GREELEY, Colorado USA — Ryan Kropp and his "Baby Bertha" stole the show at the 2008 Weld County Fair on Wednesday. Ryan, 10, was among the 15 Weld 4-H members who participated in the rocket fly day for those members enrolled in the model rocketry project.

Treavor Symour, 11, watches his rocket soar in the flight section of the Model Rocketry competition Wednesday at the Weld County Fair. More than a dozen kids built and flew their own model rockets in the fair’s competition this year. Photo: Julie Levy.

Kids watch a rocket fly high during the Model Rocketry competition. Ryan Kropp, 10, won the overall Grand Prize in the competition. Photo: Julie Levy.

On the second of two launches of "Baby Bertha," the rocket shot into the bright blue sky, popped its parachute as the engine burned out and drifted back to earth about 2 meters from the launch pad.

That helped Ryan, who said he is in his first year in the model rocketry project, to take grand championship honors at the event, which is becoming more popular. About 100 moms, dads, grandmothers, grandfathers and other family members gathered for the fly day which is conducted at the parking lot west of Centennial Village in Island Grove Regional Park.

For his efforts, Ryan got ribbons, a medal and a large trophy, and the right to compete at the Colorado State Fair in Pueblo. He said he wasn't sure where he might put the big trophy.

"He'll have to find a place for it now," his dad, Eric, said with a laugh.

Phil Rouse of Eaton has been the county model rocketry leader and superintendent of the fly day for almost 20 years. Some members of the project build two rockets for the fair, one for display purposes only, which is judged separately, and the other to fly. On fly day, rockets are judged on appearance, but participants also are judged on safety aspects of launching their models. Once launched, the rockets are judged on stabilization of the flight, perfection of the recovery system and how close the rocket returns to the launch pad.

"The younger kids are just excited to fire off their rockets and watch it fly, but as they get into their third year, they figure out the wind drift and angle of their rocket on the pad to see if they can get it back to the launch pad as close as possible," Rouse said. The eventual winners are judged on a composite of two launches.

Safety, however, was stressed throughout the morning, and Rouse had designed and built a new, safer launch system that was used for the county fly Wednesday.

The first to fly was KateLynn Seelhoff, 10, of Greeley, who is in her second year of the project.

"I broke it the first time I flew it, but I fixed it for today," KateLynn said. The daughter of Fred and Kelly Seelhoff is a member of the Weld County Wranglers 4-H Club of Greeley and was pleased with the way "SuperNeon" flew. She, too, qualified for the state fair.

One of the larger rockets at the event was built by Wesley Brow, 10, like Ryan, a member of the Fort Lupton Tailtwisters 4-H Club. He worked on the 3-foot high rocket for about three weeks, a couple of hours a day, getting it ready for the event.

His dad, Gary, said the rocket wouldn't take regular model paint.

"He painted with Rust-Oleum," he said, and Wesley added, "I sanded it at least five times."

For Ryan, next year, his second in the project, will pose a challenge. How will he top a grand championship?

"That's going to be hard to figure out," he said.

Copyright © 2008, Greeley Tribune.