BEMIDJI-The Nerds weren't the best paddlers Saturday on Lake Bemidji, but they won an award anyway, using their intelligence and creativity.
The Widseth Smith Nolting Water Soaked Nerds took home the award for best T-shirt design-the only team award in which people had to pay to vote.
The money raised at the ballot box totalled $374, and will go to help fund the all-inclusive playground at Paul Bunyan Park.
"I think it's a good thing," Nerds team manager Scott Buxton said, noting some ideas they could add in years to come-including a shirt auction.
Buxton also said he thinks T-shirts should continue to raise funds for good causes in the future.
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"I think when the park is built, (they should) pick another cause and keep doing it," he said. "Just pick another one, if it's a park, if it's the food shelf, whatever you want it to go to."
The award-winning "Nerdy" shirts were light blue with a print of a plaid sweater vest and orange bowtie on the front to make it seem like the person was wearing the nerdy outfit. "Hello I'm Awesome and I know it!" shows on a name tag printed into the sweater vest.
The back of the shirts show the face of a boy with huge glasses, who is neck-deep in water with messy, dripping hair.
The idea for the Nerds' shirts came from team member Denise Hallan, who saw one of her neighbors wearing a shirt of similar design.
The Water Soaked Nerds have been a team since 2009, according to Buxton, and the team agreed Hallan's idea was a good one.
"We're engineers," he said. "We're not really athletic, so we make fun of ourselves."
Other than the best T-shirt award, there were several other awards given to teams for their spirit.
The best village site award went to Babe's Pole Kisses. They were the only team in the event made up entirely of women, and they had representatives from a combination of businesses, including Babe's Playground, Salon Sashay and First City Dance and Polercize.
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The International Boundary Waters Dragon Boat Club took the best team look award, while the Sanford Rebels without a Gauze won best team name.
