Bricklaying competition makes its way to Edmonton

Edmonton bricklaying experts put their masonry skills to the test when the Spec Mix Bricklayer 500 competition came to town for the first time ever this month. The top spot went to David Sontag of Gunthers Masonry in Lethbridge, Alta.

Last year Sontag won the Spec Mix Top Craftsman award and was a runner up.

Spec Mix is one of 22 regional competitions in North America. Sontag and the other winners will compete in the championship in January at the World of Concrete tradeshow in the Silver Lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center where the event was born in 2003.

The goal behind the event was to host the best bricklaying competition that would be the platform demonstrating the craftsmanship and stamina of masons across the country, if not the world, explains a release. This year’s competition features regional competitions in Quebec, B.C. and Ontario. The championship also always features an international team. This year they are from Great Britain.

Since its inception, the event has undergone some rule changes, attracted additional sponsors and now includes a live webstream of the National Event to gain world-wide coverage. Today the event is the World of Concrete/World of Masonry’s biggest draw, attracting as many as 4,000 spectators and 7,000 Internet viewers every year.

At the championship, 20, two-man teams made up of a mason and mason tender compete to lay the most bricks while meeting strictly defined quality standards. Teams have 60 minutes to complete their 26-foot, eight-inch, double wythe brick wall while dozens of judges evaluate their workmanship.

The competition has four separate awards: First, second and third place are based on the highest net brick count. Judges add up the bricks laid and subtract from the count if there are quality violations. The record amount of brick laid by a mason in this competition was set by Garrett Hood in 2010 with a total of 911 bricks.

The fourth award, the Spec Mix Top Craftsman, is for the most sellable (best constructed) wall with over 500 bricks installed. This award is the second most coveted award at the event and has the second highest award purse. Only four people in 2016 had zero deductions on their bricks.

The championship has the largest winner’s purse of any masonry competition with over $100,000 in cash and prizes.

Winning is no easy task. Spec Mix vice-president Brian Carney said that the days of showing up cold and expecting to win are over.

"A lot of guys will practice two months prior," Carney said. "Nobody goes out anymore without practicing."

And not only is the work physically demanding, bricklayers must work with a tender who helps prep the brick. Both have to concentrate to balance speed and accuracy if they want to take home a win.

It’s not just money and prizes on the line.

"The competitors who frequent the competition, they all know each other. It’s almost like a fraternity or a brotherhood," Carney said. "It’s a big feather in their hat."

Carney said the champion’s phone rings off the hook and they are often swamped with business.

"They become celebs in their industry," he said.

Carney added it also has been a great tool for recruiting and educating up and coming masons and exposing the next generation to the trades. He said the goal of showcasing the craftsmanship and fulfillment of being in the trades has caused many of the industries different groups to put aside their differences.

"We couldn’t be more proud of this," he said. "The best thing about it, it has unified our industry like you wouldn’t believe. Everybody knows that you have got to leave your agenda at home. It’s about the industry, workforce development. Everybody has got on board to help promote the industry."

There hasn’t been a Canadian champion to date, but several have come close. Filipe Orfao of Ontario took third in 2014 and second in 2012 and Ken Rutley of Medicine Hat, Alta. took second in 2010. Rutley was the first Canadian to place in a World Championship competition.