Elections next month

[X-wooshprez]

We will be taking nominations for club officers at the meeting this Wednesday.
Voting takes place at the November meeting.
This gives everyone a chance to debate the merits of the candidates for one month.

[X-wooshprez]

I have enjoyed being the president of WOOSH for more than ten years now.
We have taken the club from a humble organization with little support equipment and
no money to an organization capable of running NAR national events.
After busting out NARCON 2004 through 2006 and then the wonderful NSL 2009 event I can say we've done our share.
We have a great big trailer stuffed with everything a rocket club could want.
Our members are some of the most capable and enjoyable people I know.

A new challenge has presented itself my way and I must devote my time and energy to it.
I leave my post on good terms with the club and every member in it and intend to continue my
rocketry passion. Call me the new equipment manager if you will.
I'll still be there for the events.

This is an opportunity for the club to grow.
I'll be happy to help mentor the next WOOSH president.
Having several experianced NAR leaders in one section would be a good thing for the club.
Let the nominations begin,

Scott Goebel

[Ltvscout]

I was just thinking the other day when I read your original post in this thread about how long you've been president. Things have really changed since back then.

I want to thank you for all you've done over these years and doing a great job in promoting the club.

[Ltvscout]

Oh ya, after the elections let me know what you'd like me to change your handle to here. ;)

[kurtschachner]

Wow Scott, 10 years? How can it have been that long? It seems like only yesterday you started showing up at our launches with your (now quite collectable) Big Boy t-shirt.

WOOSH started October 23, 1996 (happy 15th birthday!) in the basement of Cudahy News and Hobby, right next to the lovely bathrooms and slot car tracks. In order to finance that early support equipment, those of us sitting around the meeting table opened our wallets and threw in money until there was enough to buy what was needed. Our first club launch site as you know, was at the former County Grounds until it was turned into a business park. At that time the County Grounds were also being used as a "dog park" and several of us were the brunt of more than one irate dog owner complaining about how our rockets were scaring their dogs. One time as a lady was complaining to then president Dan Wolf, a dog ran up and lifted his leg on Dan's box of rockets. Although several of us thought that was one of the funniest things we had ever seen, it was probably our first sign that the situation had to improve. The Grounds were also small and surrounded by freeways, homes and businesses. Anything over an "E" motor was iffy - we had one F powered model land on a ramp to highway 45 and (I think the only) G flight land in a very upset homeowner's driveway.

The club's first building sessions in Mark Smeiska's basement were a highlight of the early club experience, although I think only the first session produced any built rockets. We were bonding as a club and all the early contests at Bong pulled together a group of people that for many, had never flown in a NAR contest before.

Our first website was hosted on GeoCities, but at that time an e-mail list worked better to distribute club information. Not every club member had Internet access at home, but most of us at least had a work e-mail address. For the same reason the club newsletter (The WOOSH Pop) was more relied upon than it probably is today. Dan Wolf produced most of those in Word, put it on an FTP site so I could grab it, and then I converted it to a PDF file. Dan printed most of them himself and they were mailed out (12 pages only to keep it under an ounce) to all the club members. Since the newsletter came out every other month, in order to fill in the monthly gap a few "WOOSH Peep" were produced to keep members informed of important news and events.

The early WOOSH experience was very contest-centric, mostly because many of the members at that time were not involved in HPR (those individuals flew with Tripoli Wisconsin). But when you arrived Scott, that started to change. Due to a variety of factors the time was right for more high power rocketeers to fly with WOOSH rather than TWA. And so it was. Many changes have occurred in the past 10 years related to HPR, including the development and growth of the NAR Level 3 program (started 1999), the classification of HPR motors as explosives, and the whole ammonium perchlorate composite propellant issue. Club changes, NAR changes, litigation changes. It has been an eventful 10 years!

Scott, thank you for your service to WOOSH. Your enthusiasm and constant positive attitude was infectious at every launch, meeting or get-together. You worked hard for WOOSH by giving 10 years of your life to the service of a (at the time) fledgling rocketry club, and your list of accomplishments is indeed impressive. The club is forever changed for the better.

[kapton]

Kurt, when does the book come out ? :) Scott, though I haven't been active in the club for many years, I do thank you for all your hard work and leadership over the last 10 years. Best of luck in those future endeavours.

[rsnella]

Scott

Thank you for being there as President of Woosh.

Joey still talks about the first time we came out to a sod farm launch and you came up and talked to us. That interaction is what got Joey rooted into rockets and being a member of the Club.

Thank you for your leadership and time you put in. Woosh is a great club and that is due in a great part to your leadership and you personally. See you at the launches.

Russ, Joey, and Sissy Snella