Charlie is a member of the TSA = Technical Students Association at school. I wasn't really sure what it was.... other than an after school club. So, when he qualified for the State competition last weekend, I decided I'd drive down to Bellevue to see what this was all about. He spent a couple nights at the Bellevue Hilton where the competition was. So, I figured that he was just screwing around for a couple days. But, turns out that this is serious stuff!
It is a bunch of creative competitions, but the ones that Charlie competes in are mostly directed at engineering type activ
ities. His two best contributions are pictured here. One is a tower that he built out of balsa wood. They give each contestant/team 10 strips, 2 feet each of balsa wood. They then have two hours to cut, design and build a tower as strong as possible. My mom went to check this out and happened to show up just as they were building them. So, she got to see him in action. I guess there were 115 entries into the competition. They take each one after it's completed and put it in a machine that applies pressure to it... believe it or not, this little tower you see here (about 1 1/2 foot tall) withheld over 200 lbs of pressure before it broke! Charlie got 4th place out of all those entries! As a freshman, no less!
ities. His two best contributions are pictured here. One is a tower that he built out of balsa wood. They give each contestant/team 10 strips, 2 feet each of balsa wood. They then have two hours to cut, design and build a tower as strong as possible. My mom went to check this out and happened to show up just as they were building them. So, she got to see him in action. I guess there were 115 entries into the competition. They take each one after it's completed and put it in a machine that applies pressure to it... believe it or not, this little tower you see here (about 1 1/2 foot tall) withheld over 200 lbs of pressure before it broke! Charlie got 4th place out of all those entries! As a freshman, no less!Then, he competed in the "Manufacturing Prototype" competition. That produced the five clear plates on the wooden stands that you see. I'm sorry that the picture doesn't show them well... but, Charlie and his teammate worked very hard on them. They engraved the words and designed the graphics, built the wooden stands, etc. For these, they won 2nd place in this category.. you can see their award in the middle.
I was so proud and impressed. And, I was so glad that I went to see it for myself. Sometimes, Charlie fails to communicate the magnitude of his achievements. And, this was a big one that I was glad to be a part of. You can see him in the middle back of the top picture... the guy with his hands raised up in the air! Be sure to congratulate him next time you see him.
Now, the only problem is that he has been invited to compete at the National Convention in Dallas, TX. It's a big honor for a freshman... but, not sure if his mom is willing to part with him for that long in another state without parental supervision. I told him he would definitely have to fund raise to earn some of the $1,100 it costs to go.... so, if we decide to let him go after we get all of the information, get ready for car washes, garage sales, lawn mowing, etc. I'll let you know what he dreams up... hopefully, it will be something that we actually all need!
