THE SUNDANCER BLOG!

Thanksgiving!

2011-11-17T18:49:00.003-06:00

Since Thanksgiving is right around the corner, our team would like to take the time to thank everybody who has supported us throughout the years! We can never express how much your continued dedication means to our team. We would also like to thank our team sponsors Keith Reese, Donna Turman, and Anita Ellison for giving us the opportunity to participate in something this special!!

Our YouTube Page!

2011-09-08T14:02:00.003-05:00

Click here to see our channel main page, where we will be adding videos throughout the year and at the race!

2011-09-07T21:40:00.009-05:00

Our team making sure our car's arrays were nice and shiny!

Mrs. James giving a little background information on our team!

Before our guests had to leave, we wanted a team picture with them!

Dustin Pounds answering questions about Sundancer!

After showing our presentation and doing a little visiting, our guests loaded back on the bus to Tupelo!

Thursday, September 1, we had visitors from Calvary Baptist Church in Tupelo, Ms! When they arrived our team took the chance to meet with them and show off our cars. We showed powerpoint with pictures from this summer's race and also a few of us building the cars! After the powerpoint, we individually introduced ourselves and described our roles on the team! We would like to thank the church for their interest in us, and we had a blast with yall!

Closing Banquet!

2011-07-28T18:37:00.014-05:00

Our team throwing our hats in the air in celebration of finishing the race!!

The guys posing with Dr. Marks after receiving their trophy for Day Four!

The Houston Lady Racers receiving their trophy!

The guys showing off their prize!

Our team posing with both of the trophies!

Thomas Brown and Jay Alford celebrating after the banquet!

2011-07-24T21:07:00.003-05:00

During the Closing Banquet, different awards are given to teams or individual members on a team. Our team was awarded the Texas State Energy Conservation Award which is given to the team displaying the highest level of engineering! Team Advisor BB Turman was also given the Sandt Award for showing the true spirit of solar car when he helped Minnesota repair the welding on their car!

Thank You!!

2011-07-21T12:57:00.001-05:00

We would like to thank all of our sponsors for everything they've done to help us become successful. We know we wouldn't have gotten to this level without everyone's support.

We are fortunate to bring home several 1st place trophies again this year. The Lady Racers placed 1st in two of the daily races as well as 1st overall in our division. Sundancer I placed 1st each day and 1st in their division.

We are en route to Houston, but are stopping now at Cracker Barrel in Tyler, TX. Our team is already busy making plans for next year's cross country race to Los Angeles.

Final Day!!

2011-07-21T09:21:00.008-05:00

Jacob Bridgeman taking a power nap before starting the day!

The guys posing with Dr. Marks and their first place trophy!

The guys bringing Sundancer out to charge!

Whitney George and Sydney Harrell pulling Sundancer II, which is being driven by Hillary Colbert, to the starting line!

Sundancer at the starting line ready to start racing!

Sundancer II taking its first lap of the last day!

Today is the fourth and final day of our solar car adventure here in Dallas! Our guys placed first in their division yesterday, but unfortunately the girls placed second for Day Three . Both of the cars are still in first for the entire race with Sundancer having 317 total laps and Sundancer II having 273! The winners of the overall race will be announced to night at the closing banquet and we will be sure to let everyone know the outcome as soon as we find out!

Lunch Time!

2011-07-20T13:52:00.009-05:00

Catherine Marsh, Luara Brandon Parker, and Whitney George securing a few loose wires on our array while Sundancer II charges!

On a hot day the best way to cool down is eating ice cream, so we would like to thank the staff for the ice cream and popsicles they have been providing to all of the teams!!

Mr. Reese making sure Jay can't get any more hat penalties!

Jay posing with Dr. Marks after we "secured" his hat!

Every day at noon, teams competing in the Classic Division must take a two hour break. During this time we set the car up to charge, make sure everything is working properly, and take a little time to cool off and eat lunch. We were having a typical break today until Jay Alford got a one lap hat penalty, so know he is walking around with his hat taped to his head and a sign saying "I Jay, got a hat penalty"!

Day Three!!

2011-07-20T09:15:00.015-05:00

Last night while the girls weren't looking, the guys thought it would be funny to make a few modifications to the car including duct taping their initials on the front!

The girls raising Sundancer II'S array so it can charge up!

Hunter Powell, Trey Franklin, and Tyler Wilson accepting their trophy!

Suzy Reese and Sydney Harrell receiving the first place trophy for the Classic Division!!

The guys getting Sundancer ready to get on the track!

The Houston Lady Racers taking Sundancer II to the starting line!

Tyler Wilson wishing Nolen Hood good luck!

Sundancer and Sundancer II were both awarded with first place trophies for Day Two this morning at the Driver's Meeting!! The guys have completed 188 laps and the girls have a total of 167! We will make sure to keep you posted throughout the day!

2011-07-19T14:12:00.009-05:00

Trey Franklin zooming around the Texas Motor Speedway!!

Jay Alford and Mr. Reese helping the Liberty Christian team fix their car so they can continue racing!

Sundancer II getting back on the track after a mandatory two hour lunch break!

Our Mission Control center!

Despite Sundancer's breakdown earlier, our team is still going strong! We have clear skies and both cars are running fine! Sundancer II just resumed racing after taking a mandatory two hour lunch break and will hopefully be running till the end of the day. As soon as the day ends, all team will participate in a parade in Roanoke, which is located a few miles from the Texas Motor Speedway!

Day Two!

2011-07-19T10:40:00.025-05:00

Adam Chandler lifting Sundancer's array while Jacob Bridgeman secures it with the array prop.

Tyler Wilson and Cory Clark airing up the tires before the Drivers' Meeting starts.

Nick Callahan triying to catch a few more minutes of sleep before heading out to the track.

The guys posing with their judge for the day, Guntis.

Dr. Marks starting the Drivers' Meeting by doing team roll call.

The guys' first place trophy for Day One.

The girls posing with their first place trophy!

Jay Alford pulling out of Pit Row!

Sydney Harrell driving in her first race!

This morning at the daily Drivers' Meeting, Houston was awarded with two first place trophies for Sundancer and Sundancer II!! We had a slight breakdown with Sundancer but we have it back on the track and racing again! We'll be sure to keep everyone posted throughout the day!

End of the Day!

2011-07-18T19:38:00.007-05:00

Our team showing their "skills" by converting an equipment table to the dinner table!

Adam Chandler and Hunter Powell angling the array so Sundancer can get the most sun!

Sundancer II posing under the Texas Motor Speedway Sign!

Hunter Powell raising the car to help angle it towards the sun!

After three hours of racing, our car is off the track and charging for tomorrow! Both Sundancer and Sundancer II are unofficially in first place in their divisions, and we will find out who officially won the first day in the morning!

Race Time!!

2011-07-18T15:01:00.006-05:00

Nick Callahan and Dustin Pounds going over strategies with BB Turman while Adam Chandler checks the tires!

Sundancer and Sundancer II lining up to start the race!

The guys adding a few last minute touches to Sundancer before putting it on the track!

Sundancer leaving Pit Row about to start its first lap of the race!!

Sundancer and Sundancer II have both started racing and are still going strong despite the cloudy skies!! We will only be racing for three hours today, but we'll race from eight to five for the rest of the week! Our team is so excited to have finally started the race and hope all of our hard work and training will pay off!

Getting Ready to Start the Day!!

2011-07-18T08:51:00.015-05:00

After we arrived at the speedway, the team started unloading the trailer and setting up our work area!

Communications manager, Trey Franklin, getting our battery box in order for the race.

Daniel Worthey and Jay Alford showing off their handy man skills and building a table for some of the tools!

The guys arranging some of their equipment on our newly built table!

At two o'clock this afternoon our team will finally start racing!! We will spend the first half of the day finishing scrutineering and then Sundancer and Sundancer II will hit the track. Our cars have already made the move from the hotel to the Speedway, and we have spent the first part of the morning setting up our work areas in the garage. We will keep everyone posted on the progress of the race and will be updating the blog several times a day.

Scrutineering and Opening Banquet!

2011-07-17T23:13:00.016-05:00

Laura Brandon Parker qualifying to drive!

The guys at Station One: General Scrutineering which is where the judges make sure the teams build their cars according to the rules!

The guys lifting Sundancer during the Tilt and Turn test to prove the car can withstand forces put on it!

The Houston Lady Racers proving that not only the guys can lift a solar car!

Hillary Colbert preparing to start the Breaking Test!

The guys completing the Slalom Course which determines if you can drive in the race!

The girls starting the Electrical Station!

I think the guys thought we were tailgating instead of going through scrutineering!

This morning, our team woke up bright and early to make sure our cars were ready to start the first day of scrutinnering! (a series of tests our cars must pass before being able to compete) Sundancer and Sundancer II have passed all of the stations for today and will only have to complete two tomorrow morning. We will also start racing tomorrow afternoon!! After scrutineering ended, all of the teams gathered for the Opening Banquet to celebrate the start of the race and to help the teams get to know each other! We would again like to thank everyone who got us to this point, without your support we would have never made it this far!!

Check In!

2011-07-16T23:02:00.009-05:00

The Houston Lady Racers making sure that everything is in our Tape and Array box!

The guys organizing their toolboxes and loading them onto the trailer to be taken to the speedway!

Catherine Marsh taping the Pit Crew list to our Pit Crew toolbox!

Dr. Marks leading the Driver's Meeting which is where the judges and other staff welcome the teams and go over the various rules at the track!

Our team posing with Mike Gill and his wife!

Even though Mr. Reese was the one who got pied in the face, it seems like Jay Alford was the unlucky one!

This afternoon, our team officially checked in to the race and attended the drivers meeting! After the meeting we organized our tools and other things we will need at the speedway in preparation for scrutineering which will start tomorrow. When we were through, our team went to dinner with Mrs. Gill's son Mike Gill and his wife, who we would like to thank for buying every one's meal!! We are getting even more excited about starting the race and promise to do the best we can!

Six Flags!

2011-07-16T13:09:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, July 15 our team took a trip to Six Flags in Arlington, Texas! We enjoyed taking a break from working but unfortunately we couldn't take a break from the Texas sun! While at the park, the Dallas Cowboy's Cheerleaders made an appearance during one of the shows (which was greatly enjoyed by all the guys on our team!)

Finally in Dallas!!

2011-07-15T09:01:00.021-05:00

The moral of this story is never fall asleep around Sydney if you have a doughnut in your hand, you WILL lose the doughnut!!

Dustin Pounds doing his "tough" pose for the camera!

While at the race, we always follow the time honored tradition of dumping ice water on unsuspecting new members who think they are just taking a team picture!!

Nick Callahan and Adam Chandler airing up the spare tires!

Hillary Colbert checking the welds on Sundancer II to make sure they didn't break on the journey!

Dustin Pounds, Tyler Wilson, and Jacob Bridgeman bringing Sundancer back to the tents after it morning run!

The guys staking our their territory and setting up their work area!

Nick Callahan, Clay McNutt, and Adam Chandler airing up Sundancer's tires

The girls unloading Sundancer II!

Trey Franklin checking off an item on the to do list

The girls getting Sundancer II picture ready!

After a little bus trouble and an eleven hour drive, the Houston Solar Race team has finally made it to Dallas,Texas!! Scrutineering will start Sunday, so our team rose bright and early to make sure Sundancer and Sundancer II are still working properly after their trip. Although we work the majority of the time in Dallas, we also take a little time off to play. Our team is going to visit the famous Stockyard District this afternoon and later tonight we are going to Six Flags! We can't wait to start racing and would like to thank all of the parents and everyone who helped get us here and for always believing in us!! Sorry we don't have any new pictures posted, we are having slight difficulties with the Internet but we will have them on here as soon as possible!

Getting Ready for Texas!

2011-07-03T15:56:00.006-05:00

Hunter Powell putting a radio in the car so the driver can communicate with the rest of the team

Sundancer taking a drive through downtown Houston!

Sundancer starting its training run!

With the race only a couple of weeks away, we have been testing both Sundancer and Sundancer II to make sure they are ready to compete! We have mainly been training in Houston getting our new members ready for their first race. Our team can't wait to go to Texas, even though a few of us aren't excited about the ten hour bus drive there!!

2011-05-21T11:04:00.004-05:00

Catherine Marsh

Suzy Reese

Dustin Pounds

Students taking a vocational class must take the C-Pass test, a standardized state test given during the students' second year of the course. Solar Car members Catherine Marsh, Suzy Reese, and Dustin Pounds made the top three scores on the Electricity test with all three scoring advanced! On May 19, they were recognized for their achievements and presented a metal on Awards Night!

2011-04-25T14:00:00.024-05:00

Melinda and Laura Brandon Parker starting to set up

Mark Wilson testing out his game where the person had to keep a kite attached to his hat in flight for a minute!

Corey Clark setting up his game.

Mr. Robin Mathis came over to visit our team!

Thomas Brown taking a break from his game to goof off a while!

Team Captain Hunter Powell's little sister Holly Powell tried out a few of the games!

This was a game where you had to hold a Popsicle stick in your mouth and stack six dice on it and be able to hold it for thirty seconds!

We had an assortment of prizes including silly bands,Easter eggs, and candy!

Nick's Callahan little brother Lane Callahan trying to knock Coke cans off of the pedestals with a yoyo tied behind his back!

Mrs. Turman's Grandson Grey trying to get all of the balls out of the box within sixty seconds!

This little girl was trying to put the cereal box cover together!

Mark Wilson stayed out of the sun with his covered chair!

Cade Ellison enjoying the day's games!!

Team member Karmen Spratlin's younger brother Connor testing out his skills!

Karmen Spratlin working her game!

Team Sponsor Donna Turman's granddaughter Jordan Belle
tried a creative approach to the game!

Our team set up a fundraiser at the Flywheel Festival based on the popular show Minute to Win It! Games were set up ranging from simple to almost impossibly difficult and challenged everybody to try to beat them! We appreciate everyone that came out and also enjoyed watching everyone trying to beat the games!

Minute to Win It!!

2011-03-30T19:15:00.003-05:00

Our team will be at the Flywheel Festival hosting our version of Minute to Win It as a fundraiser for our team!! Each game will cost one dollar, but if you purchase twenty-five games it will only cost twenty dollars!! Tickets are on sale now so don't miss out!!

2011-03-29T14:35:00.002-05:00

The 2011 Houston Lady Racers!!

Green Festival!

2011-03-22T21:11:00.014-05:00

Our newest member Laura Brandon Parker, Hunter Powell, and Mr. Reese getting Sundancer II shined up and ready to be shown off!

To teach about Mississippi wildlife, one of the booths brought a live baby alligator!! By the way it's looking at the owl, I think it was ready for some lunch!

We were lucky enough to get some of the Girl Scouts to pose with our race trailer and Sundancer II!!

The best gift ever!!

Our team posing with Smokey the Bear!

This little boy was so cute we had to get a picture of him in our car!

Loading Sundancer II after a great day filled with Girl Scouts and their amazing cookies!!

Saturday, March 19, our team was invited to take part in the Green Festival at Ballard Park! This event was hosted by the Girl Scouts to raise awareness about saving our planet!! Several organizations attended and we are super appreciative to have been included!!

Spring Break!!

2011-03-16T20:05:00.005-05:00

Whitney Goerge and Hillary Colbert working on our new car!!

Hillary Colbert pretending to drive the new Sundancer II!

We are already half way through our much needed Spring Break and even though everybody is catching spring fever, it hasn't slowed our team down too much. We have started working on the all new girls car and hope to have it finished in the near future! We can't wait for the race and are counting down the days!!

2011-03-02T14:03:00.003-06:00

It is hard to believe that the race is only FOUR months away!! Our team has been busy filling out registration forms and working on drawings of the cars! We are already excited about starting the race and hope to have another successful year!

Back Home!!

2011-02-03T14:49:00.003-06:00

Our team enjoyed our brief vacation to Dallas for the solar car workshop!! Mr. Reese taught a presentation on different parts for your solar car along with Mark Westlake from St. Paul Minnesota and Lee Cabe from New York! We spent our day in the workshop, but of course when "solar car school" was over our team made a bee line to the Galleria Mall!

Texas Bound!!

2011-01-14T13:42:00.005-06:00

January 28-31 our team will make a special trip to Dallas to participate in a workshop for solar racers!! Mr. Reese will also be teaching a class during the event! We have just bought our plane tickets and reserved the rooms. Our team can't wait to go and we are super excited to learn as much as we can about the race this summer!!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T18:15:00.003-06:00

Our temporary "Winter Wonderland"!!

Even our oldest team member Big Red got to experience the White Christmas!

Thomas Brown taking the rare opportunity to go snow riding!

Our team would like to wish everybody a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!! For the first time in a long time our team woke up to snow falling and actually sticking to the ground!! Even though the snow melted after a few hours, we enjoyed having our first White Christmas! Once again Merry Christmas to everyone and thank you for your continued support!!

2010-12-21T11:46:00.002-06:00

We would like to congratulate Brandie Watson on being the lucky winner of the X-Box Kinect!! We hope you enjoy your new gift just in time for Christmas!

Merry Christmas ET!!

2010-12-14T12:53:00.006-06:00

Nick Callahan and Karmen Spratlin wrapping the gifts!

Catherine Marsh and Whitney George getting the presents

ready to bring to ET!!

ET ripping open their presents!

This week our team decided to be little Santas and deliver gifts to ET to let them know how much we appreciate them! We also bought candy to go along with the gifts but Mr. Reese found our hiding spot and...well let's just say ET didn't receive any of their candy! Thank you Mrs. Ellison and Mrs. Turman for everything you do for us and the team! Merry Christmas!!

Free X-Box 360 Kinect!!

2010-12-09T20:06:00.002-06:00

Our team is selling chances on an X-Box 360 Kinect for one dollar each or six chances for five dollars. All of the money we raise will go toward funding our trip to the World Solar Challenge in Australia next fall and also for the Hunt-Winston Solar Challenge next summer! The drawing will be held on December 17th, so find your nearest solar car member and test your luck!!

Happy Holidays!!

2010-11-26T11:18:00.004-06:00

With Christmas right around the corner, our team has been extremely busy getting ready for the holiday season! We are almost through making posters for parades and have started discussing how we will decorate Sundancer and Sundancer II! We hope everybody has a great Christmas, and we also hope everybody had a great Thanksgiving!!

Fall Festival!

2010-11-03T16:23:00.009-05:00

Jay Alford and Adam Chandler recruiting a new member!

Members of the Orchard Church enjoying church services at Ballard Park before the Fall Festival!

The guys playing a game of Sunday afternoon football!

Hillary Colbert and Whitney George setting up our tents for the festival!

We even had Super Girl come see our cars!

Karmen Spratlin taking a nap after a long day of work!

Sunday, October 31 (aka Halloweeen!) our team brought the cars to Ballard Park to display during the Orchard Church's Fall Festival! The festival was complete with tons of people, endless games, and of course great food! We would like to thank the church for inviting us! We had a lot of fun and enjoyed attending church at the park!

2010-10-14T18:12:00.004-05:00

Suzy Reese and Hillary Colbert walking with Sundancer II with Catherine Marsh in the driver seat!
Sundancer cruising around the square!

Sundancer and Sundancer II parading around the square during the Houston's Homecoming Pep Rally!

This past week our school celebrated homecoming and hosted the annual town Homecoming Pep Rally! Our team was extremely honored to be a part of the parade that started off the pep rally and would like to thank everybody for the recognition!

2010-10-05T14:27:00.009-05:00

Jay Alford.....Well, we aren't exactly sure what he's doing!

Catherine Marsh, Sydney Harrell, and Hillary Colbert and Clay McNutt working on Sundancer II!

Jay Alford tapping into his inner monkey and swinging from the ceiling!!....I think Mrs. Ellison is mistaking him for a pinata!

Monday, October 5 our team met at the school with Clay McNutt! We showed him everything we have been working on since school started and got his advice on a few things. As you can see in the picture above, we managed to have a little fun in the midst of the seriousness!

Sundancer Goes to Jackson!

2010-10-04T13:53:00.017-05:00

Cory Clark showing the students a miniature solar car built by Mrs. Hill's sixth grade GT class!

The Houston Lady Racers had a line of girls wanting to sit in Sundancer II!

We had several students that came over to see our cars!

Hunter Powell, Daniel Worthey, and Jay Alford buckling a student up before letting him take Sundancer for a spin!

Our team talking to students from Jackson Preparatory!

Friday, October 1, our team went to Jackson to display our cars at the Ag Museum! Our team had tons of fun talking to everybody that came over to see our cars and explaining what our solar racing is like! We would like to thank everybody for providing the delicious McCallister's sandwiches and sweet tea!

New Members!!

2010-09-21T13:46:00.010-05:00

Carley Hood posing beside Sundancer!

Cory Clark enjoying a "delicious" school lunch!

Trey Franklin showing his Sundancer spirit by wearing his team shirt!

Daniel Worthey posing for the camera!

Our newest Houston Lady Racers member, Jacob Bridgman.....Just Kidding!!

Dustin Pounds posing with Sundancer!

We are only two months into the new school year and we have already added six new members to our team! They are already showing a great amount of potential and we can't wait to see what the are fully capable of!

The Fun Side of Solar Car!

2010-09-14T14:33:00.018-05:00

Sydney Harrell (Pusher) and Elise Mobley (Rider) having a little fun during Electricity!

Hillary Colbert showing off her "bouquet" of flowers after crossing the finish line!

On the first day of school Whitney George, Suzy Reese, and Thomas Brown talked to everybody about this summer's race!

Hillary Colbert and Elise Mobley trying to make Sundancer II a two-seater!

The girls doing our "Solar Car, Solar Car" dance at the finish line in Boulder, CO!

One of the most fun aspects of solar racing is talking to the people we meet on the race and on training runs!

Jay Michael being Jay Michael!

While making a rest stop at Texas Tech, the Houston Lady Racers made friends with the mascot!

Nolen Hood and Jay Michael showing off their double dutch skills while in Garden City, KS!

During the race, we made a stop on our way to Amorillo, TX, at the famous Cadillac Ranch!!

I think somebody forgot to use deodorant one morning!

Our team was recognized during the first football game for winning the Hunt-Winston Solar Challenge!

While many aspects of being on a solar racing team involves a lot of hard work, our team always seems to find spare time to have a little fun! Aside from goofing off during our free time, we also have tons of fun showing off our cars at events and meeting all of the people along the way!

Visit from Mrs. Hill's GT Class!

2010-09-09T14:16:00.004-05:00

Wednesday, September 8, Mrs. Hill's sixth grade GT class came during our electricity period and viewed Sundancer and II! Her class has recently constructed toy-sized replicas of solar cars, which has generated tons of interest in solar energy throughout her class! Our team had an awesome time talking to her class and teaching them all about our cars!

Meeting With the Steering Committee!

2010-09-02T13:55:00.005-05:00

Dr. Mobley speaking to the Steering Committee about possible fundraising ideas!

Our team recently met with the Steering Committee to discuss possible fundraising ideas for the 2011 World Solar Challenge in Australia! Dr. Mobley presented a slide show from this past years race, and we also introduced our new members Trey Franklin and Daniel Worthey to the committee! Team Sponsors Anita Ellison and Donna Turman also shared their individual experiences from the 2007 World Solar Challenge! (Including when the team covered Mrs. Turman's tent in sardines!)

Sundancer Catches Football Fever!

2010-08-31T19:56:00.003-05:00

The guys cleaning their array before taking Sundancer on the football field!

Sundancer and Sundancer II on display during half-time!

Friday, August 27, our team caught football fever and brought Sundancer and Sundancer II to the Houston-VS-Calhoun City game to display for the community! During half-time they allowed us to bring the cars onto the field and introduced all of our members!

2010-08-26T13:36:00.005-05:00

Adam Chandler and Nick Callahan teaching a few students in Electricity about Sundancer!

Elise Mobley smiling for the camera while ordering our hot pink seat belt for Sundancer II!

The Houston Lady Racers making sure that everything is still working properly on Sundancer II so we won't have any problems on our training run to Winona this Saturday!

Saturday, August 28 the Houston Lady Racers will make an all day training run to Winona! To ensure everything will work properly during the run, the girls checked and then double checked everything on Sundancer II. Our team already can't wait for the Hunt-Winston Solar Challenge this summer and we are super excited about starting training! (Especially since the girls have a new hot pink seat belt to wear while zooming down the road!)

Parents' Meeting!!

2010-08-23T14:39:00.006-05:00

Dr. Mobley talking to the team and parents about this past years race and also about our team participating in the 2011 World Solar Challenge in Australia!

The "Round Table" of Solar Car Parents!

Thursday, August 19 our team plus the parents met at Central Office to discuss future plans for attending the World Solar Challenge in Australia. Dr. Mobley conducted the meeting and shared information with the parents including cost and what a great experience the race would bring to everyone on the team! We are super hopeful our team will be able to race and will start fundraising for the trip soon!

First Meeting!

2010-08-14T11:16:00.005-05:00

The team working together to set our goals for this year!...Notice Nolen Hood being "The Thinker"!

Thursday, August 12, our team had our first meeting to set goals for our car and also for our team! We have already set several goals and are very excited to start training! With a new year comes new members and we are currently checking out potential members!

First Day of School!

2010-08-09T20:36:00.004-05:00

Karmen Spratlin, Whitney George, Hillary Colbert, and Catherine Marsh using Sundancer II as shade while displaying our car and trophies at the Back to School Picnic!

Monday, August 9, was our first day of school for the 2010-2011 school year! To make the first day of school exciting, we went across the street to the park and enjoyed a picnic! We brought Sundancer II to the Back to School Picnic to display the car and also the trophies we earned during the race! Before we went back to class members Hunter Powell, Thomas Brown, Suzy Reese, and Whitney George talked to the students about our team and the race this summer!

Exchange Club!

2010-08-07T10:04:00.007-05:00

Before we started the meeting, we ate a wonderful lunch consisting of fried chicken, barbecue, potato salad and rolls!

Our team presenting a slide show to the club with pictures from the race!

To protect our trophy on the way to the meeting, we decided to buckle it up!

Friday, August 6, our team met with the Exchange Club to meet and greet and show a slide show about the race! Once again we were treated to a great lunch by them and want thank everyone involved in feeding us and for inviting us to come!

Homecoming!

2010-07-29T22:37:00.004-05:00

Our Team loading onto Ghost Rider with our trophies!....Notice the rainbow brightening up the gray skies in the background!

Our team and families met to welcome our advisors and cars home!

For the 2010 Hunt-Winston Solar Challenge, Sundancer and Sundancer II collectively won nine day trophies and two first place trophies for the entire race!!

Even though our team flew home Tuesday, July 27, our team advisers drove all the way home from Boulder, Colorado! We met them today at the edge of town and rode Ghost Rider through Houston with our trophies and our American flag we bring to each year's race!

Pictures from Race!!

2010-07-28T22:16:00.029-05:00

Sundancer II starting the Hunt-Winston Solar Challenge!

After completing day one, the Houston Lady Racers had to replenish their charge!

Sundancer pulling into Snyder, TX, our stop for the night!

The guys showing off their first place trophy while waiting to start day two!

Suzy Reese posing with sunflowers

Our team having a little fun while visiting the Cadillac Ranch!

The guys pretending to have a breakdown as the worried Houston Lady Racers zoom by!

Elise Mobley and Sydney Harrell trying to keep warm in the cool Amarillo, TX, winds!

Nolen Hood playing jump rope!

The guys goofing off during a rest stop!

Elise Mobley and Dr. Mobley preparing a much needed lunch for our team!

While in Garden City, we were treated to this gorgeous Kansas sunset!

Sundancer II speeding down the road!

Sundancer passing a livestock farm....I'm sure whoever was driving enjoyed the smell

The Houston Lady Racers posing with their first place trophy for day seven!

Will Turman and Hunter Powell also posing with the guys first place trophy for day seven!

Our team throwing our hats in the air in celebration of finishing the race!

Sundancer I and II Win First!!

2010-07-26T21:52:00.002-05:00

Our team is extremely excited to announce that we have won the Hunt-Winston Solar Challenge in both the classic and open divisions!! Sundancer won with a total of 829 miles and Sundancer II won with 749 miles!! Thank you to all of our sponsors and everyone who believed in our team! We would not be where we are today without the support of our community!

Day Eight!

2010-07-26T21:38:00.004-05:00

Sundancer II approaching the finish line!!!

While racing we make an effort to not shade our array, but in celebration of finishing the race our entire girls' team joined in to start shading!

The Houston Lady Racers loading Sudancer II for the final time!

We finally reached Boulder, CO on the eighth and final day of the Hunt-Winston Solar Challenge! Sundancer and Sundancer II both recieved first place trophies for this day and were also the top five who finished day eight first!! It was bitter sweet for the race to end because we will miss our fellow racers and also the race staff that works so hard to make all of this possible!

Day Seven!

2010-07-26T21:15:00.009-05:00

Dr. Marks starting off the day with the daily drivers' meeting!

Elise Mobley taking a trip back in time at a museum in Limon, CO!

The girls positioning Sundaner II to start charging for day eight!

The Houston Lady Racers loading Sundancer II!

Adam Chandler posing with Nolen Hood!

Clay McNutt taking a nap in Sundancer!

Even though the sun shined each race days one through six, our luck changed on day seven with overcast skies and a little rain. We had a 180 mile day stretching from Garden City, KS, to Limon, CO, ahead of us with no sun! Even through the great challenge we were presented both Sundancer and Sundancer II recieved first place trophies for day seven!!

Day Six!

2010-07-26T20:57:00.005-05:00

The guys changing Sundancer's back tire before starting the race!

The Houston Lady Racers washing Sundancer II's array before starting the race to Garden City, KS!

Our team decided to make a trip to IHOP for a late night snack and we would like to thank these people for paying for our meal!

The guys taking time to goof off and play jump rope!!

With the race already crossing two states, we finished day six in Garden City, KS! We would like to thank everyone involved in preparing the wonderful BBQ for us. It was much appreciated after a hard day of racing! Sundancer came in first for day six and Sundancer II came in second!

Day Five!

2010-07-26T20:45:00.004-05:00

Reagan Byrne adding air in Sundancer II's back tire!

The guys getting Sundancer II ready to race!

Day Five started in Amarillo, TX, and we raced to Guyman, OK! Sundancer recieved first place and Sundancer II came in second!

Rest Day!

2010-07-22T11:15:00.002-05:00

On day four our team received a much needed rest day! We spent part of the day touring the Palo Duro Canyon and then went to the science center to educate visitors on solar car racing and also about our cars!

Day Three!

2010-07-20T23:26:00.011-05:00

Doctor Marks starting off the Drivers' Meeting by giving a few notices and congratulating all of the teams for making it to day three before announces day two's race results!

Jay Alford, Nolen Hood, and Hunter Powell presenting Sundancer's
first place trophy to Fred Varian!

Suzy Reese oiling Sundancer II's bearings before taking the car to the starting line!

Our team posing with St. Thomas Academy from Minnesota while making a stop at the Cadillac Ranch!

Jay Alford spray painting his name on one of the cars while visiting the Cadillac Ranch!

Suzy Reese and Sydney Harrell sitting on top of one of the Cadillacs!

Reagan Byrne trying to cover Mrs. Ellison's face in oil from the tires!

Our team having a our daily meeting after pulling into Amarillo!

We are on our third day of the racing and are spending our next two nights in Amarillo, TX! Tomorrow will be a rest day for all of the teams, our team is super excited to be able to sleep in for the first time since the race started! While on the road today, the guys decided it would be funny to make the girls believe something major had happened to Sundancer! As the girls were racing down the road, they noticed the guys on the side of the road holding fire extinguishers. One member's arm was wrapped in a bandage! Of course we imagined the worst! At the next rest stop, the guys explained that it was just a joke and that Sundancer was still running smoothly!

Day Two!!

2010-07-20T09:43:00.014-05:00

The guys prepping their car before starting day two of the race!

The girls having their daily prayer session before starting the race!

While taking a two hour rest stop at Texas Tech University, our team got to meet a group of kids from a science camp who came out to see all of the cars!

Hunter Powell talking to one of the judges about how our day went!

The girls posing with Texas Tech's mascot!

The guys using Sundancer as a shade while resting from the day's race!

Littlefield, TX, native Jasper Collins smiling for our cameras while in the Houston Lady Racers' car!

The girls securing Sundancer II before going to the hotel to rest up for day three!!

On day two we raced from Snyder, TX, to Littlefield, Tx! Sundancer finished all of their 114 race miles and finished in first place, and Sundancer II finished in second place! While on the road the Houston Lady Racers chase vehicle broke down and we would like to thank Fred Varian,the race's EMT and security, for staying out until midnight to help us fix our truck!

First Place!!

2010-07-19T09:37:00.005-05:00

Hillary Colbert and Karmen Spratlin posed with our new trophy!

Hunter Powell and Adam Chandler receiving their trophy!

We are extremely excited to announce that Sundancer and Sundancer II won the first place trophy for the first day of the race!! The guys completed over 150 miles and the Houston Lady Racers finished with a total of 147 miles!! We are almost an hour into Day II and will continue to keep everybody posted!

Day One!

2010-07-19T00:26:00.011-05:00

The guys unloading Sundancer at the Texas Motor Speedway, our official starting place!

After unloading Sundancer from the trailer, the guys did their last inspection of the car before the race officially began!

We would like to thank Coppelle High School for giving us this gift bag filled with bubbles, an eye patch, compass, and clappers! As you can see, Reagan Byrne especially liked the eyepatch!

While at the ice cream party, we were able to enjoy a little entertainment by local talent!

We would like to thank everybody for serving us a great meal!

Sundancer and Sundancer II charging for our second race day to Littlefield, TX!

The Houston Lady Racers loading Sundancer II on the trailer to take back to the hotel!

Today, July 18, we started the first day of the Hunt-Winston Solar Challenge!!

Our day began at the Texas Motor Speedway and ended in Snyder, TX! When we arrived in Snyder, we were greeted with great food and also entertainment!! We would like to thank everybody for coming out to support all of the teams and for hosting the ice cream party!

Scrutineering Day 2!

2010-07-18T22:04:00.008-05:00

Station Five: Breaking Test

In this station the solar car must be able to stop under real world conditions in a reasonable amount of time.

The guys getting Adam Chandler ready to start station five!

Sundancer II picking up speed for the braking test!

Station Six: Endurance Test

This test is to determine if the car can travel an extended distance and if there is enough communication between the vehicles.

The guys taking Sundancer to station seven to qualify in the endurance test!

Station Seven: Road Test

this station tests if the car can safely travel on undivided highways with oncoming traffic.

Sundancer II finishing up scrutineering with the road test!!

Pictures of Day One Scrutineering!

2010-07-17T06:22:00.010-05:00

Station One: General Scrutineering

This station's purpose is to make sure the solar cars were built according to race rules.

The guys getting the final check-off for general scrutineering!

Sundancer II being measured to insure the car didn't exceed the maximum length!

Station Two: Electrical and Battery

Station Two is used to check that all electronics follow race rules and that they are safe to use in the car.

The judges checking our batteries to insure they matched the drawings and complied with race rules!

Hillary Colbert and Reagan Byrne securing a loose wire during Station Two!

Station Three: Tilt and Turning

Tilt and Turning is used to make sure the cars can make a u-turn within a safe distance and that it won't collapse when stresses are applied to the wheels.

In Tilt and Turning, the car has to be able to tilt on each side 20 degrees to pass the station!

Station Four: Slolam

This is used to test the road worthiness of the solar car and driver.

The guys getting Thomas Brown ready to drive the slalom course!

2010-07-16T00:37:00.014-05:00

To make sure our array wouldn't get damaged while making its journey to Texas, our team covered the array with tarps to keep wind and debris off of our cells!

Mr. Reese meeting with the Houston Lady Racers and their parents before heading to Texas!

We would like to Thank Griffin Motor Company and Eatons for donating us two vans for the race! We extremely appreciate what you have both done for our team!

The team had a quick meeting to discuss what our day's plans were going to be.

Thomas Brown and Will Turman unloading Sundancer to charge!

The guys "setting up shop" at our hotel!

Since we have spent two days in Texas our team is getting even more excited about racing! Today after we finished tending to our car, we took a trip to Six Flags in Arlington, Tx! Tomorrow will be our first day of Scrutineering and we are hoping everything will go as smoothly as possible. We will officially start racing on July 18 and will finish in Boulder, Colorado July 25!

2010-07-15T10:09:00.002-05:00

After a 14 hour drive, our team finally arrived in Dallas, TX, at 10:30 last night! Scrutineering will start tomorrow July 16, and we will be testing our car today to make sure everything is still working. Our team would like to thank all of our sponsors and the parents for helping us get here and for allowing us to have this great experience!

Locked and Loaded!

2010-07-12T11:14:00.004-05:00

The team having a short meeting discussing what needs to be packed.

Since our team's moto is "Grab the bull by its horns", it would be only appropriate for our team to bring Red Bull along with us to the race this summer!

Sydney Harrell helping keep Sundancer electrified by packing our electrical box.

Catherine Marsh packing two of our extra fifty-nine tires!

Jay Michael Alford and Nolen Hood working together to pack our electrical box.

Karmen Spratlin, Whitney George, and Catherine Marsh cleaning our traffic cones until they sparkle!

Whitney George placing a protective foam cover over our safety gear.

Sydney Harrell and Catherine Marsh putting our newly cleaned traffic cones in Big Red.

The boys learning how to fold our array cover...some things are just unteachable!

With everything packed it was time to pack Sundacer for its journey to Texas!

July 11, our team met at the school to pack for the race! We started packing at 1:30 and finished up at about 6! After everything was loaded on the trailer, we locked both of the trailer doors and won't open them until we reach Texas! We can't wait to start racing and want to wish good luck to all of the teams!!

Last Minute Training!

2010-07-07T11:23:00.003-05:00

With only seven days untill our team leaves for the Hunt-Winston Solar Challenge, our team has been training even harder to get race-ready! On July 5 the guys and girls (now named the Houston Lady Racers!) met to take our last training runs! Our team also met July 6 to practice scrutineering and to set a date to start packing! We are extremely excited for the race and can't wait to head for Texas!

2010-06-28T19:40:00.007-05:00

Hunter Powell and Thomas Brown putting on the "Caution Solar Car Ahead" sign on the race trailer!

Hunter Powell and Adam Chandler putting ropes on Sundancer II so they could load it on the race trailer!

Will Turman and Thomas Brown practicing loading Sundancer! They set a goal to load the car in a minute and beat their goal by seven seconds!

Mr. Reese having a driver meeting with the team before leaving for a training run to Greenwood,MS!

June 26, "The Guys" took a training run to Greenwood , MS! Before they left for the run, they did a little training at the school by successfully loading and unloading the car on the trailer within their one minute goal!

Meeting With Exchange Club!

2010-06-25T10:03:00.003-05:00

June 25, our team met with the Houston Exchange Club! During the meeting, our team updated the members on what we have been working on this year and also presented a slide show about the upcoming race! We would like to thank everyone for serving us a great lunch and for their continued support throughout the years! We couldn't do this without you!!

2010-06-21T20:41:00.013-05:00

Sydney Harrell organizing our Tape and Array box for the run!

During a short stop in Eupora, we let these two girls sit in the car!

Sundancer II starting its journey from Carrollton back to Houston!

While leaving out of Maben, our car was pulled over for speeding!....Just Kidding!! After the long day's run, we pulled over to charge Sundancer II and an officer of Maben stopped to see our car!

When we arrived back at the school, we surprised Hillary Colbert with a party and birthday cake! We forgot plates or utensils so we used a box cutter to cut the cake and coffee filters for plates!

Monday, June 21, we took Sundancer II on a training run to Carrollton, MS! We met bright and early at 6:30 that morning to start charging Sundancer II for the day's run! (We found out a few of our members aren't exactly morning people!) Our run lasted until five that afternoon, and our team stayed at the school to re-charge the car and to celebrate Hillary Colbert's 16th birthday!!

Training Run!

2010-06-18T22:09:00.008-05:00

Karmen Spratlin was our first driver of the day!

Hillary Colbert trying to catch a breeze in the summer heat...She wasn't very successful!

Making a 15 minute stop at Smokies to change drivers and charge our car!

Unloading Sundancer II after a lunch stop at Wendy's in Fulton!

The team getting the car ready to resume our training run!

After we arrived back at the school, we let Sundancer II re-charge from the 50 mile run!

June 18, we took an all day training run to Fulton, MS! After we arrived back at the school, we let our car charge untill dark and had a team meeting about the day's run. We also discussed the upcoming race, which is only 26 days away!!

2010-06-17T12:08:00.008-05:00

"The Girls" finding the best spot to start charging Sundancer II!

Simulating an actual day in the race, we placed cones around Sundancer II while it was charging and put Catherine Marsh on watch duty!

Suzy Reese taking the car for a test run!

Mr. Reese driving Sundancer II around the school!.....I think he needs a taller car!!

Thursday, June 16, our girls team met to test drive Sundancer II to make sure it would be ready for our upcoming training run close to the Alabama state line and to practice any skills that will be necessary for this years race, including positioning the solar car so it can receive the most sun! Mr. Reese also drove the car but had a little difficulty fitting as you can see in the picture above!

2010-06-09T17:03:00.002-05:00

Tuesday June 8, our team met to finish building the body on Sundancer II! Before we started we had a brief meeting about the fast approaching race and decided to arrive a day early so we can go to Six Flags!! We had a successful night and finished the body in under two hours!

2010-05-27T12:05:00.009-05:00

Dr. Mobley started the presentation of by telling the students a little about our team and by introducing all of the members!

Team sponsor Anita Ellison shared stories from previous Hunt-Winston solar challenges and also from the World Solar Challenge in Australia!

Nolen Hood talked to the students about our team this year and about building Sundancer II!

Our team posed with a couple of the teachers from North Pontotoc!
We would like to thank everybody at North Pontotoc for inviting us to come speak, we had a blast!!

2010-05-18T14:21:00.008-05:00

Karmen Spratlin, Adam Chandler, and Reagan Byrne checking the air pressure in Sundancer II's tire!

Karmen Spratlin getting the girls' tool box ready for the race this summer

Whitney George organizing tools while Hillary Colbert cuts out foam circles to go on our car!

Hillary Colbert and Whitney George sawing pieces of foam to put on our car!

With the race only two months away, our team has been working extra hard to get our cars race ready! We are putting the finishing touches on Sundancer II and have starting organizing our tool boxes and arranging our tools in preparation for the race!

2010-04-28T14:50:00.007-05:00

Jay Alford and Hillary Colbert measuring the car to see how much foam board we'll need while Reagan Byrne and Hunter Powell practice aligning the tires!

Hillary Colbert starting to cut the first piece of foam board....How do you like her hot pink box cutter?!

Putting the first piece of foam board on Sundancer II :)

This week we have started the process of attaching foam board to Sundancer II. We have been getting the measurements of the car and have starting cutting out pieces of the foam board. We are extremely excited to start seeing our car have a more finished look after months of hard work! After we have completed adding the foam board, we will finally finish Sundancer II by applying the graphics which will include the logos of all of our sponsors!

2010-04-27T19:03:00.007-05:00

The team raising Sundancer II's array so it can start charging!

Sydney Harrel and Elise Mobley practicing aligning the tires!

Karmen Spratlin and Whitney George securing the array down before taking Sundancer II inside after charging while being supervised by Mrs. Turman's grandson Grayson!

Jay Alford holding up Sundancer II's array while Will Turman helps Thomas Brown get ready for the day's training run!

Last Sunday, April 25 our team met to train for the upcoming race to Golden, Colorado! The girls and guys trained separately. The guys took a training run around Houston while the girls stayed at the school to practice aligning and changing the tires as well as other skills that will be needed for the race this summer!!

Getting to Know the Team

2010-04-22T13:52:00.026-05:00

Having a competitive car is obviously a major factor in solar car racing, but the team racing the car is what truly makes a team capable to win races. We thought we would give you a little insight into the lives of our team members. Even though solar car takes up a lot of time,all of the members of our team find time to participate in other extra-curricular activities. These other activities include cross country, BETA, Anchor, tennis, cheerleading and golf.

Thomas Brown is a member of the Anchor, Volunteer, and Charity club.

Catherine Marsh is in Anchor and Beta club, is an HHS Diamond Girl, and in FCA.

Suzy Reese is in FCA, an HHS Diamond Girl, runs Cross Country, and is a part of the community theatre.

Hunter Powell is involved in FCA, Anchor Club, BETA Club, and runs Cross Country.

Reagan Byrne is a member of the BETA and Anchor Club, an HHS Diamond Girl, the Spirit Club, and run Cross Country.

Jay Michael Alford is a member of FCA and the BETA Club.

Nick Callahan is an Anchor and BETA Club member, a member of the Golf Team, and in the Cars Club.

Will Turman is on the Tennis Team and in the Wildlife and Fisheries Club.

Nolen Hood is a member of Anchor and FCA.

Hillary Colbert is a member in Anchor, BETA, and the Spirit Club; also, she recently became a big sister to Kaylee Alivia.

Sydney Harrell is a member of the BETA, Spirit Club, and in the community theatre.

Elise Mobley participates in cheerleading, BETA, is an HHS Diamond Girl, and is in the community theatre.

Whitney George is a high school cheerleader, a tennis player, runs cross country, in the Spirit, Anchor, and BETA Clubs, and participates in Houston Community Theatre.

Karmen Spratlin is a high school cheerleader, a member of the Anchor, BETA, and Spirit Clubs, a Houston Diamond Girl, runs Country, and also participates in the Houston Community Theatre.

Spring Training!!

2010-04-11T19:59:00.007-05:00

Thomas Brown showing off his smile before zooming off in Sundancer!!

Stopping to make a quick driver change in Sundancer!

The girls taking Sundancer II out of the shop to start charging for the training run!!

Sunday, April 11, our team took Sundancer and Sundancer II on a training run through Houston! The guys and girls trained separately with the guys using Sundancer and the girls training with Sundancer II. Both cars simulated different scenarios that could happen at the race including flat tires and Code Blues (emergency). We are pleased with how well the training run went and love seeing our team improve with each run we take!

2010-04-07T14:33:00.009-05:00

The PLC Special Project Class from ICC working with our team and learning about the cars!

Reagan Byrne and Hillary Colbert acting as Whitney George's brakes as she zooms around campus!

A close up of our back tire after Sundancer II accidently ran through a huge mud puddle!

Clay McNutt from ICC paid our team a visit this week and brought a few of his students from the PLC Special Projects Class to work with the cars!! Lately we have been putting the finishing touches on Sundancer II and have started testing it for any problems! We are getting closer and closer to fininshing our car and can't wait to start training runs!

Three Day Training Run!!

2010-04-01T13:52:00.002-05:00

With the Hunt-Winston Solar Challenge swiftly approaching, our team has started planning several training runs!! We will soon be taking a three day training run to Meridian to give the team a taste of what the cross-country race from Dallas, Texas, to Golden, Colorado, will be like this summer! We are still discussing dates but plan to go on the run in either April or May!

Tupelo Automobile Museum!

2010-03-26T07:57:00.010-05:00

Stopping at Smokies to make a quick driver change!!

While loading our car onto the trailer, the bars on our ramp starting breaking!!

Whitney George giving a little attitude while being safety officer!

The team working together to clean our array before the convention!

WTVA interviewing Jay Michael Alford about our car and the upcoming race this summer!

Members of the team talking with Mrs. Spain, the owner of Tupelo Automobile Museum!

Sundancer posing in front of the Tupelo Automobile Museum!

Loading Sundancer after a fun day at the museum!

March 26 our team was invited to display Sundancer at the Tupelo Automobile Museum Convention located at....you guessed it, the Tupelo Automobile Museum!! We were excited to tell the convention goers about our car and are thankful we were invited!! We also made the trip to Tupelo a mini training run even though we had to trailer part of the way because of cloudy skies.

Spring Fever

2010-03-09T14:39:00.004-06:00

Next week will be our Spring Break!! Even though we are excited about the short break away from school, we are still working hard to get as much done on our car as possible!! We can't wait for spring to get here because this is the time our team starts taking training runs! We are also excited about our possible three day training run to Biloxi towards the end of the school year!!

2010-03-05T14:15:00.006-06:00

Nick Callahan using his special touch to help finish painting our car!

Jay Michael and Nick spray painting Sundancer!

(Judging by their behavior afterwards, we think they might have accidently inhaled some fumes!!)......JUST KIDDING!!

Jay Michael gives Sundancer's new paint job a thumbs up!

Sundancer's shiny new paint job!

2010-03-01T15:04:00.008-06:00

Catherine Marsh and Nick Callahan cutting zip-tyes to make room for more wire

Catherine Marsh, Jay Michael Alford, and Nick Callahan working together to finish wiring Sundancer II!

Nick Callahan, Catherine Marsh, Suzy Reese, and Jay Michael Alford splicing wires to connect to the switches!

We are almost finished with Sundancer II and are getting excited about this year's race that will start in Texas and go all the way to Colorado!! We plan to be completely through with our car by March just in time to be on display at the Tupelo Automobile Center March 26!!

Surprise Visitors!!

2010-02-26T14:02:00.006-06:00

The girls taking time to get a quick picture with Mr. Vaughn Long!!

Vaughn Long taking Sundancer II out for a spin!

Reagan Byrne driving Sundancer II back into the shop after its trip around the high school campus!!

This week we had a couple of surprise visitors!! They came to look at our cars and we even convinced one of them to drive Sundancer II around the high school!!

2010-02-24T18:20:00.009-06:00

Hillary Colbert , Reagan Byrne and Whitney George wiring our left blinker switch while being watched by Hunter Powell!

Hillary Colbert and Karmen Spratlin splicing two wires while Reagan Byrne starts stripping.....wires!!

The girls and Jay working together to wire Sundancer II!!

Secret Meeting!

2010-02-22T18:47:00.008-06:00

The meeting was so secretive, we had to whisper everything in each others' ears!!

Everybody working on "The secret plan"!!

This past Sunday, February 21, the girls met together to have a secret meeting to plan something special for this year's race from Dallas, Texas to Golden, Colorado!! All of the girls have been sworn to secrecy and won't reveal their secrets until the beginning of the Hunt-Winston Solar Car Challenge July 16-25!!

2010-02-18T16:38:00.005-06:00

Catherine Marsh and Jay Micheal Alford zip-tying wires

Jay Michael and Catherine routing the wires around the frame of the car!

Jay Michael and Catherine metering the wires!

Jay Michael showing Nick Callahan where to start taping the wires to the array!!

Boys -VS- Girls!!

2010-02-18T14:21:00.010-06:00

The girls taking time to practice taking off the tire before competing against the boys! Hmm I wonder who will win?!

The girls working as a team to take the tire on and off in 40 seconds to beat the guys!!

The guys racing against the clock to beat the girls score while being timed by Hillary Colbert!

While Hunter and Jay were doing their victory dance for taking the tire on and off in 35 seconds, Reagan wasn't having the same luck when she hit her head on the bottom of our car!!

Today we had a bit of a friendly competition between the guys and girls! While both teams did great jobs the guys won with an amazing 35 second score! The girls fell just behind with a score of 40 seconds! As you can see in the picture above, a couple of the guys were a little over excited about their victory!!

2010-02-16T14:25:00.007-06:00

Reagan Byrne and Hillary Colbert splicing two wires together!

Reagan Byrne holding up the array while Karmen Spratlin starts taping the wires to the array!

Karmen Spratlin, Whitney George, and Hillary Colbert using NASA tape to secure the wires under our array!

Hunter Powell, Reagan Byrne, and Hillary Colbert metering the wires!

Future MIT Professor Hunter Powell teaching the girls proper wiring techniques!

Reagan Byrne and Hillary Colbert connecting solar panels in series!

(CAUTION HIGH VOLTAGE!!)

Karmen Spratlin cutting a wire for Whitney George

Dismantling Sundancer II

2010-02-15T14:05:00.019-06:00

Hunter Powell, Thomas Brown, and Jordan Hadin taking off the array

Thomas Brown, Jay Michael Alford, and Hunter Powell storing the array with the other retired arrays!

Sundancer II topless!

Thomas Brown working hard to dismantle Sundancer II....almost a little too hard!

Thomas Brown sawing the back ends off while being helped by Adam Chandler!

Jay Michael Alford helping to saw off a piece of our car

Sundancer II post dismantlement

Thomas and Jay putting our car to a new use.....wheel barrel racing!!

2010-02-10T14:45:00.023-06:00

The team working together to wire Sundancer II!

Jay Michael Alford, Reagan Byrne, and Hillary Colbert taping the J-Boxes!!

Whitney George and Karmen Spratlin gluing a Schott solar cell to our array!

Hillary Colbert, Whitney George, and Reagan Byrne adding another solar cell!!

Karmen Spratlin and Suzy Reese working together to apply to glue to a solar cell!

Our team has been working hard this week and has succesfully glued our Schott solar cells to our array!! We have started wiring the cells and are very excited about our progress!

Progress on Sundancer II!

2010-02-04T13:49:00.019-06:00

Whitney George arranging the Schott Solar Cells on the array!

Suzy Reese drilling a hole into the array!

Reagan Byrne and Whitney George slicing the circles in half!

Thomas Brown drilling holes in the car!

He has his concentration face on!

Our car's array!

Hillary Colbert and Reagan Byrne soldering wires while being carefully watched by Hunter Powell and Thomas Brown!

Umm, well we aren't too sure what they are doing!

Reagan Byrne and Hillary Colbert soldering wires!
In the back Karmen Spratlin and Suzy Reese are cutting the Schott Solar Cells!

Hillary Colbert tracing circles to put at the front end of our car!

Nolen Hood and Thomas Brown doing what they do best
Goofing Off!

In the past couple of weeks we have made a lot of progress! We have soldered the wires on our Schott Solar Cells and are getting ready to wire them to our array. We have started to work on the body and are making designs for our car!

Pictures from the Solar Car Workshop!!

2010-02-02T14:09:00.016-06:00

The workshop was filmed by Winston School Videographers! You can view the webcast at

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/winston-solar

This is Mr. BB's first solar car workshop!

Dr. Marks is explaining the design of the Winston School's solar car

Mr. Reese answering question from the instructors who are starting new teams!

Visiting ICC!!

2010-02-01T14:18:00.005-06:00

On January 29, our team visited ICC! Clay McNutt showed us around various parts of the campus and demonstrated his PLC labs! We are very excited about him joining us on the race this summer to Colorado!

Happy Birthday!

2010-01-27T14:20:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Mrs. Ellison!!

We appreciate all of the hard work you do for the team and hope you have a great birthday!!

Texas Bound!

2010-01-21T14:17:00.006-06:00

Team sponsors Keith Reese, BB Turman, and Donna Turman are leaving for Dallas,Texas tomorrow morning to attend a specialty workshop for solar car teams! Mr. Reese will speaking at the workshop on ways to conserve energy! Anita Ellison was planning on going to Texas with the other sponsors but had to have surgery on her shoulder and is unable to go. Get well soon Mrs. Ellison!!

Twitter!

2010-01-13T17:02:00.003-06:00

Our team has recently joined the Twitter community!! You can check us out at twitter.com/HoustonRaceTeam! We will be tweeting often so be sure to follow us!!

2010-01-12T14:06:00.012-06:00

Thomas Brown smoothing out the rough edges

Thomas Brown and Reagan Byrne cutting out the foam board!

Hunter Powell, Whitney George, and Adam Chandler measuring the car to see how much foam board we need!

The team working together to secure the foam board on the car!

We have been making a lot of progress on Sundancer II. We have secured the foamboard on the top of the car and plan to wire our Schott solar cells this week! We are very excited and plan to finish our car by spring break!

Merry Christmas ET!!

2009-12-24T16:04:00.010-06:00

Ellison and Turman opening their gifts!

Hillary Colbert and Karmen Spratlin cutting out the hole to hide the GPS in!

Suzy Reese, Whitney George, and Reagan Byrne using hammers to make holes in the Styrofoam

For the past few days our team has been playing secret Santa! Every day we have been bringing team sponsors Donna Turman and Anita Ellison (aka ET) a Christmas gift and candy! For their final gift, we will give them both a GPS but shhh don't tell them! It's a secret!

Christmas Parades!

2009-12-03T14:08:00.014-06:00

December 2, our team participated in the annual Houston Christmas Parade! We brought Sundancer I and II plus, the dragster, chopper, and scooter! We also participated in the Tupelo Christmas Parade December 5!

The chopper and scooter zooming through the parade!

Jay Alford drinking some much needed hot chocolate!

Our team making our way through the parade!

The VFW also participated in the Houston Christmas Parade! We would like to thank them for their sacrifice to our country and for all of the support they have given our team!