Yeah, that's not the kind of feelings I was thinking of.And the women's underwear section.
Not that I ever looked at it, of course, never, no... but I knew others that did... but not me, no way...
Yeah, that's not the kind of feelings I was thinking of.And the women's underwear section.
Not that I ever looked at it, of course, never, no... but I knew others that did... but not me, no way...
And the women's underwear section.
Not that I ever looked at it, of course, never, no... but I knew others that did... but not me, no way...
Well, you’re wrong. Catalogs are one way that kids get interested.
I've not heard of it, but was it more of a 'zine than a catalog?I got pretty excited for the Tooth and Nail Records catalogs when was about 13-18. After that the internet made them irrelevant for new record releases.
insidious, ain't it?How did we get from rocket catalogs to Victoria Secret?
I've not heard of it, but was it more of a 'zine than a catalog?
I disagree. Estes in particular is hyper-focused on schools and first time buyers. I do buy your major premise however, that we need to get more young people interested. And I don't really have an answer, but I think I know the roadblocks. Allow me to practice some amateur psychology:
When I was young (in the 60's and 70's), the mass of model rocket flyers was between the ages of 10-14 and we did NOT see them as TOYS, but as a hobby, something we would stick with, try new things, etc, at least for a few months. Attrition was pretty much because of girls (because we were almost always boys) and cars.
The "only boys" part of the problem seemed to be somewhat solved in the 2000's but the past five years I'm seeing fewer girls at our events. maybe that's just a local anomaly.
Now, the initial market for rockets seems to be parents buying rocket sets for their 4-6 year olds. These kids are developmentally capable only of seeing these products as toys, and when they lose interest they will compartmentalize their experience as "playing with toys." Note: I realize there is a tiny sub-set of these kids whose parents are themselves involved with rockets as a hobby and those kids will see things differently.
A little later, we introduce kids through Scouting, but this is as a checkmark activity to a badge. not as a hobby.
Thanks to TARC, there is now another intro to the hobby at around 14, but it is introduced primarily as a team project as a means to a specific goal, not as an ongoing hobby.
In our clubs now, we're mostly adults and many of us feel that *our* hobby is high power and we give short shrift to model rockets. How many of our adult flyers have even flown a model rocket (other than to fix something up for one of their kids) in the past couple of years? How many adult flyers have you met who react dismissively towards model rockets, or that they're only toys for kids? So what happens? The kids that do show up to fly rockets are partronized, or at worst, ignored.
For the past thirty years I've heard one major excuse about the missing 10-14 segment: they've got more sophisticated activities such as video games and computers, and organized sports. I mentioned TARC earlier; this program has been successful, for teams. For individuals 10-14, a similar initiative could be useful. NAR's NARTREK and NRC could be that, but clubs need to get behind it and put a little work into it, and maybe some add some proverbial "carrots on sticks." Prizes for NARTREK achievements and local NRC prizes. Maybe some prizes could be coordinated and sponsored nationally. An ideal place for Estes and Quest to assist.
That's my thoughts for now. Talk amongst yourselves...
Rocketry, or any other "building" hobby, requires work, dedication, and concentration . . . That is outside the "sphere of experience" for most children and teenagers, nowadays !
Dave F.
....and also for no small number of adults, too.
True, but did you ever see how many special market catalogs Sears once had.I was looking through a new Estes catalog yesterday and it brought back feelings as a child that I don’t remember having with the Sears catalog. Maybe it’s because the rocket catalog offered explosives in it, and the only thing the Sears catalog had of interest was an Atari 2600.
I was looking through a new Estes catalog yesterday and it brought back feelings as a child that I don’t remember having with the Sears catalog. Maybe it’s because the rocket catalog offered explosives in it, and the only thing the Sears catalog had of interest was an Atari 2600.
I know. I would sit on my bed browsing through the catalog as a holiday ritual. Didn't have the same excitement as going through the Estes catalog where I could build rockets and put explosives in them.The "Sears Catalogs" were okay, but the "Sears Christmas Catalog" ( aka - the "Wish Book" ) was "Magic", as a kid !
https://www.wishbookweb.com/FB/1968_Sears_Wishbook/index.html#2
Dave F.
View attachment 440243
I know. I would sit on my bed browsing through the catalog as a holiday ritual. Didn't have the same excitement as going through the Estes catalog where I could build rockets and put explosives in them.
I can still remember the smell of The pages as you leafed thru themThe "Sears Catalogs" were okay, but the "Sears Christmas Catalog" ( aka - the "Wish Book" ) was "Magic", as a kid !
https://www.wishbookweb.com/FB/1968_Sears_Wishbook/index.html#2
Dave F.
View attachment 440243
The Estes launch controller that came with the kit failed so we made do with a 9V battery.
@Howitzer, Just wanted to say hello and it's nice to meet another guy here who's also in his 30's. My thoughts on our generation are pretty similar, though I don't want to knock video games too much since I like them too, but there's no real accomplishment without effort, and video games are designed to be beatable by the average joe without leaving his couch, while rocketry and other hobbies require real-world effort to do well in. Too many people these days seem to balk at the idea of putting effort into something.
Also a BAR that I fell back into as a distraction from the pandemic and the election.Hey guys, new member here. I made an account just to throw my .02 in.
I'm 31 and I rediscovered model rocketry in August of this year. I was at HL with the lady and saw the Alpha 3 starter kit I had as a kid and bought it, little did I know how deep I would get within 4 months time. In that short 4 months I went from that cheap nostalgic Alpha 3 to joining a club (MARS Section 136), joing NAR, and getting Level 1 certified with a 4" LOC Patriot with an H100W in early November. Having a longtime interest in space travel, military history, and an engineering background really contributed to my rapid growth in the hobby.
I will address my personal experiences here from the last 4ish months.
1. Launch Areas: I am very lucky in this respect, I have a local town park that has acres of mowed grass with very little trees (large soccer/baseball/football/rugby fields) and a local PD that is pretty lax, I have launched F's with no issues. I also have the club which is full of great people as is only an hour away. Once a month I get to launch everything I own.
2. Catalogs (I dont get the issue here, get it?): Its 2020 and my generation and every generation after me grew up with the whole wealth of human knowledge at our fingertips. I remember the catalogs and oohhing and ahhhing over them. Frankly its nostalgia speaking. I have access to so much more and can access it way faster, look up reviews, build videos, all kinds of neat stuff. I throw away any estes catalog I get. They way inventories change and internet sales work, catalogs get outdated quickly and its a waste of money to print them.
3. Interest: Its there 100%. Every month since I have been attending MARS launches at least 1 person gets their level 1 done, when I did mine 3 others were getting theirs as well and all of them were around my age or younger. I tell people that the best thing about this hobby is that there are so many things to get into, I honestly cant get enough and want to try it all.
4. Expense: This is where people my age scoff. The amount of money it costs versus the amount of time you can enjoy it is not very good. Between the cost of the kit, epoxy, paint, retainer, motor, etc, launching 1 HPR can be in excess of $300 for minutes of enjoyment. Personally I love building them and to me that justifies the cost, but many of my friends want instant gratification. I would say above all else that is the biggest thing that keeps people out of the hobby. Even launching BP Estes rockets can get expensive when anything under a D12 bores you. Its really the same for any other hobby, except here you add in math, physics, and problem solving. Guess what doesn't have any of that? Yep, video games.
There is also this reluctance to do something that seems nerdy, and if you cant show off your rockets or flights on social media and get tons of likes whats the point of doing it? Sad, but thats the mindset out there of many of my peers.
Anyways, thanks for reading. If any of you want to pick the brain of a young B.A.R. just ask away.
Join us on the 29th.Another new member here but I'll be here for life!
This has been a great read. Everyone has valid reasons here for their opinions both positive and negative. My story is the same as many of yours. I'm 48 and haven't flown rockets since the 80's when cars and girls took over.
Fast forward to 2020 at my girlfriends sons birthday party, she got him an Alpha starter kit. Damn thing sat for months. And I would occasionally hear when are you guys going to "do the rocket"? Well there was always some excuse mainly time and other pressing issues. This year, we had a covid recommended isolated New Years Party and she plopped out the kit and said you're doing it. Well ok then. I opened the box, made room, and even before everything was spread out for assembly the crazy feelings just took over. Just sat there for a bit and I was 12 again. "Are you ok"? Yep, wiped the tear away before she could see and we got to work. It didn't matter the thing had plastic fins. The engine mount was the same as it ever was. 2021 was approaching quick and she and the boy were eagerly wanting to see it fly at midnight. "Um honey you don't understand, this can't fly in the cul-de-sac." "Why not"? She just didn't get that there wasn't enough room... The next morning I discovered that somehow, the recovery wadding was tossed in the trash during the festivities, and being New Years Day no chance of a hobby store run. She didn't understand its necessity and just thought I was over it and making more excuses. Little did she know the mission was only delayed. Found a video on YouTube... A little baking soda and paper towels and a couple hours we were in business. Loaded everybody up and headed to the Jr. High. Yep, it was probably not a legal launch, I didn't care, it was going to fly that day. We walked to the middle of the field, which she thought was ridiculous and set up the pad. It is kind of a cheesy flimsy thing but so much cooler than a coffee lid, chunk of 4x4, and welding rod... No wind- perfect. B engine for the first flight. It still landed on the school roof! I've finished another Big Bertha 36 years after the first and a Bullpup D. I already have a list.... I've been sucked in for sure.
So, how do we keep this hobby going? We keep being parents, scout leaders, and teachers. My girlfriend on her own found a starter kit. How she did that I'll never know. But find it she did. And she has no idea how much that means to me. The boy is going to be old enough to build his own rockets soon. Whether he does or not is up to him. But he's going with me on every launch. One day when he's got his own family like the rest of us, a rocket will fall from the heavens into his lap and the cycle will continue..........
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