Engaging students in regional and national competitions can have a dramatic impact on learning--specifically regarding the integration of concepts and techniques. Colorado State University (CSU) has a long history of participating in student competitions. Generally, the competitions the state university has engaged in run in conjunctions with faculty or industry functions like the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) regional meetings, the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) National Conference, or the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Conference. Faculty coaches and students who attend these events not only benefit from the competition experience itself, but also from the exposure to other faculty, students and industry professionals. This article highlights the positive experiences from both faculty (coach) and student (competitor) perspectives, from the authors' experience at CSU. It also offers a word of advice from an educator's perspective.