Greg Butauski competed in the U.S. National Championships for Ice Carving in Perrysburg, OH, on February 21 & 22,  and was the overall winner of the two day competition, earning the title of 2014 National Champion!

For 23 years, Greg’s dream was to be the National Champion. He has won the World Championships in Fairbanks, Alaska, and has competed in the Olympics (Vancouver and Salt Lake City). The National Championship completes two of three titles he has been working to accomplish in his life. The final achievement will be an
Olympic Gold.

For this competition, ice carvers had to qualify by placing first, second, or third in a NICA sanctioned event.

The weather played a role in this competition, with temperatures above freezing—always a challenge when sculpting ice. Carvers used tents to block out the sun.

The first day of competition, Greg carved a beautiful ice sculpture titled, “Miracle Grow,” which featured a woman sprouting from a flower. This sculpture used 1 block of ice and took 3 hours to complete. Greg won 1st place and a gold medal in the first of the two day competition!

On the second day, carvers had 4 hours and worked with 2 blocks of ice. Greg’s sculpture for the second day of competition was titled, “Big Bad Wolf,” which is the classic story of the wolf and the three little pigs, but this theme had an “under the sea” twist. He placed 2nd in this second round of competition.

With the two day scores combined, Greg earned the title of 2014 National Champion. Check out the image gallery below to view the initial sketches and final drawings of the two pieces, along with the completed ice sculptures.