Another brick in the wall: Bricklaying competition grows
Published 12:10 am Friday, October 4, 2024
Teams are busy at work during the bricklaying event in Gold Hill. — Karen Kistler
Teams participate in the Journeymen competition during the 2024 North Carolina Spec Mix Bricklayer 500 Regional event. – Karen Kistler
The East Rowan High School junrior tteam works on building their walls. — Karen Kistler
Teams make sure the walls are level as they build. — Karen Kistler
Columbus Career and College Academy junior team mason and tender build their wall. — Karen Kistler
Teams concentrate on their bricks during the Journeymen event on Thursday. – Karen Kistler
Mud was delivered so each bricklaying team had pleny for their tasks.. — Karen Kistler
GOLD HILL — Brick by brick, walls were going up at the 2024 North Carolina Spec Mix Bricklayer 500 Regional Event, held Oct. 3 at Ben Ketchie Park on Old Beatty Ford Road in Gold Hill. Teams worked hard to see who would win the prize and be named “North Carolina’s Best Bricklayer.”
This regional masonry challenge, as noted in a release, was one of 22 regional series qualifiers held across North America to see who would advance to the 2025 World Championship taking place in January in Las Vegas during the World of Concrete trade show.
A large crowd filled the stands and around the competition area as they watched and cheered their teams that were participating in the multiple competitions held throughout the day.
Tom Clark, who served as the emcee for the competition, said he has been a part of this industry for years assisting with the different shows.
“These events here, not only do I host it but when we get to Las Vegas, I’m the one responsible for writing the show and helping produce the show along with Spec Mix and Quikrete,” Clark said, noting he works with Brian Carney, vice president with Spec Mix.
Clark welcomed everyone to the competition, recognizing what has been taking place in the mountains and asked each to observe a moment of silence and remember and pray for them followed by the singing of the national anthem by Matthew Hartsell, project manager at Gates Construction.
“It’s going to be a great day here at Ketchie Park,” Clark said, as he passed along instructions. “We should be up for some amazing bricklaying and blocklaying today.”
And he made sure to encourage the crowd to cheer on their particular team and “get them fired up.”
The first competition was the Junior Bricklayer with nine teams representing their high school. They were given 20 minutes to lay the brick and 10 additional for tooling time to clean up the walls. He encouraged them to “dig deep” and said “champions work harder when you get closer to the finish line,” as the time was drawing to a close.
Taking first place was Jesse Carson High School with bricklayer Ryan Gaither and tender or assistant, Cameron Grubbs, laying 313 bricks. They were presented with the traveling trophy, which goes to their school, and they also won $500.
Second place went to East Rowan High School with bricklayer Ty Sweatt and tender Dakota laying 311 bricks. Third place was Davie County High School with bricklayer Tyler Shore and tender Sam Sellers. They laid 243 bricks and received $200.
Additional schools competing were Columbus Career and College Academy, Forestview High School, Lee County, Mt. Pleasant High School, North Stanly High School and Randolph High School.
Following the junior competition, the Journeymen event was held with ten teams working toward their chance to advance to the nationals. They were given an hour to lay as many bricks as possible.
Winning first place was McGee Brothers Company, Inc. with bricklayer Wriston McGee of Monroe and tender Darren Eagle. They also won the prestigious Craftsman Award, along with $700 for first place and $400 for the Craftsman Award and will be flying out to Nevada to compete in the National Championship. They laid 767 bricks with 0 deductions in one hour.
Second place winner was also from McGee Brothers Company, with bricklayer Grayson McGee of Charlotte and tender Haran McGee.
They had an adjusted brick count of 716 bricks, which was the count after deductions, and they received $500.
Third place went to Ridenhour Masonry with bricklayer Mason Ridenhour of Rockwell and tender Wyatt Trexler.
They laid, after an adjusted brick count, 694 bricks and received $400.
Ridenhour was a junior bricklayer last year and this was his first time competing in the Journeymen competition, said Ryan Coyne, regional southeast manager with Spec Mix, a division of the Quikrete companies.
Other teams competing were Tomberlin Masonry, Kelly Masonry, JLowe Construction, Helms Masonry, Huntley Brothers and the duo of Zack and Colton McGee
A new event this year, said Clark, was the block competition where three students worked together for 20 minutes as mason and two tenders to build a block wall.
Coyne said that 36 blocks were placed for each team and the team to lay that many first won.
First place was Jesse Owens High School with mason Diego Silva and tenders, Aaron Vazquez Sanchez and Jorge Clemente-Garcia.
Second place went to East Rowan High School with mason, Kystopher Hernandez and tenders, Ty Sweatt and Trey Morris.
Third place was Central Cabarrus High School with mason Andrew Black and tenders, Dustin Crump and Garret Black.
The final competition of the day was the Instructor Challenge. “These kids have amazing instructors that teach them,” said Clark, and this competition was “their turn to shine and do the best that they can.”
This year’s winner was Fred Mason from Columbus Career and College Academy.
Coyne said that they have been doing this for more than 25 years, “which is really amazing that it’s still as strong as it began, it’s only getting bigger.”
He noted that with the “support of the North Carolina Masonry Contractors Association, with Ryan Shaver and his local masons, we are able to put on a junior bricklayer competition as well, and a junior block competition, sponsored by the NCMCA.”
This event is like a Super Bowl, Coyne said, and it’s important to do this because it’s very important “to give back to the masonry community, it’s keeping the industry strong.”
And it’s just as important for the students, he added, because not everyone will go to college or join the military and “keeping those trades strong is really important.”
The masonry industry is a great one to be involved in, said Clark, noting it is one that is “full of pride and passion and integrity. If you want to make this your future, it is an amazing industry, amazing people.”
