In a classic example of saving the best for last, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School freshmen Tony Canha and Jason Gruner were declared the winners of the school’s 14th annual Linguini Bridge Contest on Monday after 1,500 pounds of crushing metal proved no match for the duo’s lightweight entry into the competition. Their bridge was the final weigh-in of the yearly event, which pits the unassuming combination of Prince linguini, Elmer’s glue and solid engineering strategy against the dual powers of pressure and gravity.
Tony and Jason’s bridge weighed in at just four-fifths of a pound yet was able to withstand the weight of three-quarters of a ton (courtesy of free weights supplied by the school’s athletic department) with nary a sign of damage.
Before the Canha/Gruner creation, dubbed A+ Sause, took center stage, victory seemed all but certain for sophomores Kyle Joba-Woodruff and Mikey Schroeder, whose one-pound creation, Team Little Boy, had kicked off the fourth and final elimination round by holding up 1,250 pounds before collapsing. (Mikey Schroeder’s older sister, Alexia, class of ’09, currently holds the contest record, having constructed a bridge in 2007 with partner Loren Gibson, also ’09) that cracked only when faced with 2,115 pounds.)
“I didn’t expect the first one to go so far — it was an amazing start,” said math teacher Ken DeBettencourt, creator of the Linguini Bridge Contest. The contest is part of the third-quarter grade for students in Mr. DeBettencourt’s freshman and sophomore classes, although entry is open to any student who wishes to enter.
Entrants are given just over one month to design and build a bridge strong enough to hold at least 25 pounds. Outside help — from sources as varied as “teachers, parents, carpenters, architects, engineers, Italian chefs, priests [and] rabbis,” according to the official rules — is permitted.
“So many parents work with their kids,” said Mr. DeBettencourt after the competition. “I got a lot of phone calls [asking for input] on the weekends leading up to it.”
A total of 60 bridges were entered into this year’s contest, with 54 meeting the minimum 25-pound requirement. More than 30 structures survived the first round, with each supporting 50 pounds. Just 21 bridges were able to withstand 100 pounds of weight in round two, however, with 18 advancing to the final stage after holding up 200 pounds.
None of the 16 bridges tested between the bookends of Team Little Boy and A+ Sause supported more than 630 pounds; Celeste, built by Kane Araujo and Alistair Morgan, took third place.
“It’s kind of intimidating,” said Jason of the wait between weigh-ins. But the team was nonetheless confident in their bridge, having already received feedback from an older student that A+ Sause could have what it takes to go all the way. Tony and Jason spent 16 hours constructing their winner, and were inspired by models from years past.
Because Tony and Jason’s bridge remains unbroken, the team holds out for the possibility that it will eventually be tested against the school record. Safety concerns stemming from the possible toppling of a five-foot-tall stack of heavy weights across the stage of the Performing Arts Center — and the feet of participants — prevented such a test from taking place Monday.
In the meantime, the two freshmen leave with bragging rights for the next year and what is sure to be a project grade befitting their bridge’s name.
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