The Waiting Game

About 12 hours have passed since alarms went off this morning, and the teams are still at work. All we supporters can do is silently wish them well and hope some of the luck in the casino is up for grabs.

Of course, the top teams will not be decided by luck. But it never hurts.

Neither does an inspirational quote from an infamously tenacious American:

When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Inside the Action

Before the teams went into full quarantine, we followed Boise State's Heavy Civil clan through the problem presentation this morning.

The guys talked a little game for fun, but they are well aware of the quality of every team they're up against. They know they have to be totally on the ball today to have a chance at getting their alma mater on the trophy and into the esteem of the Kiewit judges.

Click for a taste of the experience.

Game Time

Walking to the conference room for the problem presentation in the black hours of the morning, it was kind of like being part of a steelhead run. Everyone was quiet, eyes forward.

The 14 Heavy Civil teams were greeted by the competition trophy and representatives of Kiewit. As the problem sponsor, Kiewit presented the day's challenge -- a capping repair on a jetty head off the coast of Oregon, near Tillamook (land of happy cows). Before this moment, the teams had no idea what the job would be.

The details were presented by Darrin Shelby, who managed the project through its completion. While the plan includes only six drawings, he explained that by no means was the execution simple. Curious whales and salmon fishing rigs, beach-goers and campers, the sweep of the tide and the horrendous weather the NW coast is known for, permitting and environmental concerns -- it seemed like the added stresses on top of the basic technical demands were endless.

"But that's what you've got," Shelby said.

The teams were given a chance to review the plan and ask questions. Then Kiewit laid out the time line: 10:30 p.m. cut-off for proposal submission / 7 a.m. turn-in time for presentation materials.

"Don't plan on jumping out of the elevator and throwing your proposal in our doorway in the final seconds," said Kiewit's Darren Seaman. "There's about 100 yards you have to sprint."

Then the panel wished the competitors luck, and it was off to the war room.

Just like everything else involved in the Reno competition, the set-up of the team rooms is planned well in advance. While only the team members can be in the inner sanctum during the action, we were able to get a glimpse of their digs. The judges also will see the layout when they drop by (unexpectedly), and what they find has an effect on their overall opinion of the group. If the room is functioning like a professional office, then everything is aces. The students even have to answer the phone as a company would.

And how did Boise State's Heavy Civil team feel on the front end? Confident, but not cocky. And what does their coach, Tom Woodall think?

"This team could come in first," he said. "This team could do it."

Power in Numbers

First things first. More than 70 Boise State construction management students gathered (and high-fived) under the lights at the Nugget tonight, representing many, many collective brain cells and dreams of domination. The evening brought together more than 1,000 students from all over the country, but none seemed to cheer as loud as the Broncos when the blue logo flashed on the big screen.

Shimmick Construction Co. equipped all of the teams with competition T-shirts, and Stacy and Witbeck treated the entire group to a lavish meal and inspirational speeches by three of the company's finest -- engineers Jesse Williams and John Bocknecht and senior vice president John Zehner. Although their styles were different, all three essentially said the same thing. It's the intangible qualities that shine the brightest, and doing your best should be a given.

After dinner, a prize drawing of donated goodies made a few lucky winners very happy, and a few others very embarrassed. Everything from cameras to iPods and tools were doled out, and the big ticket items came at a price. Three winners had to show their sweetest dance moves to the room (video coming soon). Let's just say there was one valiantly attempted worm, some violent knee thrusting, and a trio attempting to do the monkey and the sprinkler at the same time. Fortunately, after the competition, most of these people will have day jobs.

Now it's off to bed. The alarm goes off at 5:30 sharp.

The View from the Finish Line

En route to Reno, Heavy Civil coach and industry veteran Tom Woodall put the competition in perspective. While the final presentations and awards are exciting, they are the tip of an iceberg running down miles under the surface.

"What the kids have to go through to get to the final 20 minutes on Friday is tremendous," Tom said.

The clock starts in August, when the announcement is made to all CM students that the ASC competition in Reno is open to those who have what it takes. Requirements include weekly meetings, intensive technical training with mentors, endless research, practice problems and presentations, and many other things you won't find in a syllabus. Those left standing after they hear the details form teams, and the real work begins.

Tom said the students depend not only on the knowledge and guidance of their faculty coaches but also on industry professionals who volunteer their time to get the teams up to speed.

"What this produces is an individual who is persistent and wants to learn, who has the dedication to put it all on the line and deliver," he said. "The industry likes that person. That person is tested."

Lucky for the competitors, the industry will be in the room when they present. Recruiters from dozens of top companies will be in the audience, looking for the nuts and bolts (honesty, work ethic, technical skill) as well as the X-factor.

The X-factor is the thing that separates a good construction manager from a standout leader. LEED coach and civil engineering professor Sondra Miller used the analogy of a military commander directing troops.

"It's management; it's not control," she said. "It's about picking the right people to do a job and then letting them do it. It's emotional intelligence."

Or, in Tom's succinct words: "Know your people."

The Men of Heavy Civil

Armed with energy drinks, massive binders and enough laptops to stage a coup on Facebook headquarters, the Heavy Civil team worked through a practice problem a few weeks ago.

Freshman Cody Allison said he was looking forward to presenting in front of people who know what they're talking about. He's been working for Idaho Sand & Gravel for 9 years.

"I started right out of high school and was a foreman by 21," he said. He's hoping to advance in the field when his Boise State degree is complete, possibly in a foreign country. Maybe Australia.

While Cody did research, Junior Shane Medley was going through PDF plans and logging things into the project schedule. Junior Nick Meyer was focused on entering line item costs into a spreadsheet. And Seniors Matt Wilson and Jared "Jerry" Staub were examining the pipe work on the plans.

"We're measuring the engineers' work, trying to spot the discrepancies that might make a difference."

What he means is, the construction problems teams are given in Reno often contain elements meant to throw them off or check their level of care. Nothing is certain. Except for the team talisman that is Jerry's mullet.

"Power flows through the mullet," he joked. "There may be a ceremonial cutting at the competition."

For team captain and senior Steve Earl, the real power comes from the tightness of the group and their shared dedication to getting the job done. And that includes alternates Brack Judy, a senior, and Robert Nichol, a junior.

"We have the technical knowledge; now we need to pull it all together," Steve said.

Tomorrow, the teams hit the road for Reno. For inspiration beyond the mullet, they might remember the words of billionaire business mogul Warren Buffett, who wrote the introduction to the 125th anniversary of North American construction/engineering giant Kiewit:

Buffett said: Peter Kiewit didn't just build buildings - he built confidence and integrity. He built leadership.

The People Behind the Program

As the teams complete final prep before they hit the road next week, we can’t help but think about all of the people who are making the trip possible.

Without the generous support of company sponsors and individual donors, Boise State would not be sending any CM students to Reno.

“This is an invaluable experience for our students, and we can’t do it without our circle of friends,” Tony said. As department chair, he has seen firsthand how every dollar makes a difference.

Doing the heaviest lifting are the team sponsors. A million times thank you for believing in the students and investing in their future.

Team Sponsors

• Builders Mechanical (Commercial Team)
• ESI (Design Build Team)
• Idaho Youth Education Recycling Program (LEED Team)
• MarCon, Inc. (Concrete Team)
• McMillen, LLC (Preconstruction Services Team)
• Staker Parson Co. - Idaho Sand & Gravel (Determining Project Risk Team)
• URS Energy and Construction (Heavy Civil Team)

Huge thanks also to the rest of our circle, which includes alums, family and allies in industry.

Organizations

Idaho Associated General Contractors
Knife River Corporation
Central Paving Company, Inc.
Coleman Homes, LLC
McKinstry
Ozman Construction
Petra, Inc.
Starr Corporation
Traylor Brothers
Cloverdale Plumbing
Lochsa
River Bank
Rosendin Electric, Inc.
Rudolph and Sletton
The Russell Corporation
Western Construction, Inc.

Individuals

William and Carol Deasy
Patrick and Bobbie Allaire
Smilie and Virginia Anderson
Casey Cline
Ivan and Elizabeth Custer
Timothy Jones
Paul and C. Barton Marlow
Torry and Kim McAlvain
Bill Mincks
Kelly and Ann Newton
Ryan Tabuchi
Thomas Woodall