The Nevada Sagebrush

Students on the university concrete canoe team took first place in racing at the 2009 Mid-Pacific Regional Concrete Canoe Competition on Friday at Sparks Marina. Overall the team took second in the competition, behind the University of California, Berkeley, and qualified for the National Concrete Canoe Competition in June. The competition will take place in Tuscaloosa, Ala. where the team will defend their national title from last year.

“I was very proud of our team,” Katie Bowden, a member of the paddling team, mix-design team and coauthor of the technical design paper, said “The dedication, hard work and sacrifices made by the team for this volunteer project (have) paid off. We put in a substantial amount of time and effort into this project and it is very rewarding to be recognized as a team worthy of the national competition.”

The competition was divided into four categories: oral presentation, a paper about technical design, the paddling competition and the final canoe. This year, the University of Nevada, Reno’s team won all five races in the paddling competition, which tested both the endurance and spring ability of the team.

“Winning every race was amazing for us and was something we had never done,” Tiffany Reichert, a 21-year-old civil engineering major, said. “Our paddlers worked well together, and have set a new standard for our team.”

The team also excelled in canoe structure, which brought them a second-place win overall. The mixture used to create the canoe was developed last semester and the canoe was built during winter break, Bowden said. In order to mold the canoe, members first had to construct a mold out of Styrofoam and then cast the concrete to make the right shape, which takes about nine months, Kelly Doyle, faculty advisor for the team, said.

“The construction team put in a lot of hours as well, making sure the form was ready for our pour day, and then after on patching, sanding and finishing the canoe,” Reichert said. “In addition, multiple people devoted time to constructing a final product display, a cross section detailing the construction process, graphic designs for the canoe, T-shirts and presentations, and simply helping wherever they were needed.”

The UNR concrete canoe team has a history of victories both regionally and nationally. In 2006, the team placed sixth nationally. In 2007, UNR placed first in the regional conference and third nationally. In 2008, UNR took first in the regional and national competition.

Tara Verderosa can be reached at tverderosa@nevadasagebrush.com.

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