the only launcher that moved,
aimed, and charged by remote control

the only non-air powered launcher
Spartans.. prepare for GLORY

Glendale arrived with a great looking inline sprinkler valve launcher with a very nice paint job that performed well.

Oregon City had a unique dual tube design for launching both distance and local.

Tigard had a very creative design and was the only launcher to position itself on the floor under it's own power. Nice design, and it shot well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2u4Vz9qyI0

Century HS demonstrated reliability and safety in one of the few launchers with materials suitable for compressed gas. The ball valve is reliable, but presents the challenge of how to open it quickly. Great video of the Boom Stick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBrD0A3pk4E

Rainier presented a sturdy inline ball valve design with an air surge tank designed to hold the launcher steady.

Wilson HS presented the only non air powered launcher with a very fast reload time and decent range which almost tagged the windows on the luxery seats. They were a little short of the 300 level, but provided good reliability.

Partners:

• INTEL
• PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS
• Garland Manufacturing Company
• INSITU
• ace hardware
   

Winners were announced
 in the 3 categories after practice Friday afternoon.

see the WIKI for rules and discussion

the Roberts piston valve- won the distance competition 186 YDS in practice!

For Creativity, Camas Valley School won with their pistol that would make Clint Eastwood proud. Unfortunately due to regulations regarding weapons, they had to cover their great design. It would have been a great display of the second amendment. It was a great job and shot well.

For Distance, nothing beats raw power and Roberts HS has this wrapped up in sheer size. Many teams worked on solving tumble and flight dynamics. A cannon ball with lots of power took this with a huge 3 inch piston valve and 4 inch launch tube. During rehearsal, it was noted they needed to reduce power to get shirts to the audience instead of the rafters. Way to go guys.

Overall category went to Arlington with a nice compact hand held unit with good range able to bounce a shirt off the back wall in the upper deck. Arlington was invited to launch a few more shirts in the 4th quarter with their rapid reload breech loader. The home built 2 inch quick dump valve performed flawlessly at all pressures.

Analysis by Randy