Sophomore Cady Studdard was considering starting a rocketry team in Mobile where she enrolled this year in the Alabama School of Math and Science. But when younger brother Grayson expressed his interest in rocketry, the family realized it would be challenging for him to balance a hectic baseball schedule with the RCS’ rocketry structured meetings and practice schedule, so they decided to form a team with First United Methodist Church as the sponsoring organization. Grayson invited good friend Grace McDermitt to participate, and the team became a reality.

That first-year team is now planning – and fundraising – for their first trip to the national Team America Rocketry Challenge in May, which is held near Washington, D.C.

The FUMC team was one of three from the state to be selected for the elite competition by submitting an acceptable qualifying score. The three team members – along with sponsor/coach Scarlette Studdard, PR and fundraising manager Ann McDermitt and mentor/coach Andrew Heath – are currently in the midst of fundraising for the event, with a $5,000 goal on gofundme.com.

Heath and Cady are both former members of the 2015 RCS Engineering World Championship team. Scarlette brought Heath on as coach/mentor, and the two have also helped to establish first-year teams at Sheffield.

Heath said he had hoped to remain involved in rocketry as he began his freshman year at UAH after graduating from Russellville High School in 2016 – although he didn’t imagine it would be to this extent.

“I did plan on helping. I didn’t realize I would come on as a co-sponsor for three teams in the first year,” Heath said.

Skype has been crucial for both Cady and Heath in their involvement with them team. From long distance the two have been able to use the instant messaging/video chat app to brainstorm, advise and troubleshoot with Grayson and Grace.

“They have really gelled as a team,” Scarlette said. “There’s some sniping that happens on occasion, but then they buckle down and get it done.”

“It makes me feel like I’ve done a little better than I thought as a big sister,” Cady said. Like many sibling relationships, the Studdard brother and sister haven’t been without their squabbles over the years. “Sometimes it felt like, oh, well, we’ve fought too much, so I don’t know if he’ll be interested in this. It makes me feel like we do get along. We get along through rocketry. That’s where we have common ground, and we’re both really passionate about it.”

It was, in fact, watching Cady’s involvement with rocketry that interested Grayson to begin with.

“I was so intrigued by how much they could do with just a few materials,” he said.

And he, in turn, sparked his friend Grace’s interest. “This being my first year, it’s kind of crazy that we get to go to D.C.,” Grace said. “It took so many hours of hard work.”

Grace isn’t the only one for whom the impending trip is a little surreal.

“I was at school in class when (Mom) texted me and told me, ‘We are going to D.C.,’” Cady remembered. “I screamed in the middle of class.” Grayson also couldn’t believe it because he thought they had missed the mark for qualifying cut-off score. “I was crying for joy inside,” he said.

Heath added, “I knew they were going to be really close … But I knew if they didn’t make it, they would have definitely deserved it because they definitely worked hard enough for it.”

Scarlette extended thanks for support from RCS rocketry leaders Mark Keeton, Joseph Cole and Tracey Burns as well as Lee Brownell.

TARC will be held May 13. Search Russellville FUMC Rocketry Team on gofundme.com to donate and visit the team’s Facebook page, TARC 2017 – Russellville FUMC Team.