PADUCAH, Ky. -- Western Kentucky high schoolers put together a Rocket Club in late 2023. Now, they're heading to a national competition for a chance to win up to $20,000 and a trip to London.
The team from the McCracken County 4-H Rocket Club is one of only 100 that made it to the 2024 American Rocketry Challenge finals. The first rounds saw over 900 teams compete.
The 4-H Club held its first meeting in December. Sixteen students from McCracken and Livingston counties split into three teams under the club's Kentucky Space Grant Consortium funding. Only one of the teams will stand on the national stage.
"It is an amazing accomplishment for these students to qualify for nationals among such a competitive field, let alone in the club's first year," said Coach Alex Senig. "This speaks to the students' levels of dedication, putting in dozens of hours of work to design, build and fly functional model rockets."
To qualify for nationals, the 4-H Club launched a rocket of their design that flew to 820 feet in a 43 to 46 second flight. All while keeping a raw egg from breaking.
2024 is the 22nd year for the American Rocketry Challenge. Middle and High School students will work with their teams to design and building working rockets that will then compete in a launch at the competition.
The competition will occur in The Plains, Virginia on May 18. Teams will compete to win a portion of a $100,000 pool and a trip to London's International Rocketry Challenge in July.
