presents Rope Runners and

Transcription

1 presents Rope Runners and Rope Runner Races New for 2019

2 By definition, the function of a race it to determine which Rope Runner is fastest. That admitted, it is our opinion that a very exciting and enjoyable event may be held without obsessing too much on the details of the race itself. Rope Runners are all so different and creative, and they are so entertaining simply in their appearance and the wacky way they roll down the rope, we think the girls are satisfied with the simplest of racing formats, without a lot of emphasis on the competitive aspect. We prefer to place the emphasis on the joy of participating in a group activity, modeling how to have fun even if you don t win, and the learning girls will gain as they experiment with what will make their runner balance or move faster and as they use their imagination to put their personal touch on their runner. What is a Rope Runner? The Rope Runner is a wooden figure which rolls down a rope on a single wheel, using weights to balance. It is based on a traditional toy concept. The Rope Runner is simple in design and easy to assemble. But, seeing it in motion is really quite amazing! They are art, they re science, and most of all, they re incredibly fun to make and race. How to Order: Rope Runners can be purchased online at Each Rope Runner is just $6.95. There is also a shipping charge. Ordering larger amounts of kits can help keep the shipping cost down. The kit includes all the basic parts to make a Rope Runner. You supply whatever decorative materials you wish to make your Rope Runner a unique creation. To race all you need is rope. Indoors or out, the Rope Runner Races will be a blast! Assembly Required! The kits may be assembled and raced on the same day, if you take a break to allow paint and glue to dry. If the kits are taken home for assembly, it is a great chance for parents to get involved. But the design of the Rope Runner is simple enough that even younger girls can make a wonderful Rope Runner, and win Races, too! No special tools or experience necessary.

3 Creativity Counts: It does not require any unusual or expensive materials to decorate the Rope Runner, just a little glue and common household items like toothpicks, beads, pompoms, Styrofoam, fun foam, chenille wires, poster paint, bottle caps, ping pong balls, and scraps of fabric. The range of creative expression displayed by the Rope Runners in the average Derby is incredible, no two are alike. Some may be animals, some may be people, and some are abstract. But all of them are delightful. Ready! Set! Go! The races are easy and inexpensive to set up. Basically all you need is some 3/16 nylon rope and a place to tie it so it slants downhill, and so kids can reach it. There are no hard and fast rules about setting up the races since each site is different. You can set up your rope on a hillside, on the beach or at a park. You could use a gym, a mall, an auditorium, almost anyplace is a great place for a Rope Runner Race! SETTING UP RACES The Track: Indoors or out you will need feet of rope, clothes pins, and spray lubricant. The rope should be 3/16 inch nylon rope. Race length should be 20 ft. and should have a 2 ½ drop for every 10 feet of rope.* A 20 ft. race length should have a 5 foot drop. You will probably want at least three ropes, two for racing and one for practicing. If you can t have that many ropes you can still have the race with only one line timing each participant. 3/16 nylon rope *So if the finish line is one foot off the ground, the starting line should be 6 feet off the ground.

4 Track Set-Up Examples: Rope Runner Track set up at Choose Your Adventure. The starting line is set up on a platform tent. A Finish Line set up photo taken from internet.

5 Tips for Setting Up Your Track/Race: Measure your line: Measure 20 feet of rope, leaving enough rope at each end to tie it to the supports. Mark your line: You will need to mark the starting and finishing lines on your rope. You could use colored tape, yarn or even paint. Just ensure whatever you use to mark it stays in place. Hang your line: o STARTING LINE: Ensure that girls will be able to stand behind or to one side of your line and hold on to their Rope Runner to release it. (So you can t have the starting line 6-feet off the ground if there is nothing for girls to stand on. This is where a stage comes in handy or, if at camp, a platform tent can be used.) o FINISH LINE: Ensure the finish mark is off the ground enough that the rope runner will not hit the ground at the end of the race. Race Volunteers: You will need the following volunteers o MAIN JUDGE (ADULT): Located at the start ensure girls have their rope runner on the starting mark, tell them when to release their runner On you mark, get set, go and watches for the Line Judges to call the winner. o LINE JUDGES (ADULTS): Located at the finish line mark and raise their hand when their runner crosses the finish line. o CATCHERS (ADULTS OR OLDER GIRLS): Located at the end of the line to stop the runner from colliding with the support. On the sidelines: o Place to store rope runners could be tables to lay them on or ropes to balance them on but be sure to rope the area off so no unintentional damage happens. o Practice line o Repair area and supplies for last minute repairs Technical Difficulties: If a Rope Runner won t balance or won t run Don t worry! The Runner has probably become unbalanced due to an abundance of decoration. A clothes pin may be clipped at different heights along the dowels until the Rope Runner balances again. (This experimenting can be very instructive too!) If the wheel is sticking, an adult can spray a little lubricant on the wheel bearing until it runs smoothly. Tips: Girls will want to experiment with the best release method. RopeRunners.com suggest holding the Rope Runner by the axle, as shown here. However, others find holding the Rope Runner by the legs or at the top works well. Where and how they hold the runner will depend in part on how it s decorated!

6 Race Format Let the size of your group and the time you have at your disposal determine how complicated to make your race. We have described below the GSNI regional and final format but you can check out RopeRunners.com for other race formats. It is recommended to keep the races moving quickly, so that those who have been eliminated do not become bored. Other activities can be offered to those not racing at any given time. It is important to be very clear about the rules before you begin, and make sure everyone understands them. Remember, each service unit will be advancing their First and Second place winners from each level to GSNI s regional race. If you are expecting a large number of racers, you might set up multiple race tracks and have different age levels competing at the same time, just on different tracks. GSNI Race Format At the regionals and finals, GSNI will use a single elimination format. Participants will line up in pairs, which race against each other. Races will be held by level so Girl Scout Daisies race other Girl Scout Daisies, Girl Scout Brownies race other Girl Scout Brownies, and so forth. The slower racer is eliminated and the faster racer goes back to the end of the line of pairs, making a new line. This process will be repeated until one racer is left. Second and third place will go to those who stayed in until second and third from the end. A second course will be set up and once girls are eliminated, they may use that course to race others, just for the fun of racing, or they may watch the races and cheer on their friends. Each racer will be allowed only one false start per race. False starts are only if the racer releasers their runner before the instruction to start are given. Runners derailing or falling off the track will be have lost the race.

7 GSNI and Rope Runners Now that you have learned about Rope Runners, we hope that you will want to be a part of this fun and exciting activity. Troops are encouraged to build, decorate and race their own Rope Runners. Service Units are encourage to hold a Service Unit event featuring Rope Runner Races. And There s More... Service Units winners move on to a GSNI Regional Race! Service Units that host races should include races for each Girl Scout Level. You may also hold an adult race if you wish. The First and Second place winner at each level, including adult, for each Service Unit will advance to the Regional Race. Service Units may determine their own prizes. Participation patches will be available for purchase at GSNI stores. Service units holding Rope Runner Races, should notify GSNI s Customer Care as soon as possible and no later than one month prior to the event. You may customercare@girlscoutsni.org or call Please provide the following information: o Name of Service Unit o Date of Rope Runner Race o Name and contact information for Service Unit Rope Runner Event Coordinator o Estimated number of girls to be served And don t forget to share Race information with all girls in your Service Unit girls in traditional troops as well as individually registered girls and girls in outreach programs. Please note only girls who have participated in a Service Unit Competition and won, may advance to Regionals. All Service Unit Races must be completed by March 31 and a completed Rope Runner Report Form must be submitted to customercare@girlscoutsni.org by April 1, (Form included at end of packet.) Regional Competitions First and second place winners at each level from Service Unit Competitions will be invited to a Regional Competition. Regional Competition dates/locations: Saturday, April 13 Camp McCormick 1:00 p.m. Sunday, April 14 Mary Ann Beebe Center 1:00 p.m. Sunday, April 28 Camp Dean 1:00 p.m. Saturday, May 4 Camp Far Horizons 1:00 p.m. The top three winners for each age level at the Regional Competition will receive certificates and advance to the FINALS at Over the Edge Saturday, June 1, at Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles. The first place winner in each program level at the Finals competition will receive ribbons and a base to display their Rope Runner.

8 Theme Competition: This year s council-wide theme will be ADVENTURE! Awards for BEST USE OF THEME should be given by program level, Girl Scout Daisies through Ambassador. Service Units may also add additional theme categories to their competition but additional categories will not compete at a council level. Each Service Unit will submit the program level winner for BEST USE OF THEME for competition at the council level one Daisy winner, one Brownie winner, etc. Submission will be by photo. Service Unit Rope Runner Event Coordinators will be ed a link to a Shutterfly account to which they will post the winners photos. All winning photos must be posted by March 31, At the council level, judges will select an overall winner for each of the program levels. Council theme winners will be invited to GSNI s Over the Edge Event at Pheasant Run Resort on June 1, where they will display their winning Rope Runner. Award ribbons and a base to display their Rope Runner will be presented.

9 Rope Runners and Science - from Center of Mass The Center of Mass of an object is the place where all parts balance each other. It is also called the Balancing Point. The Rope Runner balances because its Center of Mass lies at a point directly beneath the rope. Can you see how the wooden balls help to lower the Center of Mass? Gravity pulls the Rope Runner down toward that point, but the rope holds it up. It would take a lot to tip the Rope Runner over. Can you figure out what would do it? Answer: One way would be to add mass to one side of the Rope Runner. Then the center of mass would be off to one side, in which case the Rope Runner would lean over. If it leans far enough, it will fall! Another way is to add a lot of mass to the Rope Runner somewhere above the height of the rope. That would raise the Center of Mass to a point above the rope, and again it would fall. Gravity Gravity is a force that pulls objects together. Everything in the universe has gravity: the stars, the sun, the moon, our Earth, even you have gravity! Gravity is a Universal Force. In everyday life what we mostly notice is the Earth s gravity pulling us. But, we too, are pulling the Earth. The Earth s pull is much stronger than ours, though, because it has so much MASS. Objects with small mass do not pull very hard, which is why you don t see pencils clinging to your fingers, or your breakfast stuck to your plate. Gravity can reach over huge distances. The Earth and the sun are 93 million miles apart, but their combined gravitational force is strong enough to keep our planet from flying right out of the SOLAR SYSTEM. Even tiny Pluto, 3.6 billion miles from the sun, is held in its orbit because of the sun s gravitational field! Mass vs. Weight Mass is the amount of MATTER in an object. The amount of matter depends on how many ATOMS there are. These atoms can be squeezed tightly together, in something dense, like a rock. Or they can have big spaces between the atoms like in a piece of cotton. If you had pieces of rock and cotton that were the same size, the rock would have the greater mass. The amount of gravitational force pulling any two objects together depends on the amount of their MASS the greater their combined mass, the greater the attraction. Weight is similar, but not quite the same thing as mass. Weight is a measure of the pull of gravity on an object. The pull we usually think of is that of the Earth, since that is where we usually are standing. But on planets with different mass, you would have a different weight. And in outer space, far from any major gravitational pull, you would weigh virtually nothing! You can find additional Center of Mass experiments at

10 Rope Runner Report Form Completed form must be submitted to by April 1, Service Unit: Service Unit Rope Runner Event Coordinator: Phone: Regional Competitions will take place on: a. Saturday, April 13 Camp McCormick, Stillman Valley 1 p.m. b. Sunday, April 14 Mary Ann Beebe Center, Harvard 1 p.m. c. Sunday, April 28 Camp Dean, Big Rock 1 p.m. d. Saturday, May 4 Camp Far Horizons, Hanover 1 p.m. For each service unit winner, please include their first and second choice of regional competitions. We will try to accommodate everyone s choice; however, we want the regional competitions to include enough people to be fun and fair. Service Unit winners do not have to compete in the same regional competition. GIRL SCOUT DAISIES First Place Winner: Phone: Second Place Winner: GIRL SCOUT BROWNIES First Place Winner:

11 GIRL SCOUT BROWNIES, Continued Second Place Winner: GIRL SCOUT JUNIORS First Place Winner: Second Place Winner: GIRL SCOUT CADETTES First Place Winner: Second Place Winner:

12 GIRL SCOUT SENIORS First Place Winner: Second Place Winner: GIRL SCOUT AMBASSADORS First Place Winner: Second Place Winner:

13 Girl Scout Badges & Rope Runners: What goes together Level Badge Steps Description Daisy Daisy Honest & Fair Petal Mechanical Engineering Step 3. Practice being Honest & Fair All Brownie Fair Play Steps 1&4 Brownie Junior Cadette Cadette Cadette All Mechanical Engineering Junior Aide LIA (Leader in Action) Program Aide Field Day Think like an Engineer All Plan an event with Brownie/Daisies Assist with Brownie Journey (think like an engineer) Help Complete some of her 6 activity sessions. 3. Play a Scientific Game Introduction of Design Cycle Talk about a race and how there is a winner & loser. Talk about how to be a good sport & not to cheat. Substitute the roller coaster with the Rope Runner. Integrate the key concepts like potential energy, kinetic energy, friction. Use the engineering design cycle and fix failures. Learn how to be a good sport by following the rules and what to do when your team or self don t win. Substitute race car with the Rope Runner. Integrate the key concepts like potential energy, kinetic energy, friction. Use the engineering design cycle and fix failures. Work with a troop to plan their Rope Runners assembly, design, test day. Assist for 3 meetings or equivalent. Plan and talk about the science with a Brownie Troop to plan their Rope Runners assembly, design, test day. Talk about the design cycle. Assist for 3 meetings or equivalent. Have them reflect on what they learned. Work directly with younger girls over six activity sessions. This might be assisting girls on Journey activities (in addition to work she did toward her LiA award), badge activities, or general Girl Scout activities. She might work with a group at their meeting, day camps, or during a special council event. Rope Runners are all about science. Get involved in planning the event or help a younger troop get theirs to work. Use Rope Runner to demonstrate the steps of the design cycle. See next slide.

14 Example with Rope Runners & Engineering Design Cycle Show Redesign Test Identify Engineering Design Cycle Design Brainstorm Choose parts get down the rope the fastest? you remove? Will painting it help? How about there a best way to release it? other requirements like most creative, portray the theme? Is a redesign needed 1. Identify your Problem: How does your kit of 2. Brainstorm what can you add, what can the bearing? 3. Choose a solution you like. 4. Design make the Rope Runner 5. Test- Create a test station. Does it fall off? Is 6. Show- Talk about what you discovered with others. 7. Redesign Will this Rope Runner meet the to fix flaws or improve? 8. Identify which problems you want to fix. 9. Brainstorm how to fix flaws or problems.