“Team Scrat” Completes the course in under two minutes

We had a great turnout for the 2004 competition with 16 teams vying for the title of fastest team on paper. This year, for the first time since 1998, Eastern Washington University took first place in vehicle performance. They came close last year when team Road Kill took second place. This year EWU's Team Sterling ran a great race and only missed the track record by 2 seconds. This is the second year in a row that a bicycle design has won the race. Spokane Community College's team Bla, Bla, Bla, Bla, Bla took second place in vehicle performance with their own paper bike. The race for second place was very close however and Tacoma Community College's team Delta V, with their ultra light wheel chair design, were only 2 seconds behind team Bla, Bla, Bla, Bla, Bla.

The caliber of presentations has really been excellent. Teams are clearly putting a lot of thought, time and effort into this part of the competition. We are now seeing everything from well developed Power Point presentations to assembly mockups and design brochures. This year Green River Community College's team TrikeWorks put on the best show and walked away with the first place trophy for Project Presentation. Close behind them was Highline Community College's team Rocinante taking second.

Team “Rocinante” had a tough time with their seatless wheel design

The award for most innovative design was a tough call this year and there was a run off vote between team Rocinante' walking wheel, Spokane Falls Community College's team 32 Below's skates and EWU's team Scrat, but in the end there was only one award and team Scrat got it. It wasn't that their vehicle concept was particularly unique, it was the way they built it and their use of materials. A use of materials which, by the way, may lead to some rule changes in 2005. Their carbon fiber paper laminated body tubes were quite a sight and made their vehicle look more like a metal framed bicycle than any previous competition vehicle. Their compressed papier-mâché wheels where also unique. Several teams questioned whether the vehicle had violated the rules, but a careful review by the judges found that while some aspects of the vehicle went outside the intent of the rules, strictly speaking they did not actually break any. As it turned out it was a moot point. The light carbon fiber/paper frame was not as sturdy as it appeared and the vehicle became another bent and broken victim of the indoor obstacle course that makes up the performance race.

Team Rocinante did manage to win another award though. They took home the coveted best team spirit award. This almost always goes to a team which overcomes extreme adversity on the race course to reach the finish line. This year was no exception. Team Rocinante's rolling pedal vehicle was probably the most difficult vehicle to operate that has ever run the course. It was almost painful to watch the slow, extremely physically demanding vehicle move around the track. Especially when the slightest loss of balance tended to send the rider crashing to the ground. When the team finally crossed the finish line we weren't sure whether to give them an award or call for an ambulance.

I also want to give a special thanks to Doug Ward, Jeremie Kink, and Dave Kokot from the local ASME chapter who helped judge the competition and to the entire chapter for kicking in a hundred dollars to help cover cost of the pizzas. Finally I need to thank all the other volunteers and faculty who put in a lot of time to make this possible.

We thought 30 pizzas would be enough and it was...barely

If you are a student or faculty member and are looking into this competition for the first time, I hope you will consider joining us in the future. For those of you who participated in our competition, I look forward to seeing you and your new designs.

Once again, thanks to all.
Sincerely
Keith Turpin