TOURNAMENTS.
All of the work of construction and flying of kites is interesting and
profitable for development yet there is opportunity for furthering this
interest by bringing about yearly tournaments for the exhibition of
the many efforts in construction and design that are undertaken. The
tournaments have a further usefulness in the bringing of our schools
together in a great outdoor social event. The spirit of such an event
is excellent and the day is a joyful one to the children and parents.
Thousands attend these yearly gatherings.
=The Director.= It is necessary for a good tournament that some
interested and competent person take general charge of the whole
affair and not leave the planning and arranging to others. Helpers are
necessary at the tournament, but preparation should be directed by some
one person. In so doing, we do not overlook the helpful cooperation of
the principals at the various schools, but seek to interest them as to
possibilities of undertakings by their children. Instructions should
be sent out from time to time as to new things to be constructed and
three or four weeks before the tournament, quite complete instructions
regarding the different events that may be entered, and rules
pertaining to each should be posted in each school.
It is well to organize a little in the schools that are interested.
Some boy may be recognized as a leader and a good kite maker. He can
round up the team, get the boys interested and encourage them to
enter events not yet taken so as to cover as many events as possible
and fewer in the same. The preparation for the tournament gives a
great opportunity to the teachers and principals to get in touch with
boys. Many boys have come to know their teachers with just such an
introduction, and it has been the means of starting a good many boys to
work in the schoolrooms on their studies. Some boys seem to get out of
gear with their schoolroom environment and need a little touch of play,
a tramp, or some form of sport to get them back to their real school
life. This kind of undertaking is one of the great opportunities for
the teacher to get near to the boys. Some teachers are enthusiastic
enough to send out for a good sized bundle of sticks and have some one
retail them out to the boys at cost. The boys appreciate a little
effort of this kind even if there is no prospect of a tournament. A
discussion of design in the drawing work will also be a practical
departure from the regular work, and will again arouse the lazy boy to
do his best. Now if the teacher will take some interest in the making,
even if she doesn’t know very much about it, and especially in the
flying of the kites, she will be progressing, and there are but few
teachers who cannot learn a good deal about kite making and flying, if
they are willing to try.
The manual training teacher and the shop are very able assistants to
the kite construction projects. In some schools, a week some time
previous to the tournament is allowed for the special construction of
kites in the shop. The boys will waste valuable lumber if allowed to
rip up thin boards, so it will pay to encourage the buying of spruce
sticks. There is much adjustment in attaching string and covering,
and putting on of the bridle; as much as possible of this should be
reserved for home work, but some might be done at school.
=Suitable Location.= But the work at the school is not a tournament
altho an important factor of it. The director, we will call the manager
of the tournament, must find a suitable location. It must be open
to the breeze, free from wires, accessible by street car service, a
little to one side so people will have to go a little out of their way
to see it, hoodlums don’t usually care so much for beautiful things,
especially if it is some trouble to go to it, and it should be large
enough to accommodate a great many kites without getting into too close
quarters. Kites are liable to dive around somewhat, so if they are not
too thick, there is more chance to get the kite straightened up before
getting entangled in other kite lines. Now that there are so many kinds
of kites, it is necessary to locate the kinds on the field. The kites
are divided into groups when the list of events is sent out, and these
groups are placed in different locations on the field. We will suppose
the following group is to be located.
Group D.
Measured Events.
27. Highest Flyer--Single.
28. Highest Flyer--Tandem.
29. Highest flight in five minutes, etc.
On the ground, separated from the others, would be a bulletin board
that is fastened to a post and this is set in the ground. The post
is about nine feet long, and the bulletin board is nailed to it, the
lower edge being about one foot down on the post. If the post is set
eighteen inches in the ground there would be six and a half feet up
to the lower edge of bulletin. The announcements can be printed with
chalk. They stand out and can be read across the field, see Fig. 263.
The tournament is always on a Saturday afternoon, so the bulletins are
set Saturday morning.
[Illustration: FIG. 263.]
If there is no space fenced off for aeroplane model flying, and for
the races, a few posts should be set and two wires about No. 9 run
around an enclosure. Make it an enclosure, for if you don’t it will be
impossible to keep the spectators back. We tried a V-shaped fence, but
it was useless; with an enclosure and two or three policemen about, it
is possible to keep the crowd out.
=Judges.= Settle on your judges at least two weeks ahead of the
tournament. It will assist in arousing interest in the schools with
which they are connected. Principals and manual training teachers
should be available and serviceable. It is not necessary to be a kite
maker to be able to judge a kite. About three judges to a group is
good, then if one fails to appear you still have two. Try to start at
the appointed time and urge your judges to be there on time. Caution
the pupils about putting their kites up before the time, as they are so
liable to accident if played with beforehand.
Save a place of honor for your superintendents. They may be asked to
award prize badges, or to select the prettiest kite in the air, and
the most ingenious device, the best made model or the best invention;
not all of these but something of this kind. Don’t forget to use them
in some place. Get the promise of two, three, or four policemen, a
few days ahead. The presence of a few good officers helps in curbing
desires for destruction among a few. Kites are liable to accident,
so if you can have a kite hospital where the boys can get a little
paper and paste, string or stick, it will sometimes heal quite a
disappointment.
[Illustration: FIG. 264.]
[Illustration: RECORD SHEET FOR GROUP II.--KITE TOURNAMENT. FIG. 265.]
An information bureau is a good feature. Have a bulletin showing its
location. The judges as well as the children and parents would be glad
of some help of this kind. Official badges are given to the judges,
director, superintendents of schools, information and badges, and
helpers. The badges are given out to the officers at the information
bureau. A small stand at some prominent location in the field would
be of service for the giving of the prize badges to the winning
contestants. Each winner receives a slip, Fig. 264, from one of the
judges of his group, giving his name, school, the first or second prize
and event, the judge keeping a duplicate record on a mimeographed sheet
that is mounted on a piece of cardboard, Fig. 265. The pupil takes
the slip to the awarding stand and hands it to the judges. The judges
turn in their records, and the director fills out a small diploma of
recognition, Fig. 266, and sends it to the school from which the boy
has entered. It may be a girl; we have had a number of winners among
the girls. These slips and record sheets for the judges will be some of
the work for the director before the tournament. Each pupil who wins in
any event receives an appropriate badge, Fig. 267.
[Illustration: FIG. 266.]
[Illustration: Fig. 267.]
If it is convenient, it is always well to have two transits give the
actual heights of high flyers. Some simple ones might be made, but
there are often students who would like the opportunity to do some work
of the kind for practice. It is well to send out a printed list of the
winners to all the schools after the tournament. It might be written as
follows
25. Highest Flyer--Tandem.
First. Albert Johnson, 24 St. School.
Second. Victor Wagoner, Washington St. School.
In sending out notices before and after, request the principals to
place them in a conspicuous place for the boys to see. The principal’s
office is not a good place, for some will not go to the office to study
them, these boys may be just as interested but they don’t care to have
us know it. If the material is where the boys can see it easily they
sometimes get interested unawares to themselves. All plans should be
placed in an open place.