2021 Fastest Trowel on the Block

The Fastest Trowel on the Block Competition, hosted by the Mason Contractors Association of America, is a showcase of industry craftsmanship and a testament of both the speed and skill of our industry's workforce. Only those journeymen masons who have the skill, confidence and courage to face-off with the industry's best are invited to compete. This is a contest that also proves how important teamwork is in accomplishing a final product.

The competition pits journeyman masons, accompanied by their two favorite tenders, against one another in a show of both speed and craftsmanship. Each contestant's goal is to complete as much of a 30 foot long long wall as possible, using 8"x8"x16" CMU and the provided mortar in a twenty-minute heat. Contestants must have a high degree of workmanship using normal masonry practices and hand tools.

[loveistheanswer]

Would be a smart way to get some storage units built cheap. Have a roof framing comp next, then garage door install competition.

[jeffwangerin]

My lower back hurts just watching these guys!

[clarkpitts]

My Dad started in 1959. He was a local legend, passed in 2017. Masonry is the only thing he ever did, but he was incredible to watch.

[warcraftarenas]

Let the real working men of America flex their talent and durability. Very cool they do these competitions

[LM-gurj]

I appreciate the fact that you showed the whole competition, unlike last year where it was just a 12 minute video and it was all talking about sponsors rather than the block layer.

[TheMrmmkkpro]

I been a mason for 43 year's, my fast days are behind me now. Cool competition, glad it just showed up in my feed.👍👍

[DatActiveGuy]

I'll be very honest with a bit more funding and bigger sponsors this competition could be as big as Strongest man. I have no interest in laying bricks yet I watched 2 whole videos about a brick laying competition.

[Byteviper]

Growing up with a mason as a dad (I was the tender during school breaks and weekends), I know this work very well. Hardest work I've ever done. We laid 700-1000 8" block in a 10 hour day depending on conditions (those 12" block will absolutely kill ya, wanna sleep well at night try this out) . The only negative I can say about the jobs they all did is that was pretty messy and lots of wasted mud. They are all a lot cleaner masons on a real job I would think. Congrats to all the competitors.

[funstuffonthenet]

We should have more contests like this to inspire people to literally build a better world

[TH-bkhj]

My back would go out in less than 3 minutes. These guys are amazing

[jeffrippe]

I was a tender for about 8 years right out of High School (1977). Those bricklayers were the coolest men on the planet! To this day the happiest day in my working life was the day the boss brought a scaffold pulley to the job site. 2 years later the company got a forklift. Both made my job easier but that pulley was the real game changer at the time!

[dinosaurcomplaints]

I was a tender/apprentice for 5yrs in S Fla. early eighties construction boom. I never thought that masonry would have a fun competition. Good on y’all! I enjoyed watching. Brought back memories.

[darz_k.]

I didn't know there were these kinds of competitions..



..now, the idea is cemented in my mind. Thanks

[lxrmv]

You guys should show the winning walls as well!!!!

[deangilkison]

This was pretty awesome, been on the trades for 40+ years and done it all, But subbed all concrete and block work because it is damn hard work .
I would liked to see the quality of the finished walls but as much as this was block laying it's any endurance competition that not many people could complete like these guys did . I started out framing with a 28oz framing hammer and every single nail was sunk by hitting it with that hammer, bent over putting walls together flat on the slabs and then standing them up completed .
These days so many tools have been developed to make jobs easier on the body, Nail guns for every type of fastener it takes to build a structure !
Not masonsry though, it's still one block at a time and strength and endurance, so in his competition I give them a bit of a break on the quality and challenge anyone bitching about that to go out and try it for 5 minutes, they would have to catch their breath before they could shoot their mouth off .
Hats off to those guys, all of them, it's the guys who do the tough jobs that I root for . Congratulations to the Winners !

[MarkH]

I wanted a run down of the best walls, and what the scoring system was.

[Sephiknot]

Should be a prize for the groundworker who has to clean up all that mess after.. they're the real heroes!

[trevorer]

That was really fun to watch.

I used to live in Scottsdale, Arizona and there were a lot of block fences in the Phoenix Metro area.

[jaycastle]

This competition needs more sponsors and a Larger Cash Prize for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. I hope this gets the recognition it deserves because these men bust their asses out there. I would like to see a grand total $20K-$50K given to 1st place. That seems fair for the work they did.

[julianstorey]

Ex brickies laborer here, I loved watching this.