North Okanagan siblings excel at Okanagan College Spaghetti Bridge Contest

KELOWNA – One family stood out at yesterday’s spaghetti bridge-making contest at Okanagan College in Kelowna.

Grade 9 students Justin Dessert and Hanya Riddick from Charles Bloom Secondary won Spaghetti Bridge Building Heavyweight competition yesterday, March 2.

This is the second year in the row the duo are taking home first place at the annual Okanagan College contest. Their bridge withstood 223.61 kg of weight, only a fraction less than last year’s 255.06 kg.

Dessert’s siblings also ranked high.

James Dessert, a Grade 12 student, took home the runner-up prize for the second consecutive year.

His bridge held 159.39 kg before it buckled under the weight.

Their sister, Julia Dessert, won first place in the Secondary category.

The third-place spot went to The team of Keyvan Khadem, Gavin Saini, Ahmed Ramadan, Harvey Mann, and Jordan L. of Okanagan College. Their bridge collapsed under 36.48 kg of load.

Justin Dessert has had a lifelong interest in science, according to a media release.

He says their winning design was similar to the previous year’s model but they chose smaller noodles to make the bridge lighter.

The weight of the bridge itself was a factor in the final score, and in the event of a tie the award would go to the bridge that weighed less.

“We’ll definitely be back next year,” Justin says. “Hopefully we’ll be able to build one that beats all our previous bridges.”

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