Floats Like a Rock

Or a rock-like substance, anyway, as the National Concrete Canoe Competition tests teams which design, build and attempt to float canoes made of concrete.

As the judges note, the competition isn't mysterious: Somehow, the teams must take concrete and make a canoe from it that is lighter than water. Otherwise, they don't win. Rather than testing esoteric concrete mixtures and exotic substances, the successful teams develop good processes, plan properly, work together and successfully cover all of the tasks that go into a good concrete canoe.

Competition designers and judges point out that a good run in the contest reflects well when the students go job-hunting, mostly because of all those teamwork and processing things mentioned above. Which would make sense, since not many firms are designing concrete canoes.

A similar competition is held from time to time with cement overshoes, but in that competition, neither floating nor notoriety are desired, so no one is ever sure who wins. The losers, on the other hand, tend to be conspicuous in their absence.