June 21, 2010
Contact: Amy Hewes
(805)-756-6402
Cal Poly Takes National Concrete Canoe Championship
SAN LUIS OBISPO -- Cal Poly's Concrete Canoe team earned first place in the 'America's Cup' of Civil Engineering Saturday (June 19), pulling past 21 other collegiate teams to win American Society of Civil Engineers’ 23rd annual National Concrete Canoe Competition.
It was the first national title for the Cal Poly team, which competed in a 170-pound, white canoe named the Amazona. The victory also marks the first time that a school has hosted and won the championship simultaneously.
The annual event challenges competing teams to design, create and race canoes made of concrete. Throughout the year, teams of civil engineering students from across the country and Canada logged thousands of hours researching, designing and constructing their concrete canoes in search of the winning combination of creativity, knowledge and teamwork. After coming out on top in regional competitions throughout the spring, the best and brightest from 22 top engineering schools matched wits and skills in the national finals.
Cal Poly's closest competitors were the University of Nevada-Reno and École de technologie supérieure (Montréal). The University of Nevada-Reno paddled into second place with their 230-pound, white, amber and blue canoe, the Battle Born; and École de Technologie Supérieure finished a close third with their 180-pound, white, black and brown canoe, the Montferrand. For their top finishes, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, the University of Nevada-Reno and École de Technologie Supérieure earned $5,000, $2,500 and $1,500 in scholarship money, respectively.
The competition includes both academic and athletic events. Students write a paper detailing the design and construction of their canoe and then give an oral presentation on their year-long effort. They are also judged on their final product, the canoe, and an accompanying display which explains their design process. Finally, they put their canoe through the paces in a series of five race events: men’s and women’s slalom/endurance races and men’s, women’s and co-ed sprint races.
For more information on the competition, including photos, race results and event details, visit: www.concretecanoe.asce.org.
See the news coverage on KSBY TV | See the SLO Tribune news coverage
Photo courtesy ASCE
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