The Colorado Model Rocketry
Championships IX was held the weekend of November 20th –
21st, 1999 at C.R.A.S.H.’s Bear Creek Lake Park launch
site. This year it was a regional affair with the
contestants competing in six events. Those events were:
1/4A Parachute Duration Multiround, 1/2A Helicopter
Duration, 1/2A Boost Glider Duration, B Streamer
Duration, C Eggloft Duration, and Predicted Duration.
Twenty two contestants registered and made flights in at
least one event. The mix of contestants showed several
“newcomers” to the competition scene joining the contest
regulars to provide a broad range of experience. The
balance of talent in this group was pointed out to me by
Bruce Markielewski who, upon reviewing the meet results,
noted that every contestant placed in the top four in at
least one event.

    The weather for this event was
typical of late fall weather in Colorado, that is, very
changeable. Conditions varied from almost ideal blue
skies with light breeze to overcast with a cold, biting
wind. The contestants coped with the conditions well
although the weather did make a difference in the outcome
of a few events. 1/4A Parachute Multiround was dominated
by the 10.5mm diameter rocket powered by the Apogee
1/4A2-4. Paul Gray posted two consistent flights to go
along with a MAX to win B division over Tom Aspenwall,
who posted a single qualified flight. C Division was a
shootout between Greg Elder and Bruce Markielewski, each
with two MAXES. The third flight made the difference with
Greg posting a short flight when his chute did not fully
open while Bruce suffered a DQ when his model went
unstable at launch. Nathan Coit and Dan Fougner finished
in Third and Fourth. Team Division saw The Paranoid
Androids (Todd Williams, Kathleen Williams and Dave
Gianakos) edge out 2 Old COSROCS Guys (Dave Nauer and Ben
Hays) by five seconds in the totals for the three
flights.

    1/2A Helicopter Duration showed that
consistency is a key for this event. A/B Division was won
by Paul Gray with two consistent flights, one with his
new Apogee Micro Whirl-A-Tron. Elise Coit followed in
second place with two nice flights with her Apogee
Heli-roc. John Powell finished in third place with a
single qualified flight. C Division saw Bruce
Markielewski top the field with his six-bladed Psyclone
design, followed by Tim Van Milligan flying his Micro
Whirl-A-Tron. Ed O’Neill and Mel Gray followed in Third
and Fourth places with single flights. Team Division was
claimed by 2 Old COSROCS Guys with two steady flights
while the Paranoid Androids team struggled with their new
Micro Whirl-A-Tron, DQ’ing on each attempt. The
motor-of-choice was the Apogee 1/2A2-4 with the trend in
models being toward the smaller and lighter side.

    The 1/2A Boost Glider event saw the
emergence of the dreaded Red Baron, who pulled many a
well boosted glider back to earth. A Division saw
Christiana Williams and Randy Chambers both barely escape
the Baron’s grasp to post short but qualifying flights
for First and Second Place. In B Division, the Baron
again shortened Paul Gray’s first flight but his Deltie
escaped the curse altogether for a good second flight to
post the win. Tom Aspenwall and John Powell flew new
gliders very well to Second and Third place. The Baron
was working overtime in C Division but Richard Hyman
avoided the problem on his two good flights that secured
the win. Greg Elder was “Baroned” on his second flight as
was Tim Van Milligan on his first but their other flights
pulled them into Second and Third places. Newcomer Jack
Long posted two qualified flights for Fourth place. The
Paranoid Androids put up two good flights to claim First
place over 2 Old COSROCS Guys, who also flew two
qualifying flights. Motors used were split between Apogee
1/2A2-2 and Estes 1/2A3-2T with the reliable Edmonds
Deltie putting in several fine flights, winning in A, B
and Team Divisions.

    B Streamer Duration witnessed the
best relative performances of the contest. In A Division,
Steven Cratty posted two fine flights to take First
place. Randy Chambers put up a good first flight and a
qualifying second flight to move into Second place. Elise
Coit put up a long flight but unfortunately was DQ’ed
when her rocket spit its motor. B Division saw Paul Gray
run away with the win by putting up two long flights, the
second qualifying for a new B Division National Record at
233 seconds. His 370 second total was the highest of the
contest. John Powell finished in Second place, suffering
a separated streamer on his first flight before putting
up a fine second flight. In C Division, Robert Ellis really
had it going, putting up two wonderful flights to easily
outdistance the other competitors. Mark James and Bruce
Markielewski flew two steady flights each to finish in
Second and Third places. Mel Gray finished in Fourth with
a single flight. The Team Division saw 2 Old COSROCS Guys
posting two good flights while the Paranoid Androids were
bitten by the DQ Bug. Motor selection saw both Apogee
B2-7 and Estes B6-6 in use, with the highest scores going
to the 10.5mm and 13mm rockets with Apogee power.
Visibility with these very high performance models was a
problem as the weather deteriorated during the
contest.

    C Eggloft Duration provided its usual
thrills and adventures. In A Division, Brian Williams had
his model weathercock severely at launch and the ejection
charge saved the model at a pretty low altitude, but it
then floated nicely to the ground for the winning flight.
Randy Chambers battled hard for a qualified flight, but
an unstable first flight and a shredded chute on the
second produced omelets both times. In B Division, Paul
Gray flew his shrouded Egglofter to a safe flight for the
win while John Powell posted a good flight for Second
place. Tom Aspenwall suffered a separation with the
resulting less than beautiful egg. C Division saw Tim Van
Milligan outfly the field to claim First place. Carlin
Lowry flew a nice flight to earn Second with Ed O’Neill
and Greg Elder rounding out the top four positions. Team
Division saw the Paranoid Androids finish ahead of 2 Old
COSROCS Guys. Motor usage was split between Estes C6 and
Apogee C4 or C10 power. Both shrouded and egg-on-a-stick
designs made nice flights.

    Predicted Duration was an
entertaining event. In A/B Division, Steven Cratty missed
his prediction by only one second to finish in First
Place. Paul Gray, Christiana Williams and Brian Williams
followed in Second, Third and Fourth places. C Division
saw Dan Fougner fly his brand new, untested model to miss
his prediction by again a single second to post the win.
Carlin Lowry finished in Second with Tim Van Milligan and
Mark James following in Third and Fourth. In Team
Division, 2 Old COSROCS Guys outguessed the Paranoid
Androids to take the win.

    Totaling up the points for the meet
showed the following results. In A Division, Christiana
Williams’ win in 1/2A Boost Glider Duration along with
her Third Place in Predicted Duration totaled 606 NAR
points for the Championship. Brian Williams added up to
528 points with his win in C Eggloft Duration and Fourth
Place in Predicted Duration. Steven Cratty’s total from
his two wins in B Streamer Duration and Predicted
Duration gave him 510 points for the meet. Randy
Chamber’s two Second place finishes in 1/2A Boost Glider
and B Streamer Duration totaled 468 points.

    B Division saw Paul Gray far out in
front due to his five First place finishes along with a
single Second place finish. His meet Championship total
was an impressive 2304 points, the highest point total of
the contest. John Powell’s consistent placings in each
event that he entered earned him 882 NAR points, placing
him Second. Tom Aspenwall used his Second place finishes
in 1/4A Parachute Duration and 1/2A Boost Glider duration
to total 504 points for Third place.

    In C division, Tim Van Milligan rode
his win in C Eggloft Duration, coupled with his
consistent finishes in the other events to a Championship
total of 1182 points. Bruce Markielewski finished Second,
winning 1/2A Helicopter Duration and placing well in the
other events. His meet total was 948 points. Greg Elder
utilized his win in 1/4A Parachute Duration and, together
with his finishes in the other events, earned himself an
840 point total for Third place in the contest. Richard
Hyman finished Fourth in the meet at 567 points by way of
his win in 1/2A Boost Glider and his placings in 1/4A
Parachute Duration and Predicted Duration.

    In the Team Division Championship,
both 2 Old COSROCS Guys and the Paranoid Androids won
three of the events each. In the end, 2 Old COSROCS Guys
finished First with 1872 points, due to their consistent
finishes in the other events. The Paranoid Androids
totaled 1464 points, encountering troubles in two events
that reduced their point total.

    The Section Championship saw
C.R.A.S.H. amassing 10239 points for the meet to finish
ahead of COSROCS, who totaled 4578 points. CMRC IX was a
wonderful success. The twenty two contestants made it one
of the best attended contests held here in Colorado in several
years. It was my great pleasure and honor to serve as the
Contest Director for this Championships that witnessed a
very high level of competition and camaraderie. Several
fliers who will greatly impact the competition scene in
the near future here in Colorado made first appearances.
As is usual, several fellow C.R.A.S.H. members
contributed to the meets’ success. I would like to thank
Kathleen Williams, Dwight Kimsey and Jeff Karpinski for
helping out with the range duties. Couldn’t have done it
without you guys!

    This competition year here in the
Rocky Mountains is shaping up to be one of the most
enjoyable and competitive in a while. It seems that the
approach of the first Colorado NARAM in over thirty years
has the rocketeers here honing their skills in
anticipation of that great event.

“1/4A” Parachute Duration Multiround (WF 11)

Pl.

Contestant

Flt. 1

Flt. 2

Flt. 3

Total

Pnts.

NAR Pts.

B Division

1

Paul Gray

22

22

MAX

104

10

330

2

Tom Aspenwall

15

NF

NF

15

6

198

C Division

1

Greg Elder

MAX

12

MAX

132

10

330

2

Bruce Markielewski

MAX

MAX

UNS

120

6

198

3

Nathan Coit

20

48

NF

68

4

132

4

Dan Fougner

56

NDP

NF

56

2

66

5

Carlin Lowry

22

DQ

33

55

1

33

6

Tim Van Milligan

22

27

NF

49

1

33

7

Richard Hyman

14

15

NF

29

1

33

8

Jack Long

6

NF

NF

6

1

33

T Division

1

Paranoid Andriods

MAX

25

NF

85

10

330

2

2 Old COSROCS Guys

54

SEP

26

80

6

198

“1/2A” Helicopter Duration (WF 19)

Pl.

Contestant

Flt. 1

Flt. 2

Total

Pnts.

NAR Pts.

A/B Division

1

Paul Gray

25

23

48

10

570

2

Elise Coit

18

19

37

6

342

3

John Powell

5

NF

5

4

228

x

Tom Aspenwall

EJ

NF

DQ

0

0

C Division

1

Bruce Markielewski

31

62

93

10

570

2

Tim Van Milligan

31

31

62

6

342

3

Ed O’Neill

41

NF

41

4

228

4

Mel Gray

40

NF

40

2

114

5

Carlin Lowry

UNS

36

36

1

57

6

Greg Elder

12

NF

12

1

57

x

Nathan Coit

SEP

SEP

DQ

0

0

T Division

1

2 Old COSROCS Guys

22

24

46

10

570

x

Paranoid Andriods

SHR

ROT

DQ

0

0

“1/2A” Boost Glider Duration (WF 17)

Pl.

Contestant

Flt. 1

Flt. 2

Total

Pnts.

NAR

A Division

1

Christiana Williams

8

NF

8

10

510

2

Randall Chambers

6

NF

6

6

306

B Division

1

Paul Gray

23

53

76

10

510

2

Tom Aspenwall

11

12

23

6

306

3

John Powell

11

10

21

4

204

C Division

1

Richard Hyman

39

23

62

10

510

2

Greg Elder

39

RB

39

6

306

3

Tim Van Milligan

7

31

38

4

204

4

Jack Long

11

14

25

2

102

5

Ed O’Neill

5

NF

5

1

51

x

Bruce Markielewski

SHR

UNS

DQ

0

0

x

Nathan Coit

RB

NF

DQ

0

0

x

Carlin Lowry

UNS

NVB

DQ

0

0

T Division

1

Paranoid Andriods

35

58

93

10

510

2

2 Old COSROCS Guys

14

32

46

6

306

“B” Streamer Duration (WF 9)

Pl.

Contestant

Flt. 1

Flt. 2

Total

Pnts.

NAR Pts.

A Division

1

Steven Cratty

32

33

65

10

270

2

Randall Chambers

30

9

39

6

162

x

Elise Coit

EJ

NF

DQ

0

0

B Division

1

Paul Gray

137

233

370

10

270

2

John Powell

STR

61

61

6

162

C Division

1

Robert Ellis

145

168

313

10

270

2

Mark James

80

81

161

6

162

3

Bruce Markielewski

51

62

113

4

108

4

Mel Gray

78

NF

78

2

54

5

Tim Van Milligan

71

NF

71

1

27

6

Greg Elder

EJ

46

46

1

27

x

Ed O’Neill

SEP

NF

DQ

0

0

x

Carlin Lowry

NDP

SEP

DQ

0

0

T Division

1

2 Old COSROCS Guys

58

83

141

10

270

2

Paranoid Andriods

SEP

UNS

0

0

0

“C” Eggloft Duration (WF 16)

Pl.

Contestant

Flt. 1

Flt. 2

Total

Pnts.

NAR

A Division

1

Brian Williams

7

NF

7

10

480

x

Randall Chambers

UNS

STR

DQ

0

0

B Division

1

Paul Gray

46

NF

46

10

480

2

John Powell

18

NF

18

6

288

x

Tom Aspenwall

SEP

NF

DQ

0

0

C Division

1

Tim Van Milligan

116

NF

116

10

480

2

Carlin Lowry

98

SEP

98

6

288

3

Ed O’Neill

71

NF

71

4

192

4

Greg Elder

34

NDP

34

2

96

5

Bruce Markielewski

24

NF

24

1

48

T Division

1

Paranoid Andriods

66

NF

66

10

480

2

2 Old COSROCS Guys

38

NF

38

6

288

Predicted Duration (WF 8)

Pl.

Contestant

Pct.

Pnts.

NAR

A/B Division

1

Steven Cratty

3.3

10

240

2

Paul Gray

5.6

6

144

3

Christiana Williams

15.0

4

96

4

Brian Williams

50.0

2

48

C Division

1

Dan Fougner

3.3

10

240

2

Carlin Lowry

5.9

6

144

3

Tim Van Milligan

13.3

4

96

4

Mark James

25.7

2

48

5

Bruce Markielewski

32.3

1

24

6

Mel Gray

34.0

1

24

7

Jack Long

36.7

1

24

8

Richard Hyman

64.3

1

24

9

Greg Elder

65.5

1

24

10

Robert Ellis

70.6

1

24

11

Ed O’Neill

70.8

1

24

T Division

1

2 Old COSROCS Guys

10

10

240

2

Paranoid Andriods

36.7

6

144

Total Overall Points

Pl.

Contestant

1/4A PD

 1/2AHD

1/2A BG

B SD

 C ELD

 PRD

NAR Pts.

A Division

1

Christiana Williams

—-

—-

510

—-

—-

96

606

2

Brian Williams

—-

—-

—-

—-

480

48

528

3

Steven Cratty

—-

—-

—-

270

—-

240

510

4

Randall Chambers

—-

—-

306

162

0

—-

468

5

Elise Coit

—-

342

—-

0

—-

—-

342

B Division

1

Paul Gray

330

570

510

270

480

144

2304

2

John Powell

—-

228

204

162

288

—-

882

3

Tom Aspenwall

198

0

306

—-

0

—-

504

C Division

1

Tim Van Milligan

33

342

204

27

480

96

1182

2

Bruce Markielewski

198

570

0

108

48

24

948

3

Greg Elder

330

57

306

27

96

24

840

4

Richard Hyman

33

—-

510

—-

—-

24

567

5

Carlin Lowry

33

57

0

0

288

144

522

6

Ed O’Neill

—-

228

51

0

192

24

495

7

Dan Fougner

66

—-

—-

—-

—-

240

306

8

Robert Ellis

—-

—-

—-

270

—-

24

294

9

Mark James

—-

—-

—-

162

—-

48

210

10

Mel Gray

—-

114

—-

54

—-

24

192

11

Jack Long

33

—-

102

—-

—-

24

159

12

Nathan Coit

132

0

0

—-

—-

—-

132

T Division

1

2 Old COSROCS Guys

198

570

306

270

288

240

1872

2

Paranoid Andriods

330

0

510

0

480

144

1464

Pl.

NAR Sections

Points

1

C.R.A.S.H.

10239

2

COSROCS

4578

3

Independent

510