Paddlers from civil engineering won the co-ed sprints and took second in
the women's long distance event at the annual concrete canoe competition in a boat
made largely with material that was destined for the landfill.
Union's team entered a design that had never been tried before in
the competition, said Ashraf Ghaly, canoe team advisor. Total cost of materials —
plastic mesh, cement, post-consumer powder and chips, plasticizer and fly ash — was
about $20, he said.
The canoe was poured into its mold only eight days before the
competition, said Katie Ott '98, one of the team captains. Most canoes take about a
month to reach full strength. A previous design proved to be too thin, so they started
over just a week before the competition, Ott said.
Union's entry also was distinguished by its paint job: a shark
complete with a dorsal fin. The canoe will be on display at the Steinmetz Symposium on
Friday.
The canoe competition, sponsored by the American Society of Civil
Engineers, was hosted this year by the University of Buffalo on April 18, and included a
number of schools from New York State.
Traveling with the team to Buffalo were Ott, Mary McKay '98, Rachel
Callahan '99, Sara Lewis '00, Warren LeBeau '98, John Cloutier '98,
Dennis McNerney '98 (co-captain in charge of construction), Rich Clos '99, Kris
Lovelett '99, Ghaly and Union ACSE faculty advisors Christine LaPlante and Andrew
Wolfe.
The paddling team of Ghaly and Wolfe took first place by default in the
faculty division.
Other members of the canoe team were seniors Dan Dennis, Matt Braunwart
and Adam Adesso; juniors Mike Montario, Eric Hammer, Geoff Scott and Dave Greenberg; and
sophomores Steve Hadley, Chris Stolicky and Mike Brownsword. Craig Gibson, Bryan Serrell
and Jen Amann painted the boat.