Tuesday, February 28, 2017 | By Lindsay Cashin
The UBC Concrete Toboggan Team has returned from the 2017 Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race with some impressive showings in competition categories, and a wealth of experience to strengthen the team for next year. 30 team members travelled to the mid-February competition in Winnipeg for the competition under the banner of this year’s theme, “Deadliest Batch.”
The team went to great lengths to overhaul many components of their toboggan this year. Their innovative design, incorporating an evolved steering system, a reinforced roll cage, and a nautical theme (complete with seashells mixed into the concrete) earned them the high standing of second place in two categories: concrete mix and reinforcement design. The team also placed third in the Spirit category – an achievement reflecting the team’s strengths at networking and interacting with their fellow competitors.
Race Day was a challenge for all teams; about half of which were unable to complete the unusually narrow downhill course. Despite being in this group, the UBC team still earned a ranking of fourteenth place overall, thanks to their strong showing in other categories. Joshua Redmond, team captain, notes what UBC competitors took away from this year’s experience: “There’s a lot of room for improvement…. there was a lot that everyone learned about what worked and what didn’t work. We did our best to foresee everything, but ultimately we had to try to resolve some issues on the spot. In the world of contracting and construction, that is very key. And, everybody had a lot of fun!”
UBC team “Deadliest Batch,” in position for the downhill race. Photo courtesy of UBC Concrete Toboggan.