Rocketry Winner, Colt McNally

Baby Sister Tina, lives in Texas with her husband and three teen age children.  The eldest, Colt McNally graduated from high school this past spring.  I would like to say he graduated with honors but that is not the case.  Colt is too mischievous for that yet he managed to pull off one high jinks that millions of students would love to do. 

My nephew Colt and three buddies (Michael Gerritsen, Landon Fisher and John Easum) were members of the Team America Rocketry Challenge, a nation-wide contest where students in 7th through 12th grades, design, build, and fly a rocket to reach specific parameters competing for over $6,000 in scholarships and prizes.  The rocket entries were required to reach over 750 feet in altitude and land in 40 to 45 seconds, all while carrying a raw egg payload.  If the egg breaks, or even fractures, the team is disqualified.  Over 600 teams from across the nation entered the challenge.  Colt's team got first place at the national finals located in The Plains, Virginia on May 14, 2011. 

That isn't the end of the story even though that is pretty spectacular.  The four young men then entered the international champions at the 2011 Paris Airshow against the top teams from the UK and France and won first place there.  This time not only did their rocket have to pass strict standards but the boys were required to give presentations covering their extensive rocket program to a panel of judges.

Michael Gerritsen said, "The Paris Airshow was absolutely incredible.  It was the perfect way to end our story in rocketry and made all of the hard work, long hours of trouble shooting, and failure worth it."  Colt summed up his experience as life changing, "The adventure the program put me through has really changed my view of science.  I first joined the rocket club purely because of the potential to win money, never thinking that I would become a science major."

We hear so many horror stories about our public school system but our teachers must be doing something right.  These boys attended Rockwall Texas public high school.  They have been working on this since they were in 8th grade.  My family and I were impressed with their efforts in 8th through 11th grade when they had qualified to enter the contest and had placed in the top 10.  We are now bursting with pride.  These young men are real winners and I am proud to say one of them is my nephew.