Industrial designer Grant Delgatty rolled into the new year to show you really can teach an old dog new tricks.

The associate professor of design at USC Iovine and Young Academy designed and co-led the construction of the La Cañada Flintridge parade float titled “Who Says We Can’t” which depicts dogs in a skatepark constructed with over 50,000 flowers along with fruits, vegetables, and beans. The whimsical float won the 2022 Rose Parade’s Crown City Innovation Award on Jan. 1 for its “most outstanding use of imagination, innovation, and technology."

 “It was a pretty big honor to win the Crown City Innovator Award,” says Delgatty. “It’s the first time for La Cañada Flintridge, and only the second time a self-built has won it.”

In contrast to the big budget corporate floats, “self-built” floats are volunteer-led with significantly smaller budgets. According to Delgatty, the last self-built float to win the award was in 2008 by Cal Poly. 

 Over the course of construction, volunteers battled flower shortages, torrential rains, frigid temperatures, and mechanical issues that persisted up to the final moments before judging. Academy junior Kia McCormick was among the float volunteers and assisted with the welding of the metal frame over several weekends. 

The team’s dedication and innovative vision certainly paid off and will perhaps inspire an older generation of dogs to dream, believe, and yes, learn new tricks.  

"Who Says We Can't" Takes the Crown in 2022 Rose Parade