Our Fifth Annual Colorado Model
Rocketry Championships was held on October 21st, 1995 at
our Bear Creek Lake Park launch site. Thirteen
competitors participated in the contest, with four from
COSROCS. As we arrived, the chances of holding the event
was questionable, as a rather large scout group had
commandeered our launch area (a scheduling error by the
park officials), plus high winds that would have put
every flight well over the dam. Fortunately, the wind
subsided just about the time the scout group was leaving,
and we decided to proceed with the contest.

    This year’s contest was organized a
bit differently than past events, with two separate
divisions instead of one. The NAR division was comprised
of four very challenging events, picked to accommodate a
NAR sanctioned contest. The four Open division events
were designed to allow those with little time to prepare
a chance to compete.

    The struggles for first places were
fiercely fought in both divisions, and the final outcomes
were not determined until the last flights. In the Open
Division, the simplicity of the events did not detract
from the efforts put forth by the competitors. In “A”
parachute Duration, the battle was between Dan Fougner
and COSROCS’ Jeff Proffitt. Jeff had an amazing first
flight that lasted over three minutes, and landed only
yards from the launch area. Not to be outdone, Dan’s
first flight was an even better four minute plus, but
unlike Jeff’s, it never came back. Jeff needed another
good flight to move ahead, but came up a few seconds
short. Dan needed a returned flight to qualify in the
event, and his 14 second “safe” flight was good enough to
take first over Jeff. The rest of the group had trouble
matching these two, but Pat Michl’s 47 seconds was enough
to beat Don Nelson for third place.

    In “B” Streamer Duration, Dan once
again took control with a 84 second total time,
outdistancing another COSROCS member, Warren Layfield.
Close behind were Don Nelson, and Jeff Proffitt. Warren
redeemed himself by winning Open Spot Landing with the
closest landing to the “spot”, followed by Dan, and
newcomer Pam Brann. All other flyers were beyond 100 feet
in this tough event. In Predicted Duration, Pam had the
best flight, guessing within six seconds of the actual
time, followed closely by Pat Michl’s eight seconds. Jeff
was third with 17, and Warren and Don tied for fourth
with 23.

    Dan Fougner won the Open Division
championship convincingly, with Warren Layfield second.
Pam Brann was third, not a bad result for someone flying
not only her first contest, but also her first rockets!
Jeff Proffitt was fourth overall, followed by Pat Michl,
Don Nelson, David Jones, and Michael Geck, who flew only
one event.

    The NAR Division featured five
seasoned competitors, andthe intensity level was high
throughout the contest. The “1/2A” Helicopter Duration
event, usually dominated Kevin Kuczek, went to Ed
O’Neill, with two very consistent flights of over 80
seconds each. Bruce Markielewski also had two fine
flights about a minute each, but only good enough for
second place. Kevin started well with a first flight of
58 seconds, but something went wrong on his next flight
which lasted only twenty seconds. This was still good
enough for third place, barely edging COSROCS member Greg
Elder’s 70 second total.

    Kevin got back on track in “1/2A”
Rocket Glider Duration, outpacing Ed by a wide margin for
first. Bruce’s 29 seconds edged COSROCS’ Dave Nauer for
third, and Greg had an incredibly low two seconds on his
only attempt. First place in “1/2A” Super-roc Duration
was a battle between Bruce and Greg, with Bruce barely
winning the event, and possibly setting a NAR National
Record with a 75 second first flight. Ed was a close
third over Dave, and while Kevin had an amazing flight of
165 seconds, his inability to return the model or attempt
a second flight disqualified him from this event.

    Ed showed his superior folding
techniques in “1/2A” Streamer Duration, as he took first
over Kevin with a 228 second total time. Bruce’s first
flight separated and was disqualified, but a respectable
second flight earned him third over Greg, who had similar
problems. Dave had disappointing results as he
uncharacteristically DQ’d both flights in this event.

    Overall, Ed O’Neill won the NAR
Division championship comfortably, followed by Bruce and
Kevin. The COSROCS contingent’s efforts were valiant, but
came up short this time. They will no doubt be waiting
for another chance at their upcoming Winterfest VI on
January 6th, 1996.

    Trophies and some very nice prizes
were awarded to those who participated. Thanks to all who
competed, and special thanks to Don Asmus, while still
claiming that competition is to stressful for him to
consider, was a tremendous help in timing the flight and
assisting in running the contest. Very Special Thanks go
to Dave Nauer, whose contest directing skills and efforts
were invaluable, as we might not have finished the
contest without his much appreciated help.