May 19, 2007
Although cool and brisk, this special Saturday was bound to be beautiful. Opening ceremonies began at 8:45, leading in with an introduction speech, presentaion of the colors, and a historic fly-over of the F-117 Nighthawk. The day was a go, and it took of just as fast as the rockets themselves. Teams from all over the nation were scrambling to ready their rockets and get them in the air.
The viewing area was quickly filling, holding the masses of eager viewers; but still, the participants were too busy in their work to pay attention to the happenings around them. Stress and tension were dense throughout the air. Pressure was building and smoke had finally begun to leave its trails in the clear blue skies before us. Anticipation roared through the crowd and students alike, each awaiting to hear the scores of the hard working participants.
From early on, teams grasped amazing scores, one of which was Newark Memorial High School. They set a standard so early that the only thing other teams could do is try to catch up. Flights ranged all over the scoreboard, presenting the widest range of scores the contest had ever seen. The weather, which was so rapidly changing and unforgiving, was the blame of this occurence.
Our team set to the calculations early on, trying to predict the weather we would launch in. Wind was varying with the minute and the other conditions were just as unstable. After an hour of debating and questioning, we decided the best way to guarentee that we could reach our target altitude was to cut down the tube length. It was a risky last-minute move, but to us, it was the best choice to achieve our goal.
We grabbed our egg, packed and prepped the rocket for its final launch, and said a prayer or two. It was time to prove our worth and show the nation what our team had and could achieve.
Even with winds reaching 15+ mph, our predictions and precautions paid off, sending our rocket high and straight. It was simply amazing to see something we put so much effort into over the past six months take to the sky. Although the rocket achieved an almost flawless time of 45.61 seconds, it seemed like an eternity would pass before we saw the rocket touch ground. Seeing our time as close as it was, our spirits were high and we raced excitedly towards our now retired rocket. Clutching our knees and catching our breaths, we knelt beside the nosecone to listen for the tone. Our heads fell in dissapointment when we realized that the altitude was much higher than we had anticipated. Still, 37 feet off is very respectable, especially for what we were facing. It was a score that placed us within the top 20 at the end of our round.
It was all downhill from there; we could relax and enjoy the show around us; no more stress to weigh us down. The rest of the day flew by as quick as it came. The scores were tallied and the results posted. Teams rushed to the board to find their placement, and although we did not remain high enough to receive a prize, our score was to be commended as the best of the state and worthy of the top 5% in our nation, especially from a first-year team.
Again, this would not have been possible without the generosity and support from our sponsors, family, friends, and followers. The SkyRunners wish to sincerely thank you for allowing us to achieve so much. Thank you for your help, interest, and dedication to our efforts.