RBHS pursues rocketry greatness
Photo by Brandi Miller
Red Bay rocket team members work to prepare for the regional TARC qualifier.
By Brandi Miller for the FCT
March 25 may sound like a long time away, but when trying to build a rocket, it is closer than it seems.
The Red Bay High School Rocket Team is in the process of building rockets for the Regional Team America Rocketry Challenge competition, sponsored by the University of North Alabama. RBHS actually has two different teams that will be competing in this event.
“We picked up on rockets as soon as the robotics competition ended,” said sponsor Leah Torisky. “There is never a dull moment or time wasted with the Tiger Tech team.”
The top 100 teams across the nation from the TARC competition will advance to the national competition that will be held in Washington, D.C. The team that places first in nationals will then advance to the international competition in Paris, France, which is the opportunity of a lifetime.
“As a kid, you always dream about becoming an astronaut,” said team member Anna Jackson. “The TARC rocketry competition brings part of that dream to a reality.”
The objective of the competition is to launch a fully-functional rocket that can fly 775 feet or more while carrying and returning a chicken egg undamaged. This is something that can’t be accomplished without a great deal of time and practice.
“This is our second year in the rocketry competition,” said Torisky. “This is the most challenging competition in which our robotics team competes. Simply the idea of launching anything 775 feet is a challenge, but then trying to keep your rocket in the air for the time requirement of 44-46 seconds is so hard. But we are working hard and look forward to being a little more competitive this year.”
Not only are the students having fun and learning an amazing amount of information about science, the preparation for this competition is allowing some of the team members to see what they might possibly want to do in their future careers.
“Since I have been in this competition, I have learned a lot about what I want from a career and a route in college,” said senior team member Ethan Mobley.
There will be approximately 15-20 teams in the regional competition.
The RBHS rocket team members are: (team one) Team Capt. Ethan Mobley, Ethan Ray, Anna Jackson, Levi Raper, Brooke Shotts and Chase Allen and (team two) Team Capt. Jace Pounds, Morgan Pierce, Gath Weatherford, Hayley George and Aeron Moor.
