MATT CHAPMAN YOUTH MASTERS 2004
The weather looked very ominous on Friday afternoon.
The weather did not dampen the spirits of these kids. They were ready to practice as soon as the storm passed.
Pat Hartness and Bob Sadler welcomed the kids and their families. Pat and Bob stressed the importance of sportsmanship and friendship.
Alex Porter was our youngest competitor at the age of seven. He is practicing the pattern with his stick plane.
My personal favorite photo of the day is of Matthew Laine calling for Brandon Simmons. Matthew is from Ohio and Brandon is from SC. A new friendship has been formed here.
Kat Hawkins and Jan Wolk won the newly announced sportsmanship award. These two gals cheered loud and long for each and every contestant all day. They went the extra distance to make each boy feel special.
Another hard working pair - The Brothers Jesky. Andrew and Joe drove all day Friday to come and help. Andrew was the expert pilot assistant for each contestant and Joe worked hard keeping the planes charged and fueled.

Since it was a contest, we did have to have a special group of judges. After each flight one of the judges spent time with each boy going over their flight.The judges gave out lots of praise for the good parts of each flight and some great advice on how to improve their weak areas.
The boys were not the ones who were nervous about the flights. Check out the tension on the faces of Matthew Laine's parents during one of his flights.
Here is a group shot of all the contestants, judges, parents, friends, and supporters.
I don't know what these two are trying to build with the plastic knives but......
Younger brother Marti Laine sure came up with an interesting "knife edge" airplane!
photos by Carol McKinney
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