?'.iA?Rv?.5?S?- '.,. hi QCZLZQ-+217- ' , ist' i 'f':'?f ev l - 1 if' 'dl' I e wav nn 'Oth-' '71 if 'nl itions, peopl A mud roll can release one's inhib- even to performing a ballet. The relief ol being free from the e throwing others into the ' mud was enough to break into a dance. v 4,19 .,,. i fill, Are These the PIROGUE A Inga. ' -,,.. -r ,ii I .rf .,,, 3. '.5.-wg Q, .uf .Fl . L ,M M6 :ff '-T f itz F fic

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eyxmn rqnereum Anyone venturing to Bayou Lafourche on Aprll 27 would have wondered ebout the exoltenbnt, Students, oled ln Tnehlrte end were cheelng other students. either throwlng them ln the weter or rolllng them on e lerge petch ot dent, muddy ground. People were uelng the Unlverelty Foun- teln to rlnee thelr clothes end heir. And slttlng out ln the mlddle ol Beyou Lelourche. weltlng tor the eterter's gun, westhe reeeonlorellotthle, theoompetl: tors ln the Sprlng Plrogue Recee, Wlth the beyou located ln tront ol the cempue, end the long tredltlon ol reclng plrogum e heblt, lt wee only neturel thet students would devise e wey to hold recee end have e good time by the beyou. Ol course, ee time hee peeeed. the plrogue reoee have changed too, ln the beglnnlng lt wee the Army ROTC compenlee et Nlcholle who competed emongeechotherwhlleetudenteeeton the beyou eldo. Dtetenoee were longer. meeeurlng lnto the mllee. When the ROTC oroqrem wee oheeed out ln 1957, lndeoendent students took over the reoee. The dletenoee hed shrunk oonelderebly lrom when the compenlee would rece from the bndge ln nearby Reoelend to Thlbodeux, elmoet 15 mllee. Eechyeerequeenendhercourtheve been crowned, elthough ln the leet tew yeers the queen hes been crowned ln Bayou Lelourche, e wet ooronetlon. Stlll, lor e number otyeere the ettentlon apotllqht wee on the reoee therneelvee. For the unlnlormed e plrogue le like e dugout or cenoe, except the bottom le rounded endlt ls uneeteloroneormore persons to try to Dedde ln lt. Thle pest sprlng, meny preperetlone weremedelortheeventtuldeydheleet mejor student ectlvlty before tlnel exeme. Kelly Letont end Rlcky Murphy. men cless preeldent end vloe preeldent, were ln charge ot errengements. Competition wee scheduled ln the tol- lowlhg ceteqorleez women'e slnglee, dow bles end releysg men's elnglee, doubles Are t 20 NBYPIDYQPIYJGLEPAGESW end releyeg orgelnlizettoenell recee end Qrlnte, n .' Filret, second end third ldleceltrepttlee were supplied by the Miller Beelr1Go,, while e group ot etudentslhed lulgged tuple b!YOU30bYO9dGQ8!ll'0OkimLD9tG?!DiD9 pertlolpente end A A For the pertlclpente, 1 lp,m, troll-:gg eround on the sunny Tueedey .ee they donned the unltorm not plrogue lreoer, Shorts or cutott le tevorlte jersey or Tsehlet end tennle eheee teptlonell wee the etenderd dreee, Once reclng veete hed been endtheruleereedbyLetont,thefreoee were reedy to begin, At the eeme time spectators were teel: lng morerelexed on thelbeyouelde, 'A The troublemeker not fleet yeer'le freceer sw -fe fr J Nc- A , P.. , 'joe -ff' xt A' f 1 v51.,,,, I qw - :' 9 ' Q A , ,,,, e ,e .N - -. . ,ff lv I , , I' A., 4, . . .v.0, A, ,Q -L W pl , le' .' ' 344. .-. G' ,L 1 gf In t I gy .f'?5:ff:,5i2- , . ,Wy I, A naefv. ,- 'he . ' YN., , - 1 V f fi' fff'-5-, -' rece' K 0- . e - . - er ' . . ,t X 3' x , x 1. fx...-'1,t5,k,:,rTV i4 ii ', rr.-se. Lei, ff. Q40 if Q I 'W Y --up.-vin-1 1 '-A --Qi ,. we eeee ff- ' Tiiliil , . 4 Am -me-iam' g f D MMM - . N ' A1,

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Z1 1 S X Nun-gp X we-on X145 Q When they run out of victims, turning on each other is one way of keeping the fun going, as several stu- dents made it hazardous to walk alone near Bayou Lafourche. or the fountain, then rolled into the mud, he would stay covered with the mud longer. Many spectators were not amused. A As the mania of tossing people into the bayou continued, roaming groups selected their unwilling victims. The man from Miller, sporting a lvliller shirt and plugging his product, fell victim. Dr. Alfred Delahaye, professor of jour- nalism, was giving tips to a student in one of his news writing classes when he noticed an ominous trio standing around him. No plan of action was open as he went Qto the horror of several other fac- ulty memhersj off the pier and into the drink. g During most ot the afternoon faculty instructors and administrators ventured out to the bayou side to view the races, usually slipping away quietly when it gbelcame obvious what might happen to ,-them, 1.5. Q tpirogvueraces continued. ,number of persons walking if i'.. targets declined and the mud ilrv .. .y . ... 2: ' i as fi it Are iyinellPQir2oou.E RACES? il. w1jgl:g'if' th ,,:1A.- ' ri , ' i ' A J ',wl t-ita'M..L-swf..i2. u.r':.ii .fry :li .:,-, V ' , - , i- ,, nv 'l55tikqqig,gtQ-ig. l3,,,y5'vlf,3: yrr1ini. ,- .1 ,i r i' . ll in 1 fi'