Seven-year-old Ty Lepetich, a grade one student at Polaris Montessori Elementary School, during today’s Popsicle Bridge Breaking contest

Prince George, B.C. – Sixty people – mostly kids – put their popsicle bridge breaking skills to the test at Pine Centre Mall today.

The 20^th annual Ultimate Bridge Building Contest and Geo Rocks Event aims to create youth interest in the engineering and geoscience professions.

Participants built their bridges at school and then brought them to the mall today to see how much pressure they could withstand before breaking in half.

“We’re thrilled with how the event has gone so far,” said Mike Mason, chair of the Central Interior branch of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C. (APEGBC). “We really depend on the elementary schools to help promote this event and part of the way we promote it is by going into classrooms and discussing the professions of engineering and geoscience.”

Seven-year-old Ecole Lac des Bois student Malia Molland

He says it’s particularly rewarding because kids in elementary school generally don’t know how great the profession is.

“And if we can get out there and promote engineering and geoscience in the classroom visits, bridge breaking contests and rock displays, then we’re potentially educating the future generation of engineers which is so important in the North.”

Lynsey Molland, whose seven-year-old daughter Malia participated in today’s event, thinks it’s a great idea too.

“You can’t lose. I’m a fan of her deciding she wanted to come out here and enter and stand up there. I’m super proud of her,” she said. “Next year we’ll see how much weight it (popsicle bridge) can withstand and next year we’ll know how to build a stronger one.”

Mike Mason, chair, APEGBC and Daniel Hoy, who  won first prize in the grade 1-3 category