Kitecraft : $b and kite tournamentsMiller, Charles M.
Philosophy
Kitecraft : $b and kite tournaments
Miller, Charles M.
Kites
=Quarter Mile Dash.= The race consists of the letting out and winding
in of a kite on one quarter mile of string. The boys set their reels
ready for the best speed and they group themselves quite close
together, but far enough apart to prevent mix-ups, and at the proper
time are handed their string that has been measured and labeled which
they attach to kite. Each boy in the race is allowed one helper and
the kite may be held by the helper a hundred feet away, ready to toss
it in the air at the sign for starting. When all is ready, the one in
charge of the group calls “ready! go!” The kites are tossed up and are
given the string as fast as it will be taken. The boy with a steady
head will sometimes stop playing out and work his kite up a little to
get more breeze. If there is plenty of breeze, they are fed all the
string as fast as it is pulled out. If a kite drops it may be worked up
again, but it must go to the end of the quarter mile and back. A time
keeper is placed by each contestant, and officers are needed to keep
back the onlookers. As soon as all the string is out the boy slips the
loop on the end of his string over a hook on the reel and winds in as
fast as he can turn. The kite mounts up in the air and is pulled with
great violence toward the reel. If a string breaks, the time keeper
stops the winding until the kite is again attached. No allowance is
made for mishaps. The kite that is jerked down into the reel first is
winner, and the owner is usually a pretty warm boy. The helper can take
turns in winding.
Other races should be similarly conducted. We have had races in the
construction of a tailless kite, including the lashing and stringing
of framework and covering, attaching of bridle and the kite must fly.
In all pulling contests, spring scales are used. In the light weights,
the twenty-five pound scales are best, but the fifty pound is more
serviceable for all around purposes. For very heavy pulling, large ice
scales might be borrowed for the day from some hardware man.
To measure the pull of a kite, the string is looped about the hook of
the spring and the record made. Several records are made of each kite
over a period of about thirty minutes or so. The judges going to and
fro measuring this one and that. The kite should be ascending to get
the best register. It is well in trial events to set the number of
times that each aeroplane may be tried or tests of pulling permitted,
as some will tease for a continual performance.
The art supervisors and teachers are good as judges for the artistic
events. All kites are in the air most of the time, so a general survey
is made of the whole field. It is well to have about five judges on
this group. Less will do the work all right, but it is well to draw
many into the service.
If the director could be on horseback so as to be easily seen, and also
be able to get about easily, it would help out considerably. Messengers
from judges to director or information would be useful.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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