Cool runnings

What do you get when you cross the Flintstones with escaped convicts and lederhosen?

No, not the Jailhaus Bedrock. These were the themes adopted by the winning teams at the 2001 Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race in Kingston, Ontario, last January.

At the end of this month, more than 600 students from Canada, Europe, and the United States will descend upon the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg to try and outdo their previous year's performance in the 28th annual GNCTR, the largest civil engineering student competition in Canada.

The contest objective is to design and construct a toboggan that meets safety and dimensional requirements and maintains a braking system that can withstand two races down a steep, icy hill. The vehicle must weigh less than 135 kilograms (almost 300 pounds) and accommodate five people. Any surface that touches the ground must be concrete.

Students at the GNCTR are judged by a variety of criteria-some less technical than others-from the quality of their concrete mix design to the creativity of their uniforms. Last year, the University of British Columbia "Fugitives," decked out in orange jumpsuits and handcuffs, took home first place in the overall competition and clocked the fastest speed at 46 kilometers per hour (close to 30 mph). The University of Alberta's design was anything but prehistoric as the Flintstone "Bedrockers" bedazzled the judges with the Best Boggan.

The crowd favorite in 2001 combined students from three German and Austrian universities. The "Euroboggan" team, dressed in traditional Oktoberfest outfits complete with hats, suspenders, and lederhosen, was recognized with the People's Choice and Best Uniforms awards.