4-H Clubs

[Rocket Doctor]

How many of you have been involved in 4H clubs and rocketry?
Please go into detail and report on your clubs , laucnhes and members.
Thanks
RD

[Solomoriah]

I got my start in rocketry at the age of 10 thanks to 4-H. I saw it in the activity guide, and I told my Mom I wanted to try it. She told me she'd be my leader on paper, but I'd have to figure it out on my own.

I did. My finishing work was abysmal, but I had nothing to compare it to, and it was a lot of fun building and flying.

It was also due to 4-H that I got back in. Justin, brother to my daughter's best friend, saw my old 4-H folder from my last year in rocketry, looked at the aging snapshots and said he'd like to try that too.

So now I'm his leader, preparing for a third year at it, and his sister will be doing it as one of her projects this year also. Taylor, my daughter, isn't interested in 4-H, but she has a few of her own (some built by me, some by her with a little help) which she flies often.

[CaninoBD]

I got involved in 4H rocketry as a co leader when I was at the local county fair and they had a rocket display in judging area. I meet with the leader and volunteered to be a co leader. The club ran for about another year, but by then most of the the members moved on to R/C Cars and the club kind of fell apart. I tried to form another club, but there wasn't much of interenat at the time. I should check back again, since 4H announced it joining forces with the NAR.

[Rocket Doctor]

Expanding on my original question, I got into the 4H rocketry program back in 1971 at 19, the top age for 4H members.

So thereafter I became the leader of the club based in wayne NJ, which was called Wayne Skyhawks. We had 25 members and held launches at least twice a month and only one meeting. We were more interested in launching rockets than sitting around for a formal meeting. Out of the 25, atleast 21 would show up for every launch.

We had launches at our annual 4H fair and made it into many newspapers which helped our club grow.

We had a local hobby shop , Totowa Hobby Shop which was run by Harold M Zafeman who stocked the complete Estes line as well as parts and a com0plete selection of motors. If we needed something that he didn't have, he would order it for us. We also got discounts and he supported us with trophys as well.

The club participated in a promotional TV commercial for the Hobby Industry of America, inwhich there were boats, cars, planes, crafts and model rockets.

The commercial was shown on TV four times and received the bronze award at the Internation Film Festival, I do have a copy of it.

At NARAM at the Saturday night ORR, I ran into two members George wagner and Chuck Mund, who I haven't seen for 33 years.

I also went around to other 4H clubs to get their rocketry programs going and to judge as well.

At the Morris County NJ 4H fair, I would hold a Make-It Take-It on Friday and Saturday and we would launch those rockets on Sunday, it was a crowd pleaser.

All of these youth program are great for the hobby.

[jflis]

My old club was officially called the "Goddard Society 4-H Aerospace Club". At the time of forming the club I was the 4-H Group Organizer for Hillsboro County, NH.

After the club faded in the 90's so did my involvement with 4-H until I started FlisKits. Now I work with them (local chapters) a lot through our educational programs. I am of the opinion that the 4-H has the most sophisticated rocketry program of any youth group. It's incredible and they are a joy to work with.

Also, for those interested, I have a 4-H approved set of artwork for the FlisKits free download kit "Caution, Rocket Launch In Progress!" kit. This is not available as a download but I am authorized to give it out to 4-H groups to use in their rocketry sessions.

jim

[Nuke Rocketeer]

4H has sure changed from when I was in it back in 1969-1972 when I was in it. It was mostly a rural agriculture oriented organization run by the local ag service extension agent. The whole thing was oriented towards domestic animals/plants. Rocketry was not part of the program in Glasscock County, Tx and the surrounding counties. Raising sheep, cattle, hogs, chickens, etc was....

[Bluegrass Rocket]

I was in 4-H as an older teen, around 1978, and then later I was the leader of the southside of Indianapolis 4-H rocket club. I remember that all the kids thought in was neat how almost everything in the NAR was an acronym (I know you know this, first letter of each word makes a word). So, the kids in our group came up with a interesting acronym that I still remember today. The name of our rocket group was "INTERSTELLARS". Indianapolis' New, Though Experienced, Rocketeers Scientifically Thrusted Engines Locally Launch Aeronautic Rocket Society. Those were fun rocket times. Still fun today. :D