DEH Employee is Again King of the Castles

The sand sculpture Awaiting Fate created by the IB Posse. The team's captain is Department of Environmental Health's Leonard Gonzales.

The IB Posse was no longer on its home turf, but the team led by Environmental Health’s Leonard Gonzalez was still at the top of its sandcastle building game.

They walked away with the People’s Choice Award at the U.S. Sand Sculpting Championship this past weekend at downtown’s B Street Pier. The contest was the region’s leading event of its type this year, with financial troubles forcing cancellation of the annual competition in Imperial Beach. The IB Posse won that contest several times.

Details of the sand sculpture.Working on the pier had its advantages and disadvantages, Gonzales said. On one side, there was no tide to contend with. But the sand had to be brought in and it had a very different consistency from what they normally use on the beach.

“The sand on the pier had different properties because it had soils built into it. It gave us trouble because it didn’t act the way as beach sand,” Gonzales said.  But he said it held together better when it dried, which gave them additional freedom.

“You’re able to get higher design like arches,” he explained.

The four-person team spent 16 hours over two days completing their entry, titled Awaiting Fate. It depicts an Aztec couple embracing as they anticipate a cataclysmic event for their culture. Gonzales said the work pulled together a few different themes.

“We wanted to do a little bit more of a classical art display, more like what you’d see in a European fountain. But we also wanted to tie it back to our continent,” Gonzales said.  “Also because we have the San Diego State Aztecs here. It was a bit of a play with our own culture.”