All posts by Nick Halsey

Concrete Canoe, Misc. PSWC Events, PSWC

PSWC 2013 Day 2: Canoe Races

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Race day was a blast! In addition to the canoe races, the volleyball tournament, impromptu, mystery event, and surveying competition were held today, all at Santa Fe Dam. And, all 1,000 conference participants were treated to Doc’s cooking for lunch.

Photos by Lance Hill and various USC ASCE members (sorry, too many to credit individually).

  • Once again, we greeted KAP at 5am. Fortunately, we had already packed everything for race day.
  • Once we got to Santa Fe Dam, the canoe went straight into the water. It floats!
  • Swamp test: completely submerge the canoe to prove it can resurface. Our canoe floats too well to swamp…
  • Bailing the water from the canoe after the swamp test.
  • Canoe on the water
  • Getting ready for races.
  • First team goes out.
  • Can you find our canoe? (The yellow boat is the lifeboat, not the canoe)
  • One race down, four to go.
  • The canoe’s holding up remarkably well.
  • We discovered a fairly large crack that formed in transit. But it hadn’t propagated after the first race.
  • Heading out for the men’s slalom/endurance race.
  • Canoe still looks great.
  • Women’s sprints.
  • We were up against Cal Poly SLO in all of our heats…
  • Our canoe weighed in around 400 pounds, making straight steering nearly impossible.
  • SLO’s canoe was about 50 pounds.
  • Meanwhile, the volleyball tournament was happening, along with other events.
  • Oscar serves the ball.
  • We were somewhat competitive in the volleyball tournament but ended up losing our first match.
  • The lunch team prepares.
  • Doc (lesser known as Professor Wong) was recruited to cook for everyone.
  • Doc butchers slab after slab of meat and chicken.
  • 1,000 hungry engineers await Doc’s cooking.
  • Doc’s excellent lunch was a highlight of race day.
  • Afterword, Doc was unable to type our class notes for days because his hands were sore from butchering hundreds of pounds of frozen meat.
  • The canoe’s still solid.
  • The coed team heads out for our last race of the day.
  • This is the first time in several years that our canoe has made it all the way to the last, coed race.
  • Our senior leaders raced together for the first time.
  • Lining up at the starting line.
  • The coed race.
  • Coming in from the coed race, canoe still intact.
  • Three other schools dropped out throughout the day due to broken canoes, including one that split completely in half mid-race.
  • Our canoe made it all the way!
  • Our coed race team prepared to disembark.
  • Some water filled into the canoe during the races, but not much.
  • Thomas prepares to throw heasitant canoe captain Erin into the water after the last race.
  • Erin: “no! no! no! no! no!”
  • Everyone’s thrilled with our canoe’s success.
  • We brought the canoe out of the water to prepare to load up.
  • It takes the entire team to move the canoe, seeing as it’s around 400 pounds.
  • The canoe all ready to head back to USC.
  • But, upon arrival, we discovered that the ride home caused severe dual cracks.
  • The canoe cradle bent severely under the weight of the canoe, and didn’t properly secure it.
  • A closer look at one side’s crack. The damage ocurred right in the middle of the canoe.
  • Since it’s so hard to move the canoe back to the basement, we unloaded to the pavement.
  • The canoe’s final resting place.
Concrete Canoe, Events, Misc. PSWC Events, PSWC, Steel Bridge

PSWC 2013 Day 1: Canoe & Bridge Aesthetics

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The highlight of PSWC day 1 is the concrete canoe and steel bridge aesthetics competition. Since we’re hosting PSWC this year, the event took place at the heart of the USC campus, in Alumni Park. Various other events took place today, including the Environmental Design competition.

  • We’re all thrilled to see KAP at 5:30am
  • KAP was bustling with activity at this early hour
  • The bridge is ready for display
  • We had to fill 100s of gallons of water for the environmental competition, since we’re hosting
  • The environmental system heads up the lift
  • Erin rides a cart past Tommy Trojan. We had to get the cart back to KAP for another load of stuff somehow…
  • Pulling water to Pardee Plaza for Environmental Competition
  • Admiring our just-re-stained, barely finished canoe cross section while waiting for the lift
  • The Steel Bridge rides up the lift
  • EVERYONE had to be at KAP at 5:30 since Canoe, Bridge, and Environmental all had events starting at 7am. Oh, and did I mention we’re hosting?
  • Moving the canoe. I’m not getting into the process of getting it up on the lift…
  • Rolling the canoe from KAP to Alumni Park
  • Rolling the canoe from KAP to Alumni Park
  • Rolling the canoe from KAP to Alumni Park
  • Rolling the canoe from KAP to Alumni Park
  • Rolling the canoe from KAP to Alumni Park
  • Rolling the canoe from KAP to Alumni Park
  • Rolling the canoe from KAP to Alumni Park
  • Rolling the canoe from KAP to Alumni Park
  • Rolling the canoe from KAP to Alumni Park
  • Rolling the canoe from KAP to Alumni Park
  • Stopping by the environmental competition to borrow tape.
  • The team prepared extensively for the competition this year
  • We also had turn all of that water into wastewater… since we’re hosting…
  • Canoe, up on the stands, ready for aesthetics work
  • Steel Bridge team assembles the bridge in alumni park
  • Steel Bridge team assembles the bridge in alumni park
  • Setting up for aesthetics.
  • Setting up swords under the bow and stern.
  • Our stuff, with Cal Poly SLO’s in the background. Their canoe budget is about 10x ours.
  • Many teams have lots of money for aesthetics, so they can create elabotate themes and amazing stands. We did pretty good with pretty much nothing.
  • As you can see by the lack of people on Trousdale, it’s still before 8am.
  • Assembling the bridge.
  • Our bridge, in front of SLO’s setup.
  • Our canoe stand features the trojan values and images that represent USC culture.
  • Our theme, SC Traveler, is in honor of our school since we’re co-hosting PSWC this year.
  • Our display board came out pretty good this year.
  • Bridge, Canoe, ready for judging.
  • The Canoe and Display.
  • Post-judging, the display is left up for viewing all day. It’s still just 9:30am.
  • Back at the environmental competition.
  • Our team talks with the environmental judges.
  • Back to supervise the canoe in the afternoon.
  • Now that the sun’s out, our cardinal and gold bridge and canoe really shine.
  • Thomas explains USC ASCE to campus passers-by.
  • The Canoe in front of Doheny Library.
  • Erin, Concrete Canoe Co-Captain, poses with the canoe
  • Erin, Concrete Canoe Co-Captain, poses with the canoe
  • Sian Poses with the canoe
  • Our Display from another angle
  • Our Display from another angle
  • Our Display from another angle
  • Our Display from another angle
  • Our Display from afar
  • Cal Poly SLO Canoe, front/right, our canoe, back/left
  • The Steel Bridge
  • The Steel Bridge
  • The Steel Bridge
  • Our other canoe co-captain is studying abroad in South Africa this semester. But he’s with us in spirit, and is pictured in the leftmost circle on our canoe stand.
  • The Steel Bridge
  • The Concrete Canoe Cutaway Section looked better and better as the day wore on, as the hours-old concrete cured…
  • The Steel Bridge
  • Time to disassemble the aesthetics display and get everything ready for tomorrow’s races.
  • Cleaning up. The steel bridge has once again been condensed to fit onto a single cart.
  • Clean up from afar.
  • We ran over to KAP to start loading the truck with stuff for race day (to be held at Santa Fe Dam).
  • Since we’re co-hosting, and in charge of lunch, we need to load tons of drinks and stuff in addition to the canoe.
  • Stuff waiting to ride up the lift.
  • Lots of drinks, and canoe paddling materials, await moving from the lift into the truck.
  • Where’s the food?
  • We have a special lunch planned.
  • Loading stuff into the truck.
  • Loading stuff into the truck.
  • Back at the Canoe.
  • We’re the only ones left.
  • One canoe, in Alumni Park.
  • Ready to load the canoe in the truck, we realized we need to cover some exposed reinforcement.
  • So, actually we had to make another last-minute concrete patch mix.
  • THIS is the latest we’ve ever put new concrete on the canoe, but at least it’s only a little.
  • The bridge rides back downstairs, and we’re ready to collapse, then get up at 4 again tomorrow morning.
Concrete Canoe, PSWC

Last Minute PSWC Prep

Aside

Everyone’s finishing up last minute details for PSWC 2013, which starts tomorrow. Canoe team wrapped up aesthetics, our display board and engineer’s notebook. But—in a concrete canoe first—we had to make one last batch of concrete. But don’t worry, it was just to re-finish the cross section. It would never work to put new concrete on the canoe this late in the game. Steel bridge team finished up bridge painting and did their display board tonight. And the environmental team finished strategizing for their 8am Thursday competition, while other team members created the display board and other documentation. Meanwhile, our e-board finished orchestrating all of the logistics for the conference (since we’re hosting). Everything’s coming into place, and we’ll be back at it bright and early (in like 4 hours) to get everything for the first day of competition.

Concrete Canoe, Environmental, Misc. PSWC Events, Steel Bridge

Design Team Prep for PSWC 2013 in Full Gear

As we approach the 2013 ASCE Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC), our design teams are all working hard to complete their projects. Since USC is co-hosting PSCW this year, each team is taking extra care to produce an exceptional final product. PSWC events will take place on the USC campus on Thursday April 4th and Saturday April 6th, check out the full schedule here. If you’re at USC, you won’t want to miss the Concrete Canoe and Steel Bridge Aesthetics Competition from 8am-5pm on Thursday at Alumni Park. Here’s an update on each design team’s progress.

Concrete Canoe

Gold Canoe Angle
Our concrete canoe has been stained USC Gold and is almost ready for PSWC.

This year’s canoe is named “SC Traveler.” We’ve worked on the canoe for several hours every night this week, and it’s paid off. Despite some major time setbacks with mold removal, we’re ahead of schedule thanks to multiple tasks completed faster than expected, and we finished applying the stain and sealant today. Canoe races are on Friday, at the Santa Fe Dam.

We took a break from the canoe to make a dumpster run.
We took a break from the canoe to make a dumpster run.

The canoe aesthetics are also nearing completion. We plan to add our team name to the canoe in cardinal lettering tomorrow. We’ll also finish up our display board, which features an original, USC-themed design.

Environmental Team

Environmental Team members assemble their final water-distribution system.
Environmental Team members assemble their final water-collection system.

The environmental design team worked on assembling their final water collection system last night. Their competition leads off the main PSWC design team events, occurring at Pardee Plaza from 8am-12pm. Our team looks solid and the competition should be exciting.

Steel Bridge

Thomas Welds Bridge Parts
Thomas Welds Bridge Parts

The steel bridge team is also putting in long hours and nearing completion. Once the bridge itself is done, the team will determine and practice the bridge assembly orchestration. As with canoe, the bridge team will create their display board and other finishing elements in the few days before competition as well. The 2013 PSWC Steel Bridge competition takes place on Saturday April 6th from 7am-4pm at Pardee Plaza at USC.

Other Miscellaneous PSWC News and Events

Concrete Horseshoe Curing
Concrete Horseshoe Curing

In other news, the concrete horseshoes and concrete bowling ball have been formed and are ready for competition. There are many other exciting events going on at PSWC, so you should check out the schedule for details.

Our USC ASCE E-Board is finalizing event coordination as well. Over 1,000 bottled waters and other snacks and beverages were wheeled through the design team area to the PSWC storage room today. Other E-Board members worked on finalizing the USC ASCE members’ PSWC event schedules. Overall, it’s shaping up to be an exciting conference and we’re all anxiously awaiting the competitions!

Concrete Canoe

2013 Canoe Fresh Out of the Mold

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canoe fresh out of the mold

We just finished removing the canoe from the mold. Well, really we removed the mold from the canoe, since our foam release agent didn’t work so the concrete adhered to the foam. But after a couple of days of chiseling, hot-wiring, sawing, prying, clawing, begging, pleading, hoping, praying, rolling-around-in-foam-on-the-floor, and yielding sheer manpower, we’re (basically) done! Now we just need to patch, sand, stain, beautify, etc…