On Jan. 30, Carleton student Chris Nicol watched as more than four months’ worth of dedication and hard work went downhill — literally.
Joined by 23 members of his team, the third-year aerospace engineering student competed in the 37th annual Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.
The engineering competition, which took place from Jan. 27-30 and drew 20 teams from universities across Canada, has a set of strict guidelines for its participants. Toboggans must be able to transport five people, have working brake and steering systems, include a safety roll-cage, and must not exceed 300 pounds — all while having a running surface made entirely of concrete.
“Trying to find time to complete it is always challenging,” said Nicol, who has competed in the event for the past three years and was one of this year’s co-captains. “Especially because you can only work on it when [university] labs are open.”
Carleton’s team — called “Carleton Runnings,” a play on the name of the Jamaican bobsled team in the movie Cool Runnings — finished fifth overall. Although the University of Alberta received the top honours, Carleton won in the category of “Best Technical Report” and took home the award for “People’s Champion,” which is granted to the crowd’s favourite.
Nicol said the team formed at the start of September, with construction of the toboggan beginning in October.
“You end up putting all the time that you’re not in classes into the competition,” he said.
He added that the construction process is a lengthy one, filled with planning, “the stress of designing,” calculations, experiments and test runs.
Teams are judged based on their concrete mix, braking, technical exhibition display and report, written and oral presentations, team spirit and race times.
Carleton Runnings completed three runs on Saturday, with five riders on each trip. Nicol said their toboggan reached a maximum speed of about 50 km/h.
“This year, the hill was pretty spectacular,” he said. “It’s definitely a thrill, going down the thing.”
One of the most memorable experiences, Nicol said, was the run that earned the University of Toronto team the award for “Most Spectacular Run.” The riders flipped their sled, which caused one team member to be ejected, and the toboggan to land on top of another. Fortunately, he said, no one was seriously injured.
Carleton’s toboggan is currently being shipped back to the university and will be stored on campus for experimental purposes.
Nicol said the toboggan’s performance at the competition was a source of pride for the Carleton team.
“It was a great feeling, knowing that your design actually works,” he said.