Idaho team wins canoe competition

By ANGELA BRANDT - Independent Record - 04/05/09

The Carroll College team rowed the ‘Mighty Mo' to a third place finish.

Out of the 10 concrete canoes formed for a competition Saturday at No Wake Lake, only seven survived the trip to Helena. Ultimately, even the winner's canoe ended up breaking.

But nevertheless, a good time was had by all.

Carroll College's team and their concrete creation "The Mighty Mo" took third place in the 2009 American Society of Civil Engineers Pacific Northwest Regional Student Conference canoe competition. It also was Carroll's first time hosting the event.

ASCE Concrete Canoe

The team from the University of Idaho came in first in the overall competition and the University of Washington placed second.

Kiersten Lee, a senior at the University of Idaho, said she was sad when their canoe broke on the water but the team still had enough points to take the overall prize.

Lee's 13-member team began planning their canoe at the beginning of the year and started molding in February. They finished the boat on Wednesday night with some final touches.

Megan Mecham, a junior at University of Idaho, said she had a great time with the whole process and her team coordinated their efforts well. Plus, they had a blast doing so, she added.

The University of Idaho team will advance to the national competition this summer, for which they will build a new canoe with the same specifications.

Gary Fischer, assistant professor at Carroll College and faculty advisor for the American Society of Civil Engineers, said he was impressed by this year's boats. Fischer said "The Mighty Mo" was the best canoe his team has put together by far and that was proven Saturday as the team had its best showing ever.

"I thought it all went really smoothly," Fischer said.

The location of the competition is rotated each year. Next year it will be at Washington State University.

Fischer said the biggest thing his team will work on next year is their rowing technique.

Reporter Angela Brandt: 447-4078 or

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