That is what DS2 does for fun. He joined his college's concrete canoe team at the beginning of his freshman year. He was quickly hooked. It's right up his alley: doing the impossible (well, on first thought most people believe it's impossible to make a boat of of concrete and then race it) as well as being in the great outdoors. He's been canoeing most of his life. He was soloing in a canoe long before he was out of middle school. I think he has paddles for arms.
This year, his sophomore year, he was excited to be chosen as one of the paddlers for the competition. It's an honor, and a great responsibility. It means dedication, and lots of hours of practice. Recently, he told me he'd been spending six hours a week in paddling practice, and needed to find time to do more hours. This is while going to college full time and holding down two part-time jobs. Plus he has other responsibilities on the canoe team (he was one of four team members chosen to do the oral presentation part of the competition).
DH, DD2 and I went to watch the Regional competition. There were nine colleges competing. It was held way up north at Michigan Technological University. Since I've gone ahead and given the name of the school, I may as well show you a few pictures of the boat they made this year.
Looks like a canoe, right? That's the idea. It is a canoe. It just happens to be a canoe made out of concrete. A big part of the competition is designing the shape of the canoe hull, the height of the sides, and coming up with the mix of concrete that is light, yet durable. This boat is about 1/2" thick of that specialized concrete and weighs roughly 200 pounds.
So how does it float?
That's the point. This is an engineering competition, put on by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The type of engineers that make roads and skyscrapers and bridges and things. (Although membership in the team is not limited to civils; DS2 and several other members of the team are studying to be mechanical engineers).
It's what they put into the concrete, the different components of the mix, that make it float. There's a lot of tiny air spaces in that concrete, along with other things. Think pumice, how it is a rock, yet it is light weight and floats. Same concept.
In fact, one of the things each team has to do is sink (swamp) their boat, then stand back and the judges have to see that it floats, not continuing to sink all the way to the bottom of the lake or pond the competition is being held in. Below are some pictures I took of the swamp testing. Which was not up at Michigan Tech, being as they were still under snow and ice (see yesterday's post Take Off To The Great White North). The races were held down state near Traverse City, in the first reliably open water than could be reserved. Lake Michigan rather than Lake Superior.
taking the canoe out just over knee deep
(and yes, that is snow on the shore in the background.
This water was none too warm.
Less than an hour north all the bays were still frozen)
using buckets to put water into the boat, swamping it
going down
almost all the way swamped
stepped away,
you can see the gunwales of the boat coming level with the surface of the water
So, it floats. Now you bail it out, sponge it dry on the inside, put people in it and race it.
one heat of the women's sprint race just after the start
(boat in the lead is from DS2's team)
approaching the buoy, getting ready to turn
rounding the buoy for the final sprint
men's sprint, way ahead of the other teams
(DS2's team is the rear boat, racing right toward the finish line)
co-ed sprint,
DS2's team ready at the start--
DS2 in the bow
co-ed sprint preparing to round first buoy (of four)
men's endurance rounding a buoy on the far end of the course,
after completing the slalom portion
(DS2 in the bow)
So, you design a boat, you build the boat, you practice paddling for hours every week all year long--they paddle outside until the water freezes, then they paddle in the college's pool practicing turns all winter, then they find open water (this year, traveling to WI over Easter) to make sure they are outside paddling again at least a week before the competition.
And what does that get you?
A Regional championship! And a ticket to the National Competition this summer. Yes, I'm a proud mama!
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