Concrete Canoe Paddles to Eighth in the Nation

Photo credit ASCE.org

by Elise Cleary, student editor

The Michigan Tech Concrete Canoe team finished eighth in a 22-boat field at the 21st Annual American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Concrete Canoe Competition, held earlier this summer in Montreal at the École de technologie supérieure.

Fifth-year civil engineering student Ingrid Sandberg completed her first year as a paddler for the team. "You get to know people really well," she said.

Paddling a canoe made of concrete is unique experience, said Sandberg. Navigation can be difficult because it's easy to over-correct while paddling. At the national competition, paddlers had be set in the canoe to prevent accidental damage; the fragile watercraft does not come equipped with seats.

The team made it to the race finals in the men’s sprints, finishing second, and in the coed sprints, finishing 10th. The women finished sixth in the slalom/endurance race, with the men finishing 10th in their event.

Tech placed fifth in the final product category, sixth for their design paper and 12th for their oral presentation.

The team has a $30,000 budget, most of which is used to cover travel expenses.

"Everyone works hard; it doesn't matter what you do on the team. We feel it's important for everyone to go to nationals," Sandberg said.

Although finishing eighth is a success, the team is looking to build a canoe lighter than the 200-pound one they competed with this year. They also plan on having a second canoe made of cement for paddling practice.

The team will be hosting a Fall Concrete Canoe Test Drive at Lakefront Park in Houghton this fall. Everyone is welcome to try out the canoe in Portage Lake and learn what the Concrete Canoe team is about.

She especially encourages females students to get involved. "You learn how to use power tools."

This winner of this year's competition was the University of Nevada, Reno. For more information, including photos, see
http://content.asce.org/conferences/nccc2008/index.html .

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