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By JOHN A. GILBERT
But, just for the record, I picked eight schools for top honors in 2000: Clemson, UAH, Oklahoma State, the University of Washington, FIT, the University of Florida, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, and Michigan State University. Seven of these eight schools actually placed among the top eight. South Dakota finished eleventh while the University of Wisconsin-Madison took seventh. Considering that I taught in the Wisconsin system for ten years, I should have known better and given UW more credit. But, I believe that last year's finish was the best yet for UW. Great job guys! Ninth and tenth places went to Laval and Western Kentucky; schools that I predicted would better their prior performances at nationals. My worst prediction was that UAH would finish among the top five - we ended up sixth. Whoops! O.K. - We all know that every school that qualifies for nationals is already a winner and this competition amounts to selecting the best of the best. The veterans know that it takes a balanced effort and a cool head to become the national champion, and it remains to be seen which school will have the correct balance of skill and luck to win the competition this year. In the end, I believe that the key to victory lies in a team's ability to cope with human dynamics, and that trait becomes more and more difficult to master as the pressure begins to build. Chances are that the level of play will be very high this year and the competition will place stringent demands on everyone involved. So how does this year’s field stack up? Well, that’s very difficult to say especially because teams can change dramatically from year to year. But here's how I see it: Clemson has been the regional representative from the Carolina's Conference for nine years - the longest consecutive regional winning streak in the game. This year, they will be out to make history by becoming the only school to win three consecutive national titles. But you can bet your bottom dollar that the other national competitors will do their best to see that this doesn't happen. Clemson should finish among the top five. UAH has been the regional representative from the Southeast twelve times - only South Dakota Tech, UNO, and Virginia Tech have appeared this many times. UAH had to face very stiff competition from the University of Florida and FIT at the regional level and the national competitors should be breathing a sigh of relief that those two schools have already been eliminated. This year, we are out to knock Clemson off the block to win our fifth national title. UAH should finish among the top five. At least, I hope so. Oklahoma State poses a very dangerous threat to Clemson. They have learned to play the game very well and won't want to settle for second best this year. Rumor has it that they are tying out a new construction technique and are already very strong in the water. OSU will definitely challenge Clemson for their title and should finish among the top five. The Universite Laval returns to the ASCE/MBT National as the Canadian National Champion. My prediction is that they will improve on their last year's performance and may even challenge Clemson for the lead. Chances are very good that Laval will end up in the top five. Never underestimate the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. They have taken top honors before, always have a good product, and are strong in the water. The University of California-Berkeley made a strong showing in this year's Mid-Pacific Conference and could also pose a threat to Clemson. They have four national titles under their belts and would love to make it five. The University of Wisconsin-Madison will be looking for top honors this year. Rumor has it that they will host the national competition in 2001 during the 150th anniversary of ASCE and will want to make an impression on their fans. Go Badgers! There are a number of other schools who have or could place top five, even upset the field and win, or influence the final outcome by scoring major points in one or more categories. It's not like we haven't seen upsets before. In 1997, for example, FIT came to nationals for the first time as the Southeast region's runner up and sailed past everyone to win the national title. After reviewing the other qualifiers, all I can say is that the big guns better keep a watchful eye on these competitors. Schools returning from last year include: University of New Orleans, University of Rhode Island, University of Texas - El Paso, Catholic University, University of Texas - San Antonio, Virginia Tech, Drexel University, California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo, Western Kentucky University, Rowan University, North Carolina State University, and the University of Minnesota. The Colorado School of Mines will be there as last year's host; San Diego State University hosts this year. Washington State University and Michigan Tech University had to be very strong to take the University of Washington and Michigan State, respectively, at their regional conferences. I remember reading somewhere though that the University of Washington's boat failed to pass the flotation test? In any case, the U.S. Military Academy eased out Cornell to earn their bid, and the University of Oklahoma had a strong showing behind OSU. The bottom line is that I expect to see some of these schools make a very strong showing in San Diego. But, barring an upset, my best guess is that the top five teams will come from among the seven schools highlighted above. One never knows though, and the rest of the field will want to prove me wrong - dead wrong. But if you do, you can be certain that your school will be among my top picks next year! In closing, when my fellow faculty advisor, Dr. Houssam Toutanji, and I realized just how much of a challenge we faced from Florida and FIT at this year's regional conference, we told our team -- "You may not place first but, if you do your best, you'll win the game!" To their credit, they did both. But in the past, we haven't always been that lucky. Just remember, that if your team falls a little short of your expectations, don't do what we almost did on the beach following our second place finish in 1992 - when we almost decided not to compete in the concrete canoe competition again. We wish all of the national qualifiers the very best of luck at this year's competition. Since Houssam has agreed to take the helm in San Diego, I expect to have a little more time to socialize. So please take a moment to come over and say hello to me and Team UAH because we look forward to seeing all of you in San Diego. Please remember to work hard. But, be sure to have fun because it's up to you to make this experience one of the biggest thrills in your lifetime! You can check out the competition using our links to other concrete canoe web sites. Be sure to visit Clemson and Laval to see what you're in for. |
