SYLVANIA, Ohio USA — The Northview Rocketeers finished 39th out of 100 teams competing in the Team America Rocketry Challenge finals, but the Sylvania high schoolers came much closer than the standings indicate.

Northview's team at the competition included, from left, John Borell III, Michael Pauken, and Diego Waxemberg. Also at the meet but not pictured was Jessica Sharp. Club members Michael Deng, Faiz Tausif, and Brandi Phillips were not the meet. Photo: Jetta Fraser.

"After our launch, we went and figured out exactly what we would have needed to do to win," John Borell III, a 17-year-old junior, said.

"If I had added seven pennies to the front of it, it would have worked," he added.

A total of 643 teams from 49 states and England entered the competition, which was sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association and the National Association of Rocketry.

The top 100 teams qualified for Saturday's finals, held in The Plains, Va., about 45 miles west of Washington.

Each team launched one rocket, and the top 18 finalists then competed in a second round.

The goal was to launch the rockets 750 feet in the air and keep them aloft for 45 seconds.

The single-stage rockets, which use solid fuel for a propellant, also must carry two raw eggs that are parachuted and must land safely.

Teams get a point for every foot above 750 that their rocket travels, and lose two points for every second it is in the air beyond 45, according to Jessica Sharp, a Northview sophomore.

The Sylvania team's rocket reached a height of 781 feet and recorded an air time of 48.28 seconds, she said.

The students prepared for weather to be a factor, but it turned out to be a "perfect day" with plenty of sunshine and temperatures in the mid-70s, Miss Sharp said.

The winning entry was launched by a team from Enloe High School in Raleigh, N.C.

Making it to the finals was a major accomplishment for Northview, which didn't even have a rocket club until October. For an upstart team to wind up in the top 40 nationwide was a bonus.

"I was astounded that we made it. We never thought we would make it that far," Miss Sharp said.

"I think it was probably one of the best experiences I can think of in the last 10 years," young Borell said. "This was special to me. I think all the hard work I put in really paid off."

He said he knew nothing about rocketry until he helped start Northview's club in October. The inspiration came when the school's PTA, after an annual tradition of buying a book for all students, chose Homer Hickam's October Sky - originally titled Rocket Boys - his memoir about building rockets.

Since starting the club, young Borell, who plans to be a lawyer, has been reading all about rockets and led the team in designing, building, and testing their entries.

Four Northview Rocketeers traveled to the finals - young Borell and Miss Sharp, freshman Diego Waxemberg, and sophomore Michael Pauken, along with their adviser, teacher Edward Schwerkolt. Seniors Michael Deng and Faiz Tausif and junior Brandi Phillips opted to stay home to attend the prom.

The top 10 teams divide $60,000 in prizes and scholarships, and Enloe High's winning team will travel to Farnborough, England, this summer to compete in a United Kingdom rocketry contest.

Young Borell said the Northview team learned a lot from its experience and is making plans to improve its performance next year.

"I want to start earlier in planning and get the designs done and start testing earlier. We spent so much time on design that we barely had enough time to test," he said.

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