A group of U. Oklahoma engineering students are keeping busy with their responsibilities for an extra-curricular organization this summer. Members of OU’s Concrete Canoe Team, a sub-committee of OU’s American Society of Civil Engineers, have been busy mixing concrete, holding paddling practices and fundraising for the upcoming school year.

Each year, the team designs and builds a canoe out of concrete, according to rules and guidelines set by the American Society of Civil Engineers. During the spring semester, the team travels to a regional competition and competes against teams from other universities. The canoe must pass a series of tests that assess its structure and design in order to win the competition. It must be strong enough to withstand outside forces, which J.D. Christiansen, civil engineering senior and the concrete canoe team captain must account for.

Although the team doesn’t receive the complete competition guidelines until September, there are still ways that they can prepare before then. The concrete used to build the canoe is specially designed by the team, so there are certain properties we can test, Christiansen said.

In addition, one part of the competition requires a group of team members to paddle the boat in a race against the other schools. The team has been preparing by hosting paddling practices, something they don’t normally do in the summer.

“We wanted to get a head start,” Paddling captain Cody Burch said. “The last two years we haven’t made it to nationals, so this year we wanted to change that.”

Burch, a civil engineering junior, said he’s focusing on three simple things at practice this summer: staying straight, turning and speed. “All three are critical if you want to win the race,” he said.

This is not the first summer for the team to mix, design and test concrete. The team has seen more success in summers, another reason why they’ve taken up practicing.

“The years that we’ve done the best in competition are the years when we’ve practiced over the summer,” Christiansen said. “In 2002 and 2007, the team did a lot of mixing in the summertime, and we placed eighth and seventh.” Since 2001, the team has qualified for nationals seven times.

Fundraising for the competition is under the direction of Jenny Bergen, architectural engineering senior and fundraising captain. The money raised will go toward construction of the canoe, the purchase of paddles and life jackets for the team’s paddling practices, traveling and food expenses for tournaments, as well as marketing events to get students excited about the opportunities concrete canoe offers, Bergen said.

Bergen has been contacting local firms and businesses for support. For those that donate, the team is giving coasters with the company’s logo painted on it made from their test concrete cylinders, Bergen said.

Once fall semester starts, the team’s responsibilities will increase even further. Christiansen will make a building schedule, and the team will begin to work on the mold and perform structural analysis on it.

“Structural analysis helps us to identify the weak points of the canoe so that we can strengthen them, and hopefully have a canoe that doesn’t break,” Christiansen said.

The team will also begin to recruit sophomores and freshman for the team.

“It’s really important that we pass the knowledge we gain now down, so next year they can build on it and do better,” Christiansen said.