There was a lot going on Saturday afternoon at the YMCA pool in Monument.

There was physics. There was competition. There was even a battle between superheroes and supervillains.

The first two were expected by Monument Academy physics teacher Esme Wilhelm, who organized the First Annual Monument Academy Boat Float. The third was unexpected, as such battles usually are.

One team was the Gotham Gliders.

“We were supposed to make a cardboard boat that floats in water and carries us and we’re both pretty heavy,” said Kai Zamora, who was costumed as “Robin” in this Dynamic Duo. “We had to calculate buoyancy, the size, the weight and stuff.”

“I’m Batman,” said Westin Dayhoff, Zamora’s brooding partner. He’s a man of few words, as crimefighters often are.

The Gotham Gliders had good reason to be on their guard. Lurking nearby was Vectra’s Vessels, named after the jogging-suit wearing super villain from the movie “Despicable Me.”

Clearly, malfeasance was possible.

The Vectra team, both female, weren’t even members of Wilhelm’s physics class. They just thought it sounded like too much fun to miss.

There were five teams overall, one of which was the ill-fated Titanic-themed boat named “My Heart Will Float On.”

“We’re going for Titanic, the sequel,” crewman Josh Deniston said. “We’re lacking lifeboats again so I’m not optimistic of surviving this one. “

It’s a good thing their hearts will float, because the boat was much like its namesake on its maiden voyage.  Kids watching poolside threw ice cubes at the entry, which was certainly fitting. The cardboard Titanic survived the ice and even completed its initial trip down the pool, but capsized when the crew attempted a return trip.

The ill-fated team, boldly outfitted in “authentic Hawaiian shirts,” had physics on their side.

“One cubic foot of cardboard is supposed to be able to support 187 pounds,” Deniston said, adding that he and his crewmate combined for 300 pounds of ballast.

“We’re looking at about three cubic feet of cardboard here so it should, hypothetically, put us well over that 300-pound range,” he added. “However, as you know, cardboard isn’t waterproof … “

The final words proved prophetic as the multiple layers of Flex Seal and Flex Tape ultimately gave way to the relentless forces of the YMCA’s pool.

Evil prevailed, as Vectra’s Vessels won both the timed lap race and the head-to-head competition. Girls also prevailed, as second place was a three-female team with a “Moana” theme.

The event was fun for the competitors, the spectators and, yes, even the attending media.

“I want my students to be able to do something memorable,” said Wilhelm, who is in her first year teaching physics at Monument Academy. “ They had to learn calculations to be able to calculate center of mass, water displacement and buoyancy.

“We had a lot of fun doing it and it was really a great time to be able to see my students’ creativity and their ideas come to life.

“It’s physics in real action.”