John J. McCormick of Vineyard Haven believes he is the fastest bricklayer in the country. And while the ground is frozen and the air outside is bitter cold, he is practicing in the basement of his house in Vineyard Haven to prepare for a national bricklaying competition in Las Vegas next month. He will attend the annual World of Concrete and World of Masonry Trade Show, held in the first week of February. Its a big event in the trades and attracts thousands.

Mr. McCormick will be participating in what is known informally as the Bricklayers Olympics; its formal name is The Spec Mix Bricklayer 500.

Mr. McCormick believes he can lay 800 bricks in an hour and break the event record of 791. The national competition draws some of the most talented masons in the country. This year there are 20 entrants, one coming from as far away as Canada to compete. Mr. McCormick has already distinguished himself as the only competitor from New England.

Mr. McCormick, who is 46, runs his local masonry business under the name Stone Krazy. He works with some of the Island’s top general contractors, building fireplaces, brick walls and doing a lot of custom work in stone, brick and block. “There is so much good brickwork being done on the Vineyard,” he said. His training goes back to childhood.

His father, an immigrant from Ireland, moved to Scotland and then came to this country and worked as a mason in the Detroit area. All five of his sons grew up to be masons. Mr. McCormick grew up in Michigan, where he had plenty of practice. “Brickwork is as popular in Michigan as cedar shingles are here,” he said. He said he believes he learned from the best.

Later this year, Mr. McCormick will be among many masons working on the new brick Martha’s Vineyard Hospital. He said he looks forward to the work. So it only followed that he would want to attend the World of Concrete, World of Masonry Trade Show at Las Vegas from Feb. 3 through Feb. 6. If he wins the bricklaying competition, he could walk away with a brand new Ford F250 4x4 pickup truck, close to $10,000 in tools and $5,000 in cash and draw some attention to the masonry work done here on the Vineyard.

To practice, Mr. McCormick is using a mortar mix of sand and lime, which is missing the key ingredient, Portland cement. The mortar doesn’t harden and can be used over and over again. Several times he has quickly built a 26-foot wall, taken it apart and then built it again. It doesn’t take long to bring it all back down fast, as the sand never hardens.

Mr. McCormick said his brother Michael competed in the Las Vegas competition and came in ninth years ago. While the competition is usually associated with younger bricklayers, Mr. McCormick said he believes his speed and skill will overcome his age.

Last April he had shoulder replacement surgery and as part of his recovery he set a high goal for himself.

His two sons, Jeffrey, 11, and John Michael, 8, the youngest of five children, work as tenders as he practices. “They are the toughest tenders,” Mr. McCormick said, adding: “They time me with stop watches, help stack bricks and dish up the mud. I pay them with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I’d like to bring them with me to Las Vegas.”

He said his wife Debbie also is a big supporter of the project.

It was tough qualifying for the event. Normally, bricklayers wishing to attend compete first in regional competitions. Unfortunately, there is no regional competition in New England. Mr. McCormick investigated participating in the competitions in other parts of the country, but learned that even if he had won, sponsors in that area wouldn’t have supported him, because he was from New England.

So to qualify, Mr. McCormick got help from the local access television station MVTV in the fall. He put together a video to show his skills and sent it to the national organizers of the event. Based on the video alone and his enthusiasm, he was selected to attend. Mr. McCormick said he will represent the New England region as the only contestant.

Now the greater challenge is coming up with the funds to pay for his trip. The McCormicks are trying to raise $5,500 to cover the cost of the trip. The entry fee alone is $250, and then there is air fare and hotel reservations to pay for. Mr. McCormick said he would also like to practice with the bricks used in the competition.

No matter how much he can raise, Mr. McCormick said he is going, whether alone or with his family.

“I’ll hitchhike if I have to,” he said. “I know I can lay 800 bricks in an hour. I am going to do it,” he said.

Mr. McCormick’s adventure in Las Vegas will be viewable on the Internet, at specmixbricklayer500.com.

Go to mvgazette.com to view a video of Mr. McCormick in action.