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"Concrete Canoe Fever" A brief history of concrete canoe racing... ... originally written in 1981 by Dr. Francis Young of the University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign)
... with updates (2009) by Dr. John Gilbert of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). Acknowledgements... The patches shown above were developed by the American Concrete Institute (ACI) shortly after Professor Clyde Kesler introduced concrete canoe racing at the University of Illinois at Urbana in the early '70's (see article from Civil Engineering Magazine). They represent some of the first logos specifically designed for use by a concrete canoe team. Special thanks are due to Professor Clyde Kesler (University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign) who loaned the contents of his comprehensive file to Professor Gilbert, and Tom Palansky who made available the early American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) records to Professor Young. Others who provided information or photographs were Dick Shipley, Dick Berger, Ed Herricks, and Tom Waldron.
In April 1981, Professor Francis Young at the University of Illinois wrote the following brief outline of concrete canoe racing to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the first concrete canoe race held May 16, 1971 on the Inland Sea. His information was gleaned from several sources and is unfortunately incomplete… We would very much appreciate receiving information (here) to fill in the many gaps in the record that follows this article. At the conclusion of his initial draft, Dr. Young wrote: “Now in 1981, as Illinois appropriately hosts the 10th Anniversary Race, it is intriguing to look back at concrete canoe racing before it becomes merged into legend or lost irretrievably in the gathering dust of forgotten files. It is hoped that the following pages will stir the memories of those who participated in the unique phenomenon of the seventies.” Who could have imagined that twenty-eight years later concrete canoe fever would become an international epidemic, captivating audiences worldwide with remarkable achievements, advancements, and developments in reinforced concrete design and technology? Personally, I believe that it is very important to recognize those who started this epidemic and am pleased to add my contributions to Dr. Young's article as a supplement to "For the Record." Before turning the stage over to Dr. Young, I should point out that the concrete canoe project was initiated in Illinois with backing from the American Concrete Institute (ACI). As the competition became popular and more students became involved, the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) took over because ASCE had student chapters while ACI did not. But, back in the early days, the general public didn't think too highly of using concrete to build boats... as illustrated in these cartoons published in the early '70s..
But let's hear that from Dr. Young. Once Upon a Time. . . by
Francis Young, Ph.D. One bright and balmy day in May, a car with a trailer drove slowly through Kickapoo State Park. Few of the picnickers even noticed it pass by; those who did saw nothing unusual in the ungainly looking object tied securely on back, and quickly turned back to their barbeques and Frisbees. Little did they realize they had seen the world's first concrete canoe pass by enroute to the world's first concrete canoe race. Later that afternoon in a little-frequented lake in the park, the Inland Sea, teams from Illinois and Purdue University paddled out a hotly fought contest before a large gathering of cheering onlookers. Although highly favored with a much lighter craft, the Purdue paddlers were less skilled in mastering the idiosyncrasies of a concrete canoe. Capsizing just before the finish line cost them a crucial race, and Illinois took the fifth, and final heat to win 3-2, thereby winning the coveted trophy. Purdue won the consolation prize, a concrete lifesaver.
University of Illinois team - 1971 World Champions - proudly display their winning trophy, handcrafted in the U of I Concrete Laboratory (Photograph: C. E. Kesler).
The Purdue University team took home their own 2nd place trophy (Photograph: C. E. Kesler). It All Began Back When… The previous year, Professor Clyde Kesler suggested to students in his CE 214, Properties and Behavior of Concrete, class that they might try to build a canoe out of concrete.
Professor Clyde E. Kesler, "The Father of Concrete Canoeing." After all, concrete boats were not a new idea. As far back as 1848, Joseph Louis Labot of France had built a ferro-cement boat which can be seen today in the Brignoles Museum (article and photo). A Dutch concrete boat built in 1887 was still in use at the Amsterdam Zoo as late as 1967. Concrete boats were built during the Second World War, and in the 1960s, sea-going concrete yachts were being commercially produced in several countries. Many a backyard has seen a concrete hull slowly grow to completion and move out to sea. But concrete canoes, this was something else, having to be propelled by manpower rather than horsepower. Could they become practical, or would they be too heavy and clumsy? The 360 lb "Misled" that finally emerged from Urbana's concrete laboratory was certainly no thing of beauty. Certainly she was curvaceous, but most of the curves were in the wrong places, and at that weight, no one was going to carry her over any threshold. But she floated! And she was to show her prowess (or that of her paddlers) in the near future.
The "Misled" with the students who designed and built her (Photograph: C. E. Kesler). Word of these doings soon reached nearby Purdue University and, in the true spirit of campus rivalry, plans were hatched. The doors of Purdue's Concrete Laboratory were carefully guarded and, in due course, the University of Illinois received a letter from Purdue: Would Illinois accept a challenge for a concrete canoe race? Place and conditions could be suggested by Illinois, and each school would supply a trophy. The faces of the Illinois team fell when they saw the Purdue craft. The craft, 125 lbs of ferrocement, actually looked like a canoe rather than a caricature of one. The use of a mold taken from an aluminum canoe together with the use of lightweight perlite aggregate produced a business-like craft. But it soon became apparent that concrete canoes are not like their tamer counterparts made from aluminum or fiberglass. These canoes had minds of their own and needed to be coaxed, wheedled, and urged around the course. And just when one felt one had control of the situation one was liable to be tossed unceremoniously into the water by a none too subtle roll. The Illinois team had lived with "Misled" longer than had the Purdue group with their canoe and, by dint of losing less crew members, finally prevailed to become the 1971 World Champions.
Action during one of the heats in the 1st Annual Concrete Canoe Race at Kickapoo, 1971. The Band Wagon Gets Rolling…When Professor Kesler showed up at the next meeting of the American Concrete Institute (ACI) sporting his World Champion T-shirt (see photo above), the gauntlet was down once more! Purdue strategists went into secret session once again and this time called on reinforcements. A year later at Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, 16 Midwest schools assembled for the Second Annual Concrete Canoe Race. Purdue went home this time victorious while Illinois had to settle for a tie for third place.
A selection of the canoes that attended the 2nd Annual Concrete Canoe Race But the damage was done! Concrete canoe fever had infected the country almost unnoticed. There were rumors of similar goings on out in California and Oklahoma, but the true extent of the infection was not evident until the following year. Twenty-six schools turned up again at Eagle Creek Park in 1973 and three other canoe races were held across the country.
Urbana's 93 lb canoe, built in 1975, with her creators. Left to right: Richard Slayback, Don Jakesch, Bruce Isaachsen, Terry Schaddel, Bill Wuellner, Ken Shoemaker, Jim Murchie and Rick Watson (photograph: Richard Slayback). In 1974, 26 schools assembled again, this time at Notre Dame, and five other races were held. By 1976, the year a race was again hosted by Illinois, there were at least 10 races nationwide and the following year at least 14 races were held. By the 1980s, concrete canoe racing spread around the world with races being held in Holland, England, and New Zealand. By 1982, plans were underway for an international race to be held in Sweden. Dr. Young's Observations... by John A. Gilbert, Ph.D. In the second edition of his report published in 1982, Professor Young concluded: "Where will it end? Concrete canoe racing will be around for some time to come although the intensity of the fever has subsided. However, it remains a fun way of learning to explore the potentialities (and limitations) of concrete. ACI and ASCE have done much in the past to encourage the sport, giving best construction awards and coordinating activities, but the national organizations are playing a less important role. The impetus is maintained, as indeed it always was, by the students themselves, and it is the student chapters of ASCE that have generally kept the sport flourishing."
And The Band Played On… excerpted from ASCE's records by John A. Gilbert, Ph.D.
In the spring of 1985, Dr. Craig first brought his grand vision of a National Concrete Canoe Competition to ASCE.
He was instrumental in bringing delegates from all over the country to meet one auspicious day in New York City at the executive conference of the ASCE National Headquarters.
During this meeting, the feasibility of conducting a National Concrete Canoe Competition was discussed, preliminary rules prepared, and a formal recommendation to proceed was drafted. BASF Construction
Chemicals sponsored the
event exclusively for many years. But
other sponsors have since supported the effort including ACI, Baker Concrete
Construction, Bentley, Cemex, Clark-Nexsen, Construction Institute, Geo Services, Holcim,
Kiewit, Marsh, Norchem, Penetron, Pennoni, Propex, RBF
Consulting, SI Concrete Systems, 3M Specialty
Materials Division, U.S. Silica Company, and The World of Concrete.
In the spring of 1989, CSS approved the formation of a permanent subcommittee to ensure the execution of the National Concrete Canoe
Competition (NCCC) and, through the efforts and dedication of individuals like Dr. R. John Craig,
the NCCC remains a mainstay of Civil Engineering education. Many other people worked diligently behind the scenes for many years especially those who served on the Committee for National Concrete Canoe Competitions (CNCCC). Individuals like Tony Massing, who formulated some of the first rules and judged the competition for many years, are still actively involved. Tony still manages the list server. Michael Carnivale is another example. As the former head of the CNCCC, Mike, and his colleagues have addressed thousands of issues while working diligently to answer literally hundreds of questions posed by the participants. He still solicits feedback from the competitors in an effort to further improve the competition. According to ASCE, "The competition was designed to provide civil engineering students an opportunity to gain hands-on, practical experience and leadership skills by working with concrete mix designs and project management. Organizers, sponsors and participants are dedicated to building awareness of concrete technology and application, as well as the versatility and durability of concrete as a construction material, among civil engineering students, educators, practitioners, the concrete industry and the general public. They also strive to increase awareness among industry leaders, opinion makers and the general public of civil engineering as a dynamic and innovative profession essential to society." In 2010, more than 200 teams will compete in 18 regional competitions to qualify for participation at the national level. In its 22-year history, the National Concrete Canoe Competition has challenged the knowledge, creativity and stamina of 483 teams (see: "For the Record"); and, ASCE estimates that over 5,200 students have participated at the national level. During this time, other key individuals have been recognized. An award is currently given for innovation in honor of Anthony Crest, a national leader in the design and construction industry. Tony was a member of the American Concrete Institute and an advocate of the competition. He passed away suddenly on April 23, 2002 at the young age of 61. As a tribute to all of the ACI members who have unselfishly volunteered their service to advance concrete knowledge, ACI established the American Concrete Institute Award for Excellence in Concrete Canoe Design to "recognize use of basic design principles for unconventional applications." According to a survey completed prior to the 2005 NCCC, an estimated 3,400 teams and more than 26,500 students have entered the regional competitions in the hopes of qualifying. Projecting these figures to 2009 raises them to over 4,400 teams and 42,350 students. Two new schools qualified in 2009 bringing the total number of schools that participated at the national level to 110. Twenty-two teams of engineering students from across the United States traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2009 for a weekend that proved to be challenging and fun. Twenty-five percent of each team’s total team score was based on the engineering design and construction principles used in the creation of their concrete canoe; 25 percent was based on a technical design report detailing the planning, development, testing and construction of their canoe; and 25 percent was based on a formal business presentation highlighting the canoe’s design, construction, racing ability and other innovative features. The remaining 25 percent of each team’s score was based on the performance of the canoe and the paddlers in five different race events: men’s and women’s slalom/endurance races, and men’s, women’s and co-ed sprint races. UC-Berkeley won their fifth national title. Some Side Notes... The Universite de Sherbrooke has the distinction of being the first international competitor invited to participate at the NCCC in 1994. École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS) joined the field in 1999 as the Canadian National champion and the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico competed in 2002. But eight-time Canadian National champion Universite Laval has been the most successful of the international contingent, appearing eight times at the U.S. Nationals while placing second in three of their stints. We saw ETS back again in 2009 as the Upstate New York Conference champion. Since they served as the 2008 NCCC host, they were the first school to qualify for the 2009 competition. They won the 2009 Canadian Concrete Canoe Competition and place second in the 2009 NCCC. Laval made their eight national appearance there as the New England Conference champion. There have been only eight schools to
win the ASCE National Concrete Canoe Competition: The Berkeley Bears, the UW-Madison Badgers, Team UAH, and Clemson's 3CT are the only teams to have won the competition more than once. All four schools have won back-to-back titles; the Berkeley Bears are the only school to have accomplished this feat twice. UW-Madison stands alone in winning five consecutive national championships. But, as of 2009, Berkeley, Team UAH and Wisconsin all hold five national titles. Roots Run Deep... As you look over this list of multiple-title holders, you may be surprised to learn how deep the blood of concrete canoeing really runs. For example, the five-time national champion, Berkeley Bears, participated in the first West Coast Concrete Canoe Race held in 1972. As of 2009, the Bears hold the record for the most national appearances at seventeen. UCB tradition dictates that on alternate years,
the string “
UCB fielded "Bear Area" in 2009 and will be the defending champion in the U.S. 2010 NCCC. Five-time national champion Team UAH hails from Southeast where the first regional competition was held in 1974. The Southeast and Mid-Pacific contingents hold the record at six national titles (5 for UAH and 1 for Florida Tech; 5 for Berkeley and 1 for Nevada-Reno, respectively). The competition is fierce in the Southeast and the rivalry between UAH, the University of Florida, and Florida Tech was a major driver for ASCE's incorporation of the "top five" rule into the NCCC rules.
Team UAH won their last national title in 2001 with "Survivor." The Badgers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison won the competition five times running (2003-2007). They hosted their first concrete canoe competition in 1976. Just one year later, they upped the ante and hosted again as the event matriculated into the Midwest Regional. The school has hosted nationals twice, the first time in 1996 and again in 2002. Nowadays, you’ll always see team members wearing their bright red bandanas while on the water during a competition.
The Wisconsin Badgers power to a first place
finish during the co-ed sprint in 2006. Clemson's 3CT hosted nationals in 2005. They not only have three national titles to their credit but hold the record for the longest consecutive winning streak by qualifying for the national competition 14 times in a row (1993-2006). As noted below, Clemson hosted their first regional competition in 1976. Not surprisingly, North Carolina State, Clemson's most fierce Conference rival, did the deed for the previous years' events... introducing concrete canoeing to the Carolina's in 1974... thirty-five years ago.
3CT's four paddling aces won three out of five
races (women's endurance and men's and women's sprint races) The 2006 NCCC was held in Stillwater, Oklahoma and hosted by Oklahoma State University. Oklahoma was one of the first states to promote concrete canoe racing and, as noted below, the 1st Great Plains Concrete Canoe Race took place there in 1972. The University of Washington hosted the big show in 2007. As mentioned previously, concrete canoeing began in this region back in 1972. ETS did the deed in 2008. As mentioned below, they reinstated concrete canoeing in Canada shortly after the institution was founded in 1994. The University of Alabama was the host in 2009. Concrete canoeing in the Southeast began in 1974. Cal-Poly-San Luis Obispo will host in 2010 in California where concrete canoe competitions can be traced back to 1972. A Disease of Epidemic Proportions... Concrete canoeing is currently attracting international attention and, if you search the web by entering the strings "concrete canoe" or "concrete canoeing" on Goggle or Yahoo, you'll see several thousand hits. I'm very pleased that ConcreteCanoe.org appears regularly at the top of the list. Team UAH and I launched this site on August 28, 2001 as our major contribution to the 150th anniversary celebration of the American Society of Civil Engineers. It was designed to be a portal to student and professional organizations worldwide and I think that we've met our goal: to cater to a diverse audience ranging from the avid canoeist to the most serious national contender. With the help of our many supporters, we have built the world's largest data base on concrete canoeing. My hat goes off to schools like Wisconsin for achieving the top national design reports and Laval for hosting our video and photo galleries. Clemson and Reno have historically provided spreadsheets for the national competitions, and I very much appreciate the cooperation of the national qualifiers and conference host schools for providing the photos and information that make our site one of the most interesting on the web. So, if you enjoy our coverage and want to help support us, please contact me. We'll put your school to work and give you the exposure that you deserve. By adding a link on your site to ConcreteCanoe.org, you and your school can help spread concrete canoe fever (see our graphics and instructions for doing so). In 2006, alumni from Laval published the inaugural issue of "Concrete Canoe Magazine." Their intent was to disseminate knowledge and recent developments in concrete canoeing and to share experiences among concrete canoe enthusiasts and former participants. So, if you haven't seen the first three issues yet, (Volume 1, No. 1, Volume 2, No. 1, Volume 3, No. 1) you can download PDF copies... free. The next issue is scheduled to appear in 2010.
These issues can be downloaded free on line. An International Craze... As discussed in the article entitled, "The international epidemic of concrete canoeing" (free download here), written by me and Andrea Barnes, concrete canoeing has become an international craze. The links contained under the "Announcements" section of ConcreteCanoe.org allow you to touch base with teams in countries ranging from the United States and Canada to Australia, France, Germany, South Africa, Japan, Holland, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and most recently, Turkey. Concrete canoe competitions were reportedly organized in Canada
by Sheridan College and Seneca College
during the mid-'70s... but interest in the sport dwindled by 1980.
It wasn’t until the
École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS) was founded in In 2007, the finals for the competition were broadcast live via the web courtesy of Discovery
The event was hosted
by ETS will be the defending champion at the 2010 Canadian NCCC. Concrete canoe racing began in
the Netherlands
in the ‘70s. The 2007 competition
marked the 30th offering. It was
hosted by the University
of There are typically over 40 boats in the field and races are run over a straight 200 m sprint course and a triangular 400 m distance course. In 2007, UW came away with awards for best construction for their design report and general canoe construction; and, best innovation for use of lightweight environmentally sound concrete to achieve great stiffness and strength. In the races, the Badgers took first in all but the women's endurance which they did not place in. A summary of the results for Wisconsin appears below. Men's 200m 1st place The 2008 Beton Kano Race was held prior to the international fib symposium in Amsterdam. The event was organized by TU Delft and races were held at the Delftse Hout. The 2009 Beton Kanoe Race was held on June 5-7th in Roermond, a town located in the southeastern part of the Netherlands on the river Mass. Evidently a concrete canoe race took place in the United Kingdom at Cotswold Water Park around 1978 where a team from the Royal Military College of Science [currently know as the Defence Academy - College of Management and Technology (DA-CMT)] won. No evidence that other competitions took place in Great Britain has been uncovered. Concrete canoe racing began in Germany
in 1986 when the first competition was held at A plaque and photo lay testament to the first German Nationals held in 1986.
Competitions were held every two years until 2002.
Then after a three year lag, the competition was reinstated in 2003 at Heidelberg.
The 11th
Deutsche
Betonkanu-Regatta.was held in
2007 at One of the most
competitive schools in the German Nationals is the University
of In any case, the University of Dresden has built some amazing concrete boats...
The
ingenious craft shown at the left, called the "Drehsden" ("Dreh" is German for rotate) was designed as a paddlewheel and
won the open class in 2005. It
currently rests peacefully on the Concrete canoe races have been taking place in South Africa since 1990. The first competition was held on November 22nd at the Victoria Lake Club at Germiston, home to some of the country's top rowing and yachting talent. As mentioned in this historical article, the competition was initially billed as a student competition but as word spread an industry category was added. Eighteen canoes made it to the lake but only sixteen competed, since two sank before reaching the stating line. Canoes were designed for a two-person crew and races were held on 500 m a "U" shaped course. A team from the University of Pretoria won in their boat "Pegasus." Nowadays the racing season in South Africa typically begins in September and the 2009 South African Concrete Boat Race will mark the 20th Anniversary of concrete canoeing there. The event is still held at the Germiston Lake Club. The Concrete Society of Southern Africa currently sponsors the event. Concrete canoe racing began in Japan in 1995. Nowadays, several competitions are held throughout the country and the Japanese Nationals are sponsored by the Japanese Society of Civil Engineers. Canoes for the 2008 14th Annual Japanese Nationals were limited in length to 4.0 meters. Concrete canoes first appeared in France in 2000 when 6 canoes were displayed at the Institut Universitaire de Technologie (IUT) in Grenoble. The primary goal was to to see whether the boats floated. The following year, full blown races were held in Grenoble where over 200 participants from from the IUT of Grenoble, Bourges, Lyon, Cergy-Pontoise and Nîmes competed. Nowadays, the French Nationals are held every two years. The 7th Concrete Canoe Challenge was hosted by the IUT de Cergy and held May 6-7, 2009 in Cergy-Pontoise. Concrete canoe racing was introduced in the United United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2005. The competition was hosted by the Abu Dhabi Men’s College and held at the Hiltonia Beach Club in Abu Dhabi. Seven teams, representing five universities (The University of Sharjah, American University of Sharjah, Dubai Men’s College, and Abu Dhabi Men’s College), participated and a team from the American University Sharjah won the competition. Although concrete canoe competitions were allegedly held several years ago in Australia, Adelaide University reintroduced the sport in 2007. They hosted the third annual South Australian Concrete Canoe Competition earlier this year. The University of South Australia participated in the event that was sponsored in part by the Concrete Institute of .Australia. Be sure to catch the audio segment where Ms. Bree Bennett talks about Adelaide's design and the U.S. competition in the 2009 Australian Concrete Canoe Competition Coverage. Concrete canoe racing recently began in Singapore. The 2008 Singapore National Concrete Canoe Competition marked the inaugural event that was sponsored by Nanyang Technological University. Turkey is the latest addition to the international contingent. Plans are currently underway at Istanbul Technical University to hold the first competition in 2010. Our best guess is that the competition will be held at Halic, a horn shaped estuary that bifurcates the European side of Istanbul. June/July 2010 is the most likely timeframe. Going for the Gold.... As mentioned previously, in an unprecedented move, the organizers of the 2007 German Regatta announced that the top three finishers in both the men's and women's races automatically qualified to paddle against the world champions. The field at WM 2007 was the largest yet... with teams representing 80 different nations.
Concrete canoeists paddle with world champions. The 2012 Summer Olympics (London; July 27 - August 12, 2012) are just around the corner. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a concrete canoe team qualified? I know that there will be some very serious concrete canoe teams reading this article... and if people are calling you crazy for thinking of going for the gold by paddling your concrete canoe in London, remember...
"If you can dream it, you can do it!"... Walt Disney Personally, I hope to see one of you on the podium in 2012! One thing is certain... If you've read this article to this point, I think it's safe to say that you're suffering from concrete canoe fever! The funny thing is that no one seems to be seeking a cure... and I wouldn't worry about infecting others... because this disease has become one of epidemic proportions. Concrete Canoe Racing in the United States (1971-1978)… prepared by Francis Young, Ph.D. To give an idea of how the popularity of concrete canoe racing spread throughout the country during the 1970s, Dr. Young compiled the following, incomplete list of races. The names used to identify the races may not be the ones originally used, but they were adopted to show continuity from year to year. 1971 1st Annual Concrete Canoe Race (Illinois) - 2 schools 1972
2nd Annual Concrete Canoe
Race (Purdue) - 16 schools 1973
3rd Annual Midwest Concrete
Canoe Race (Purdue) - 26 schools 1974
4th Annual Midwest Concrete
Canoe Race (Notre Dame) - 26 schools 1975
5th Annual Midwest Concrete
Canoe Race (Ohio State) - 22 schools 1976
5th West Coast Race (Berkely)
- number of contestants is unknown 1977
5th West Coast Regional (host is unknown) - number of
contestants is unknown 1978
6th West Coast Regional (San Louis Obispo) - number of contestants is
unknown National Concrete Canoe Competitions in the United States (1988-present)... prepared by John A. Gilbert, Ph.D. As mentioned previously, the first U.S. National Concrete Canoe Competition was held in Lansing, Michigan in 1988. Dr. Gilbert has kept extensive records since that time. The 1990 spreadsheet is the "Holy Grail" of concrete canoeing, so if you find it, please send me a copy... jag See "For the Record" Concrete Canoe Racing in Africa...
1990 1st Annual Concrete Boat Race, Germiston Lake Club,
Gauteng, South Africa Concrete Canoe Racing in Australia...
2007 1st
Annual South Australian Concrete Canoe Race - Adelaide University, West
Lakes Concrete Canoe Racing in Canada...
1995 1st
Annual CNCCC - École de Technologie Supérieure,
Montréal, Quebec Concrete Canoe Racing in France...
2001 1st Concrete Canoe Challenge - Grenoble Concrete Canoe Racing in Germany...
1986 1st
Deutsche Betonkanu-Regatta,
Limburg an der Lahn Concrete Canoe Racing in Japan...
1995 1st
Annual All Japan Race Concrete Canoe Racing in the Netherlands...
2007 30th Beton Kano Race -
University
of Concrete Canoe Racing in Singapore... 2008 1st Singapore National Concrete Canoe Competition - Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Concrete Canoe Racing in Turkey... 2010 1st Turkish Concrete Canoe Competition - Halic, Istanbul (tentative) Concrete Canoe Racing in United Arab Emirates (UAE)... 2005 1st UAE Concrete Canoe Competition - Abu Dhabi Concrete Canoe Racing in United Kingdom... 1978 Concrete Canoe Competition - Cotswold Water Park
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Preface…
by 
As of
2009,
there are 281 ASCE student chapters and international groups. And, with the help of some key individuals,
these organizations have kept the sport of concrete canoe racing flourishing. In the mid 1980s,
for example, Dr. R. John Craig, a professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and member of the
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Committee on Student Services (CSS), and other members of CSS began to formulate plans for more uniform Regional Competitions and formalized a plan to study the feasibility of a National Competition. 
