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RE: Katherina / Katarina / Katharina / Katerina/Kat?
[QUOTE=Hunter3203; 1100829]Here's my ballot:
BJ: Jen (My vote would go to Katerina if she was on the list)
[/QUOTE]I found the pic Gpu2606 posted of "Kat." You can change your vote on any portion of the contest right up to the deadline, so if you want to vote for Kat, then feel free.
That Depends on What Is "Is"
[QUOTE=Freaklikdat;1101157]I know a great trophy place that gives nice deals on some awards. Its only right that these girls get presented with the awards they've won. But seriously, IMHO and with all due respect this is getting a bit out of hand[/QUOTE]"Is" getting out of hand? The nomination phase is OVER. However, your idea of getting some nice trophies for the winners is a good one. I would love to find every winner and present her with her trophy. Just imagine the possibilities for innovative design in some of these categories.
I still proudly display my trophy for first place in my Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. I carved my Pinewood Derby Car myself in the basement with a pocket knife, and hand rubbed it with sandpaper and steel wool. My car wasn't a "Dad project" like every other fast car entry, turned out on a lathe by adult woodworking hobbyists, and perfectly balanced and weighted by Dads who were mechanical engineers. Mine was a clunky specimen compared to the sleek, professional racers in the competition. When mine started beating every car in my Cub Scout Pack, there were sneers from my "friends" that I must be cheating somehow. One thing I did understand is that even a rectangular block of wood could win, if it had the right wheels. Wheel camber and reduction of axle friction was everything. That was one valuable piece of advice I got from my wise old grandfather, who didn't help me, but pointed out the things I needed to do based on what he knew about wheels from maintaining the wheels on the hand-pulled Conestoga-type wagons used to deliver the Sunday newspapers in my home town (that is another separate and interesting story in itself). Aligning the wheels to make the car go perfectly straight and reducing axle friction to a minimum (a lubricant such as graphite is now permitted but not when I was a Cub Scout; however, so many were secretly doing it anyway that they simply opened up the rules to permit it openly) made all the difference in the world. Most of this information is well-known, today so other little things can make a difference, like reducing wind resistance. However, one little trick that I did that is still not widely known is to arrange the wheels so that only three wheels meet the track. Four wheels touching the roadway is a formula for a rough ride. Provide for one of the front wheels to be mounted high, so that it does not touch the roadway. The other three wheels are more than sufficient for a five-ounce vehicle (the maximum weight; it is also good to meet but not exceed the max weight) , and will provide a more stable ride. With four wheels, most of the time, one wheel will not touch anyway – and which wheel is not touching will be constantly changing – requiring friction to re-speed wheels over and over. Also the general vibration from this costs energy.
ANYWAY, now that you have some secrets for your son / nephew to win his Pinewood Derby, my whole point about trophies is that everyone likes them. I dated almost 90 different SWs in 2010 and I have 15 categories in my contest. In the Miss America Pageant they have only 50 contestants, give or take, and there are 5 sub-contests for winners and places for an overall winner and 4 runners-up. That makes slots for 10 "winners" and they only have about half the number of participants that I do. SO, is my contest out of hand? If measured proportionately to the Miss America Pageant, I am well under the number of awards they present and I think my contest is far more diverse and allows for more a wider variety of considerations. One's appreciation both for beauty and beauty contests are in the eye of the beholder. :)
