NARAMs have been a lot of fun for my family and me. These competitions have given us the opportunity to meet new people and enjoy the hobby with our friends from across the country. We also like to use NARAMs as an excuse to travel to and explore different states that we haven't visited before, such as Arizona and Michigan, and this summer we will travel to Missouri for NARAM 58.
These competitions have taught me a lot about myself and my abilities. I have strengthened my presentation techniques and improved my building skills. I have learned to detect thermals and sand an airfoil successfully. I've learned the value of being able to think quickly to fix a problem and the value of being early to an event. Rocketry has allowed me to think critically and adjust to on the spot questions. I have learned a lot about science, math, and engineering and their real world applications, but I also learned how to address other people's concerns. The biggest most recurring concern is "The B Division Problem".
At every NARAM, the same question is brought up continuously, "where are all of the B division contestants?" From the moment I turned 14, I had people hounding me about not disappearing like the other B division contestants. There are tons of A division contestants, but once they hit B division they seem to disappear and nobody knew why. This became commonly known as "The B Division Problem".
The NAR tried a lot of different ideas to keep this from happening year-to-year. There were socials for the B division contestants during NARAM and extra awards for the people who placed in different events at NARAM, but nothing seemed to work. Survey after survey took place to find out why B division contestants weren't staying involved, but no one could come up with a solution.
I stayed as active as I could during my time in B division. I love model rocketry and I love competing. I won two national championships back-to-back. I got a second national record and I developed a new launch pad that allowed easier access for children and handicapped people to put their own rocket on the launch pad by themselves (see the article here). During my junior and senior year of high school, I started to fade away from the rocketry scene. Little by little, I pulled back from competition flying and focused more on tennis, work, school, and applying to colleges.
When people noticed this change, they began to question me and ask why I wasn't competing as much. They weren't always satisfied with my answer that I was really busy with school and work. Proms began to impose on field time and then senior year it felt like I had absolutely no time at all to fly between graduation preparation and work. I had to miss my best friend's graduation/going away party for the National Guard in order to go to NARAM 57 last summer. Still, people pushed me for answers and I couldn't make them understand completely what was going on. I was frustrated with explaining myself and trying to make people understand. Finally, I realized what I had to do.
In my next post, I'll explain what I did and why. Until next time, fly high, stay safe, and have fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment