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
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| Photo Credit GNCTR 2014 |
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
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