The writer reflects on a childhood experience where their third-grade honors class participated in a cardboard boat race. The teacher had the students build their own cardboard boats, and the writer's class came up with two designs - a white boat and a blue boat with a dragon head. Despite some difficulties during the race, the boat surprisingly stayed afloat. The writer shares some photos from the event and also talks about their experience in the honors program, which they don't think made them smarter. They also mention that their sister, who was not in the honors program, was a better student in high school. The writer concludes by thanking their viewers and inviting them to share their drawings.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The author participated in a cardboard boat race in third grade.
2. The event was held on a medium-sized artificial lake in Arizona.
3. The author's class built two boats, one white and one blue with a dragon head.
4. Both boats could hold 10 people, but there wasn't enough room for all the kids in the class.
5. The kids who helped build the boats got to ride on them, but others, including the author, had to sit out.
6. The author sat in the front of the boat because they were the smallest and lightest.
7. The author's boat had trouble turning and was helped by a lifeguard who pushed it with his oar.
8. The author's boat finished the race, but came in eighth place out of four.
9. The author's mom told them to take off their shoes if the boat sank because they would get heavy and cause them to drown.
10. The author got a brain freeze from eating ice cream before the race.
11. The author's sister was not in the same honors class as them, but they were in the same classes again in high school.
12. The author's sister was a better student than them in high school.
13. The author participated in a science fair where they launched model rockets.
14. The author had a stuffed animal called "Green" that they got for their birthday.
Note: I excluded any opinions or subjective statements from the extraction.