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SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® Competitors Finalized

Words: Jeff Farmakes/Public/News/20110113062000-1.jpg" width="600" height="338" border="0" alt="The 2011 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 be held on Wednesday, January 19, 2011." />
The 2011 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 be held on Wednesday, January 19, 2011.
The final selection of the 2011 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500® National bricklaying championship competitors has been finalized. Of the 20 bricklayers competing, this year’s competition is mainly comprised of the 11 winners from regional bricklayer events that were held during 2010 throughout the US & Canada. Competition bricklayers come from states such as Ohio, California, Wisconsin, Iowa, Utah, Kentucky, Colorado, Illinois, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida, North Carolina, the Canadian provinces of Manitoba, and Ontario, and London, England. The 2010 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 Champion will also be returning to defend his title as well as the TOP CRAFTSMAN winner.

The 2011 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 National bricklaying championship decides, “Who is the World’s Best Bricklayer?” This timed, 60 minute competition is being held on Wednesday, January 19, 2011, at 1:30 PM CST, in the Masonry Construction’s Challenge Arena, located in the Gold Lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2011 World of Concrete / World of Masonry trade show. This is the largest annual construction trade show in the world.

Established to showcase the skill and craftsmanship of masonry, spectators witness a true test of human drama as 20 highly skilled teams consisting of a mason and a tender put their talent and physical endurance to the ultimate test. Each mason is required to meet the quality standards of the event as they build a 26 foot 8 inch, double wythe brick wall. The competition has four awards: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place are based on the highest net brick count after subtracting for any quality violations. The 4th award, the highly coveted TOP CRAFTSMAN, is judged based on the most sellable wall, or the wall demonstrating the best craftsmanship, with over 500 total qualifying brick. Judging the 2011 event is a combination of 22 journeymen level bricklayers and masonry instructors from across the country. The judges combine for an average of nearly 25 years of experience in the trade.

The SPEC MIX Bricklayer 500 has the largest winner’s purse of any masonry competition with approximately $100,000 in gifts, cash and prizes including a 2011 FORD F-250 4x4 XLT truck fully loaded with special features. Many of the competitors attest that there is a great deal of strategy in play to win the event with some teams making their main goal to win the TOP CRAFTSMAN award offering the event’s second highest valued award. Before the SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 begins, the day’s events are kicked off with the SPEC MIX TOUGHEST TENDER® contest that challenges the 20 mason tenders to set up the bricklaying station as quickly and accurately to meet the specifications outlined. With $2,500 cold cash on the line, this contest is truly an incredible test of physical endurance.

For more details about this event visit www.specmixbricklayer500.com. This is the web site that will offer a FREE, LIVE webcast connection of the 2011 SPEC MIX BRICKLAYER 500 National while it is being held in Las Vegas. Broadcast coverage will begin one half hour before the start of the competition which will start Wednesday, January 19, 2011, at 11:30 AM PST, 12:30 PM MST, 1:30 PM CST, 2:30 PM EST, and 7:30 PM London time.
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