J.T. Payne has built many brick walls throughout the area, but last week he built one in Nevada, pitting himself against other bricklayers from across the nation in a test of speed, skill and stamina.

* The 27-year-old bricklayer from Jackson was in Las Vegas to compete in the 18th annual Bricklayer 500 Championship after qualifying in a statewide competition a few months ago.

The Bricklayer 500, held Wednesday at the Las Vegas Convention Center, was hosted by Spec Mix, a brand that provides mortar mix and other supplies to masonry companies across the country. At stake was $125,000 in prizes, including a Ford F-250 truck, and the title of "World's Best Bricklayer."

As a project foreman of Kenneth E. Foeste Masonry, Payne has helped construct schools and other buildings, including the new courthouse in Jackson. He joined his family's masonry company a year after graduating high school and said he has loved it ever since.

He said he's always been competitive, even dating back to participation in sports competitions when he was younger. When his family attended a St. Louis bricklaying competition as spectators several years ago, he said he knew he'd want to compete. He has now been involved in state and national bricklaying contests for two years.

During the Bricklayer 500, Payne and other competitors were given 60 minutes to build 26-foot brick walls, with five minutes allocated for rest and 20 minutes to "tool" the wall for final touch-ups, he explained.

His record? It's currently at 805 bricks laid in an hour, but he said he practices once a week to surpass that. Most practice sessions include laying 400 to 500 bricks while ensuring the best possible presentation, Payne said. Judges also subtract points for certain deductions while evaluating the brickwork, so Payne said he must also be aware of that.

Before regional competitions, Payne said he practices starting eight weeks before; for nationals in Las Vegas, he started 10 weeks ahead of time, spending three to four hours during each session.

"It takes a lot of practice to get to this point," Payne said.

This year, his brother, Jake, went with him to the competition to assist as a tender in bricklaying. While J.T. constructed the wall during the hourlong contest, Jakob fed him materials. The duo also competed in September in the statewide competition in Bridgeton, Missouri, laying 692 bricks and winning a free trip to the Las Vegas competition as well as a cash prize.

As Foeste Masonry is a family business, many of his family members attended the competition in support, J.T. Payne said. They traveled to Las Vegas last Monday and spent most of Tuesday preparing for the contest.

Although they didn't win, "Team Payne" cracked the Top 10, clocking in at 774 bricks laid in an hour. The final results on the championship website lists the duo as placing ninth in the nation. A link to the Bricklayer 500 results can be found at www.specmix.com.

A video of "Team Payne" in action can be found on the Foeste Masonry Facebook page.

While they didn't bring home the new truck, J.T. said the most rewarding part of any masonry project is the pride in completing it.

"When you build something out of base frame, it's gonna last a long time. There's a lot of pride and reward when you see the finished product when you're done," he said.

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