Junior Balloonists

Last year Tina Reeves, chairperson for the Balloon Federation of America's Junior Balloonist program, contacted Balloon Life and asked if we would be interested in sponsoring an award. Junior Balloonists who improved their grades from the previous year and/or received a straight A average would receive a free one year subscription to Balloon Life.

The goal was to encourage students to work harder in school. I jumped at the opportunity to participate. In an age where we receive more and more information from a vast array of visual and audio sources, making sure that our youth learn to read has grown in importance.

To receive their very own subscription to Balloon Life Junior Balloonists were asked to send a copy of their report card for the 1997 and 1998 school year. If it showed that the students worked hard and brought up their average a grade point over the prior year they would receive a subscription to Balloon Life. Junior Balloonists who already have a subscription to Balloon Life have their expirations extended one year. If they receive a straight A average they not only received a free subscription, but their Junior Balloonist membership was extended one year.

Tina Reeves has announced that the following Junior Balloonists have earned a one year subscription to Balloon Life: Bridget Mayer, Colorado Springs, Colorado; Andrew Gross, Luckey, Ohio; Jesse Satterlee, Boise, Idaho; and Angela Ridenour, Taneytown, Maryland. Angela had a perfect A average.

Balloon Life congratulates these outstanding Junior Balloonist for their hard work in school. Look for more opportunities for young achievers in the future.

Best Balloon Event

Last year Balloon Life asked its readers to submit nominations for the Best Balloon Event. The winner, announced last spring, was Hershey, Pennsylvania's Hersheypark Balloonfest.

Who will have the bragging rights for 1998? It is time to select the Best Balloon Event for 1998. We want to know which balloon events are the best in the world. From small events to mega ones like Albuquerque. The event need not be a flying event, it can include safety seminars for example. In fact, this year Balloon Life is creating a category for best safety seminar. The best event can be anywhere in the world.

There are only a few requirements:

First, the event must be balloon related.

Second, the event must have taken place in 1998.

Third, the nominator must have been a participant or spectator. Event staff cannot nominate their own event.

Fourth, your nomination must be in writing and be no more than 1,000 words. You may send it by mail, fax, or e-mail. Be sure to include your name, address, phone number and e-mail address.

Fifth, your nomination must be received by Balloon Life on or before February 5, 1999.

The nominations will be judged by a panel and their decisions announced in the April 1999 issue.

Put your thinking cap on, sit down, and start justifying why you attend the balloon events you do. Then be sure to read the April 1999 issue to discover which are the Best Balloon Events in the World.

All Frenched Up

That is how many participants refer to the 1998 Coupe de Gordon Bennett which was canceled "due to bad weather." Balloon Life's report, A Great Disappointment in Paris, talks about the frustration of trying to deal with Parisian authorities and the horrible weather that plagued this year's event. How do the balloonists who were to participate feel about it? Mad, angry, and other words not printable.

The Gordon Bennett is a one flight, long distance race. One has to wonder why the French only filed a three day launch window with Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. The first day only had a five hour window to launch from Paris, where Jacques Charles first flew on December 1, 1783. That limited time frame, logistics, and alternate plans is a case study in Paris bureaucracy.

Warned that the time frame asked for might not be enough did not faze the French. They said the event would take place as planned. That plan started to unravel early when the French under estimated the cost of helium and tried to double the entry fee of $2500. The FAI would not allow it. Now, with the event canceled the competitors want their entry fee returned. Mark Sullivan is representing the competitors in an attempt to get the money back. Where will the 1999 event be held? Good question, but I doubt that it is France.