Team registration open now!

Join us for the 11th 4-H BRIDGE BUST

Test Your Engineering & Design Skills

Join us for the 11th 4-H Bridge Busting Competition. This hands-on, challenging program tests bridge-building prowess, and encourages math, engineering, design, & teamwork skills. Watch our video to learn a little more.

The competition will run approximately from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 at Parkview Christian Academy - Lower Campus, 201 W. Center Street, Yorkville IL 60560. Tentative schedule (times are approximate and depend on number of participants and time needed to bust bridges):

• Team check-in begins at 9 a.m.
• STEM activity stations begin around 9:30 a.m.
• Bridge breaking begins about 10:30 a.m. 
• Awards ceremony about 12 p.m.

--------

How to join the fun

1. Put together a team
2. Sign up online (open now)
3. Check out the new resource center (see below)
4. Pick up your kit in January
5. Plan & build a bridge
6. Participate on Bust Day
7. Have fun and win cool stuff

Ways to participate

• Youth Competition Teams (all team members must be ages 10 and up)
• Family or 4-H Club Competition Teams (including adults and youth ages 5 and up)
• School Competition teams (5th to 12th grades)

You will register once as a team (not as individuals). Teams must have at least two members. Cost is $40 per team.

Next steps for your team

In December, following registration and payment, you will receive information for Bridge Bust Contest Packet Pick-Up, which starts Jan. 3, 2025.

• Packets include: contest rules, general information about bridge busting, and project supplies.
• Bridges will be judged on their structural efficiency and aesthetics (contest packet will have more details).
• Make sure to look for our 4-H Bridge Bust Resource Center

Bridge Bust Resource Center

• CONTEST GUIDELINES: 2025 info coming soon! 
• VIDEO: Bridge Basics | All About Bridges | Illinois 4-H STEM Challenge
• VIDEO: Planning and Building | Balsa Wood Bridge Tips and Tricks | Purdue University

Bridge Bust Day

The competition will run approximately from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025 at Parkview Christian Academy - Lower Campus, 201 W. Center Street, Yorkville IL 60560. Tentative schedule (times are approximate and depend on number of participants and time needed to bust bridges):

• Team check-in begins at 9 a.m.
• Bridge breaking begins about 10:30 a.m. 
• Awards ceremony about 12 p.m.

Questions

For any questions, contact 4-H Program Coordinator Katie McFarland at (630) 553-5823 or ksm@illinois.edu. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate in this program, contact your local University of Illinois Extension office or event coordinator. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time for meeting your access needs.