Oars dipped choppy water. Billy Hirchert’s tan slacks were wet up to the knee and his feet bare as he cheered on his canoe team on the shore of Lone Star Lake on Saturday.

Kansas University freshmen Brittany Multer, left, of Overland Park, and Paula Ruppel, of Olathe, paddle their canoe made of concrete during a race at Lone Star Lake that was part of the American Society of Civil Engineers Mid-Continent Regional Conference on Saturday.

Hirchert, a Kansas University senior in civil engineering, is captain of the KU concrete canoe team. His team’s canoe, which the seven teammates spent a collective 1,700 hours designing and constructing, competed against a dozen others. Hirchert said the extracurricular project offers participants valuable experience.

“It’s applying what we learn in class and also going far beyond what we learn in class,” he said.

The races spanned the day, which alternated between sunshine, strong winds and rain. Despite the tumultuous weather, the participants enjoyed being able to get out and actually test out what they’ve done, said Julia Dury, a junior in civil engineering and the conference organizer.

“Whether it’s pouring rain or whatever it is, everyone’s having fun,” Dury said.

The conference, which is open to engineering majors at any level, offers underclassman an opportunity to work with design principles in a hands-on way, Dury said.

“You get to see stuff in action,” she said.

The concrete canoe competition is part of the annual American Society of Civil Engineers Mid-Continent Regional Conference, hosted by the KU Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering. The three-day conference also included a steel bridge competition, concrete bowling and a geowall competition.

KU freshman Brittany Multer, who competed in the endurance race, women’s sprint and co-ed sprint, said the concrete canoe offers additional challenges in the water.

“It’s a lot heavier and a lot harder to turn,” she said.

The experience, which included hours of practice on the lake, made for a lot of team bonding, Multer said.

“The fun part is doing it together,” she said.

The conference also allows students to be in leadership roles and manage working in groups, said Cody Howard, KU School of Engineering public relations director.

“It prepares them for life beyond college,” Howard said.

Thirteen regional schools participated in the concrete canoe event, which included five races: men’s endurance, women’s endurance, men’s sprint, women’s sprint and co-ed sprint. Each canoe was judged on four equally weighted components: the races, the canoe, the design documents and an oral presentation.

But for Hirchert, the learning doesn’t stop once the canoe is finished. Hirchert said one of his favorite parts of the project is seeing the designs of other teams and sharing information.

“Everyone does it different,” he said. “We learn from each other.”