Colorado Model Rocketry Championships VII – October 18, 1997

By Bruce Markielewski

    Our seventh annual
Colorado Model Rocketry Championships was held on
October 18th, 1997 – well, most of it, anyway! This
year’s contest was a bit of a departure from the past.
In the NAR Section, we decided to depart from the usual
duration events, and and instead scheduled three
altitude events. This turned out to be a bit too
ambitious, as we had a difficult time getting things
going with everything that was happening that day. The
weather was perfect, which contributed to our problems.
We had an unusually  large turnout that included a
group of cub scouts and more than our usual number of
members and newcomers. in spite of all large
attendance, we had a difficult time getting enough
people to help run the contest events, altitude
tracking, and sport flying.

    We decided to
concentrate on completing the events in the Open
Section. This section was fairly typical, with the more
usual style of duration events and spot landing. Twelve
competitors entered the Open Section, and while most
entered only one or two events, those who entered all
events made the contest for the top overall places an
interesting one! The “1/2” A Deltie Duration event had
many fine flight, with most of the best around 30
seconds. Dennis Nicks exceeded the norm on his second
flight, with an outstanding second flight of 86
seconds, taking first in the event. Brian Nicks was a
distant second, with two consistent flights, followed
closely by Tom Bell and Gene Nandrea.

    “C” Fat Boy
Duration was hotly contested, with Dennis McNally
coming out on top. Close behind was Jeff Karpinski,
with Jeff Blinn third, and Dennis Nicks fourth. “D”
Streamer Duration was never in question, as Dennis
Nicks ran away with the event on his first flight. Jeff
Blinn barely edged Brian Nicks for second, while Miles
Shea was a distant fourth. Open Spot Landing was a but
different than usual, as we allowed the best of two
flights to determine the winner. This event was in
doubt up to the end, with Jeff Blinn coming out on top.
Dennis Nicks just barely bettered his brother Brian’s
flight for second, with Miles Shea finishing a strong
fourth.

    Overall, Dennis
Nicks placed first, winning two events, closely
followed by Jeff Blinn. Brian Nicks finished a strong
third, and Dennis McNally’s single first place event
earned him fourth place overall.

    The NAR Section
was another story altogether, as getting flights flown
and tracked proved to be a real chore. Nine competitors
entered the section, with three from the COSROCS club.
Notably absent was Dave Nauer, who missed only his
first Colorado contest since we began. His presence was
sorely missed! In most events most managed only one
flight, which further demonstrated the difficulties
encountered. Because we couldn’t complete all of the
flights the first day, we continued the events at our
next Saturday launch.

    “A”  Cluster
Altitude was too much for everyone who entered, as all
flights were disqualified, quickly making this a three
event contest!  Bruce Markielewski was the clear
winner in “B”  Payload Altitude, followed by Jeff
Proffitt. Greg Elder’s flight was qualified and earned
him third, but too difficult to track. Everyone who
entered “C”  Eggloft Altitude had a qualified and
tracked flight, and Ed O’Neill had the best, followed
by Kathleen Williams. Bruce Markielewski’s second
attempt was good enough for third, with Greg Elder
taking fourth. In “D” Streamer Duration, Bruce
Markielewski passed Ed O’Neill for first place, as Jeff
Proffitt won a close battle with Ben Lewis for third
place.

    In the NAR Overall
standings, Bruce Markielewski claimed first with two
event wins. Ed O’Neill’s single event win earned him
second, with Jeff Proffitt a strong third. Kathleen
Williams’ second place event was enough for fourth
overall.

    This contest was
certainly a leaning experience, and was a strong
reminder why we rarely attempted altitude events in the
past. Hopefully, we’ll do better in the future, and be
able to use this contest as a guideline in planning
future contests! Below are the final results and point
totals for this contest, one that many of us were glad
to see behind us!

OPEN Section
“1/2” A Deltie Duration (WF 15)
Pl.
Contestant
  Flight 1
  Flight 2
  Score
  Points
    Total
1
Dennis Nicks
37
86
123
10
150
2
Brian Nicks
33
22
45
6
90
3
Tom Bell
29
18
47
4
60
4
Gene Nandrea
13
24
36
2
30
5
Ariana Williams
35
NF
35
1
15
6
Jeff Blinn
DQ
27
27
1
15
7

Miles Shea
13
NF
13
1
15
“C” Fat Boy Duration (WF 15)
1
Dennis McNally
55
110
165
10
150
2
Jeff Karpinski
61
65
126
6
90
3
Jeff Blinn
76
20
96
4
60
4
Dennis Nicks
18
19
37
2
30
5
Christiana Williams
23
NF
23
1
15
6

Brian Nicks
11
NF
11
1
15
“D” Streamer Duration (WF 15)
1
Dennis Nicks
239
52
291
10
150
2
Jeff Blinn
51
47
98
6
90
3
Brian Nicks
96
NF
96
4
60
4

Miles Shea
65
NF
65
2
30
Open Spot Landing (WF 15) (meters)
1
Jeff Blinn
27
11
11
10
150
2
Dennis Nicks
17
30
17
6
90
3
Brian Nicks
33
20
20
4
60
4
Miles Shea
27
50+
27
2
30
5
Jim Lambert
32
50+
32
1
15
5

Loren Fletcher
32
NF
32
1
15
Pl.
Open Section Results
1/2A DD
C FBD
D SD
OSL
Total
1
Dennis Nicks
150
30
150
90
420
2
Jeff Blinn
15
60
90
150
315
3
Brian Nicks
90
15
60
60
225
4
Dennis McNally
—-
150
—-
—-
150
5
Jeff Karpinski
—-
90
—-
—-
90
6
Miles Shea
15
—-
30
30
75
7
Tom Bell
60
—-
—-
—-
60
8
Gene Nandrea
30
—-
—-
—-
30
9
Loren Fletcher
—-
—-
—-
15
15
9
Jim Lambert
—-
—-
—-
15
15
9
Ariana Williams
15
—-
—-
—-
15
9

Christiana Williams
—-
15
—-
—-
15
NAR Section
“A” Cluster Altitude (WF 16) (meters)
Pl.
Contestant
Flight 1
Flight 2
Score
Points
Total
NAR
x
Greg Elder
DQ
NF
DQ
0
0
0
x
Jeff Proffitt (Non-NAR)
DQ
NF
DQ
0
0
0
x
Bruce Markielewski
DQ
NF
DQ
0
0
0
x
Kathleen Williams
DQ
NF
DQ
0
0
0
x
Todd Williams
DQ
NF
DQ
0
0
0
x

Ed O’Neill
DQ
NF
DQ
0
0
0
“B” Payload Altitude (WF 15
) (meters)
1
Bruce Markielewski
250
NF
250
10
150
300
2
Jeff Proffitt (Non-NAR)
109
NF
109
6
90
—-
3
Greg Elder
NT
NF
FP
1
15
30
4

Ed O’Neill
DQ
NF
DQ
0
0
0
“C” Eggloft Altitude (WF 18)
1
Ed O’Neill
222
NF
222
10
180
360
2
Kathleen Williams
187
NF
187
6
108
216
3
Bruce Markielewski
DQ
537
164
4
72
144
4
Greg Elder
134
NF
134
2
36
72
5
Daron Klugesherz
82
NF
82
1
18
36
5
Warren Layfield
76
NF
76
1
18
36
x

Jeff Proffitt (Non-NAR)
58
NF
58
1
18
—-
“D” Streamer Duration (WF 11)
1
Bruce Markielewski
223
NF
223
10
110
220
2
Ed O’Neill
DQ
204
204
6
66
132
3
Jeff Proffitt (Non-NAR)
57
69
126
4
44
—-
4
Ben Lewis
66
54
120
2
22
88
5
Greg Elder
66
NF
66
1
11
44
6
Daron Klugesherz
31
NF
31
1
11
22
6
Warren Layfield
21
NF
21
1
11
22
x

Todd Williams
DQ
NF
DQ
0
0
0
Overall Results
A CA
B PAY
C ELD
D SD
Total
NAR Points
1
Bruce Markielewski
0
150
72
110
332
664
2
Ed O’Neill
0
0
180
66
246
492
3
Jeff Proffitt (Non-NAR)
0
90
18
44
152
—-
4
Kathleen Williams
0
—-
108
—-
108
216
5
Greg Elder
0
15
36
11
62
146
6
Ben Lewis
—-
—-
—-
22
22
88
7
Daron Klugesherz
—-
—-
18
11
29
58
7
Warren Layfield
—-
—-
18
11
29
58
x

Todd Williams
0
—-
—-
0
0
0
Pl.
Section Results
Open
NAR
1
C.R.A.S.H.
766
1518
2
COSROCS
243
204