Over the past 37 years, engineering students across Canada have been gathering to do one thing: ride down a large hill with nothing between you and the snow but a large piece of concrete! The tradition that began in 1974 brings engineering schools from across Canada together every year where they participate in the Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race. The basis of the competition is to design and build a maximum 300lb toboggan where all surfaces in contact with the snow are made of concrete.
The University of Waterloo has a proud tradition in the competition, having won the top prize four times! (The last being in 2008) Currently we have two teams building separate toboggans for the different streams: A-Soc (on co-op in the fall) and B-Soc (school term in the fall). The A-Soc team is preparing for their race in January 2012 in Calgary, Alberta. The B-Soc team is currently going through their preliminary design process for their competition in January 2013 in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Both teams are in need of eager students to help with the following:
-Designing the overall concept of the sled
-Designing a working braking system
-Designing a steering system
-Helping fundraise by buying boggan burgers every Thursday rain or shine outside Carl Pollock Hall
-Helping cook and serve boggan burgers
-Helping design and update the team website
-Creating various dances, costumes, props and signs for our team’s theme
All students from any engineering program are more than welcome to join the team and contribute. The B-Soc concrete toboggan team will be on Campus in Fall 2011. Since we are still in the early stages of the design process, it is a great time for first year students to come and be a part of the entire process. Our first meeting of the term will be Tuesday, September 13th. If you have any questions or want any more information on the 2013 race, please email us at gnctr.bsoc.waterloo@gmail.com. If you want to be a part of the 2012 racing team, please contact Ann Sychterz at uw-gnctr-2012@googlegroups.com. Also visit our team website at http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/gnctr/.
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