On the week of what was supposed to be the 2020 ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, it is time to look forward.
The 2020 competition, of course, was canceled in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
So all eyes focus now on the 2021 competition. And all those teams who had their GPS set for Madison need only shift their directions about 70 miles southwest.
The University of Wisconsin – Platteville will play host to the 2021 ASCE Concrete Canoe Competition, June 26-28, 2021.
“We thought it’d be fantastic for students from around the country and the world to come to Platteville because Platteville is such a nice place,” said Eli Trast, S.M.ASCE, head of the UW-Platteville ASCE Student Chapter’s Concrete Canoe Competition Planning Committee.
“It’s great. We were very excited when we found out, but then it’s also like, ‘OK, we gotta start planning this thing.”
The UW-Platteville concrete canoe team’s tradition is a rich one. The Pioneers have qualified for the Society-wide competition 13 times between 2005 and 2018. This will be the first year the school has hosted the ASCE championship event.
“Our concrete canoe team has been strong for many years,” Trast said. “You can learn from previous teams and continue the high standard that they set. And being successful, you’re able to network with other schools and see how much bigger concrete canoe is than just a small club on campus. It’s really nice.”
Trast is excited to show off his school – from the engineering program to the nearby Mississippi River.
“Platteville has all the amenities of a larger area, but it’s a small town,” Trast said. “Everybody will get to enjoy the outdoors and have that small-town Midwest vibe.”
