🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Nov16.174045.7481@col.hp.com> scottb@col.hp.com (Scott Brunton) writes:
>	* how to determine winner (is electronic necessary?)
>		- again, I had been told that close finishes over a long
>		  run are not likely; however, placement may be important
>		  for subsequent rounds

Some of the rockets may not make it to the finish line.  This happens with
younger boys that do the work them selves.  If none make it, the rocket that
gets the farthest wins.  We use judges are the finish line.  (We do the same
thing for the Pine Wood derby.)

Last year we used double elimination.  The problem is the boys who loose early
loose interest and get bored.  (I couldn't talk my son into trying this year
even though I knew the scoring would be different.)  This year, we set it up
so everyone raced the same number of times.  Everyone raced everyone in their
class.  The winner was the rocket with the most wins.

Our pack has all the rockets wound by the starters instead of the boys.  I
don't know if I like this or not.

Pre-race warmups should be long enough that all the boys get to try their
rocket several times.  But if it's too long, you will start running out of
spare rubberbands and some of the rockets will start to break.  Last year,
we had one very thin, very fast rocket crumble when it was wound after a couple
trys.  

Be sure to add rubberbands and epoxy to the supplies that your pit crew has.

For both our Space Derby and Pine Wood Derby, we run an open class.  The open
class is for adults and siblings.  The hope is more of the rockets (or cars)
will be built by the boys.  I don't know how successful it is; the rocket that
crunbled looked like it was made by an experienced rocket builder.

-- 
Rick Clements (RickCl@pogo.WV.TEK.COM)