We took last year’s (2014) concrete canoe, DiSCovery II, out for a spin this weekend as we finalize our training for the canoe races at PSWC 2015. While this year’s canoe (Jurassic) is slightly different, we chose to keep the design very similar so that we could explore improvements to our paddling technique rather than making drastic changes.
The day started out a bit rough when we realized that we ordered the wrong sized UHaul to take the canoe to the beach. Note for the future: concrete canoes typically require at least a 22′ UHaul; don’t try fitting a 19′ canoe into a 20′ UHaul (bed length ~17′).
Once we made it, we set up buoys and practiced in DiSCovery II alongside the regular (plastic) practice canoes that we borrow from Newport Aquatic Center. All of our race teams practiced together, trying new techniques and making adjustments as needed to get comfortable with paddling in a concrete canoe.
DiSCovery II, back on the water.The men’s endurance team heads out to practice their turns.Canoe Captain Erin give the women’s sprint team feedback on their turning technique.Hanging out on the beach while we rest between practices.Women’s sprint team practicing.Getting ready to head back.
We were surprised to realize that our concrete canoe is capable of being paddled much more quickly than the real canes we usually practice with. Overall we had a great practice and are looking forward to PSWC in less than two weeks!
Here’s a video of our co-ed sprint heat from the canoe races at PSWC 2014, courtesy of captain Jake’s parents. This was the first heat we’ve won in years! Our team took advantage of DiSCovery II’s straight speed and their extensive preparation on their way to qualify for the small final. The coed race consists of two down-and-back laps for a total distance of 400 meters.
I’ll start off by putting this into perspective and context. Historically, USC ASCE typically places top-three in one or two events at PSWC. Our 18-school conference, combined with perennial powerhouses in the concrete canoe competition, make our conference one of the most competitive of the 15 in the country.
Last year, our only victory, albeit significant, was our first-place environmental win. This year, going into the awards banquet we didn’t expect much, but were proud of our collective effort.
We started out the awards banquet with a 1st place victory in the Scavenger Hunt competition. Despite having a team less than half the size of many other schools, our focus and determination led us to win one of the most fun events, finding cool spots and landmarks around SDSU’s campus and throughout San Diego.
Our 1st-place-winning Scavenger Hunt TeamSteel Bridge Team: 3rd place in Lightness and Construction Speed
Steel Bridge won 3rd place in construction speed, completing the construction of their bridge in roughly 18 minutes. They also won 3rd in bridge lightness. Our team ended up placing 3rd overall, earning an invitation to the AISC/ASCE National Steel Bridge Competition in Akron, OH!
Steel Bridge Team: 3rd Place Overall
Last year, our Concrete Canoe team had their first canoe to successfully survive every race in three years, but placed 14th overall. Despite deductions in the oral presentation and final product categories due to technicalities, the Concrete Canoe team placed 6th overall and won 3rd in design paper!
Concrete Canoe Team: 3rd Place in Design Paper (team photo interrupted by 3rd place overall celebration)
Our paddling team also did well, placing 7th overall. Highlights included our women’s slalom team placing sixth, our 4-person co-ed team winning their heat, and our men’s sprint team winning the small final by less than a second to place 6th, after missing the big final qualification by only a second.
Considering where we were just a year ago, and the fact that most of this year’s USC ASCE PSWC team were first-time attendees, all of these results are spectacular. But as we were celebrating our successes, we won an award that we never expected: 3rd place overall for the entire conference!
USC ASCE: PSWC 2014 3rd Place Overall Celebration
The overall conference rank is determined by summing all of the weighted points earned for each event, including canoe and bridge, the smaller design teams, and the sports tournaments. To win, a school must be well-rounded, participate in every event, and fight to win individual games, even if they don’t win entire sports tournaments. USC ASCE has not placed this high in the overall conference rank since 1994. Our 3rd place finish would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our entire team.
Here’s the event placement breakdown that led to our 3rd-place overall finish:
This year, we proved that just because we have a smaller department, fewer resources, and less manpower than other schools doesn’t mean that we can’t be successful. Let’s celebrate our victories, analyze our weaknesses, and come back next year ready to take 1st!
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.
American Society of Civil Engineers Student Chapter at the University of Southern California
