Race Day/Closing Ceremonies (February 1, 2014)

We all got up early for a 6:00 AM departure to Boler Mountain where Race Day was being held. When we got there our crate which held our tools and toboggan was waiting for us. Breakfast was provided to our team and then we all helped to unpack the toboggan and get it ready for the race. We raced the slalom course first which included three "gates" our toboggan had to manoeuvre around before getting to the finish line and braking. We began the run, picked up speed very quickly and still managed to steer around all three gates without incident. We hit the finish line, stopped and then all jumped out, celebrating a great run. We were clocked at 42 km/hr which at that time was tied for the top speed out of the 21 teams.

As we were waiting for our second run it began to snow very heavily. The temperatures were quite mild so this heavy, wet snow did not bode well for many toboggans with some even becoming stuck mid-way through the run. Nevertheless we raced our second run (the drag race - simply going straight down the hill) without incident once again. The added snow actually helped with our braking system as more snow helped the large plow dig into the snow better.

Once each team had gotten a chance to complete both the drag race and slalom courses it was time for the King of the Hill Races. These pitted two toboggans against each other in side-by-side drag races. We beat our first two competitors with ease and then were to race the University of British Columbia Okanagan's team. This was a very strong team and we believed we could beat them if we got a good enough start. Our two pushers were lined up, ready to send the toboggan on its way and they ran and pushed so hard that one of them slipped and crossed the starting line; an immediate disqualification. Nevertheless our team was very happy with the way we performed and returned back to the hotel at 4:00 PM to get ready for the closing ceremonies.

At the closing ceremonies our the University made it up to the awards stage a phenomenal 11 TIMES! This lead us to a BEST OVERALL TITLE and in doing so made us the winner of the CSCE GNCTR Cup. We won by an absolute landslide and won EVERY design category. A full list of our multitude of awards is below:

1st braking system design

Photo Credit GNCTR 2014

1st concrete mix design
2nd best steering performance
1st concrete reinforcement design
Holcim sustainability award
1st sustainability
1st superstructure design
3rd technical display
1st steering design
3rd braking performance
3rd technical report
1st most innovative design
1st theoretical toboggan design
1st overall

On a closing note I could not be happier with my team this year. In my opinion these team members could not have been better ambassadors for the University of Alberta and cheered for every other team. The level of sportsmanship shown by the U of A was unsurpassed with all the small things we did from lending a helping hand to Calgary in setting up their technical display to being the only team staying behind to help the organizing committee clean up chairs at the conclusion of race day. After attending GNCTR 2014 I am humbled to be able to say these team members are my friends and class mates and I believe that our success at this competition directly correlates to the level of teaching and education that the University of Alberta Faculty of Engineering offers it's students.

Thank you to the University of Alberta Faculty of Engineering for allowing us to attend and succeed at this great competition!

Thank you,

Ryan Cusveller
Captain - U of A GNCTR

Technical Display Day

Photo Credit GNCTR 2014

Today began with finishing up our technical display and putting the finishing touches on our sled. Logos of the diamond and platinum sponsors were put on the sled and then it was time for the judging to begin. Power point presentations were given to panels of judges regarding the Toboggan's concrete and superstructure components. Each of these was followed by a question period. After this the weigh-in occurred and the University of Alberta Toboggan weighed 281 lbs in total, which was less than the 300 lb weight limit. The weigh-in was followed by the safety inspection which we passed with only one modification to the length of our steering cables to ensure they didn't become tangled in the event of a crash.

The afternoon was spent getting to know the other teams as well as presenting the toboggan to other judges. The toboggan was well received and many other competitors complimented our design and sustainability. Tomorrow will be the ultimate test as we will be racing our toboggan against the 20 other teams.

Day 2: Competitor Interaction Day

The day began with teams circulating around various events centered on getting to know all the other competitors. These events included time at the London Recreational Center, a Labatt Brewery Tour and concluded with a photo of all the competitors organized into the letters "GNCTR". A small group of team members also unpacked our wooden shipping crate which included our toboggan and supplies and built our technical display for tomorrow's Technical Display Day. It was very exciting seeing the other team's toboggans and displays and the entire team is anxiously anticipating the race which will occur Saturday at Boler Mountain.

Day 1: Opening Ceremonies

After a very early morning departure from Edmonton on Wednesday, the team arrived in London, ON for GNCTR 2014 at approximately 15:00 local time. After checking into our rooms we put on our Cattle costumes and attended the Opening Ceremonies which was attended by the other 20 teams as well. Each team performed a short three minute skit introducing their theme to the organizers and other competitors. Our skit included a humorous narrative on the proper methods of "cow tipping" to fit with our theme, Alberta Beef. After this we attended an evening event organized by the host committee spirit committee and then retired for the night.