Elevated Bridge B/C

[nejanimb]

Do many other invitationals have a lot of bridges that don't rank in the first tier? We had our first invitational last weekend, which was a C div. only tournament in a very competitive area, and so many of the bridges I saw came in out-of spec. And it wasn't always close either - it often appeared as though people had simply not read the rules. I suppose that frequently happens for invitational tournaments - has this been the experience of other people?

And Aia, I'm very curious to see what you come up with after all for this popsicle stick bridge... sounds fascinating!

[evbassboy13]

Do many other invitationals have a lot of bridges that don't rank in the first tier? We had our first invitational last weekend, which was a C div. only tournament in a very competitive area, and so many of the bridges I saw came in out-of spec. And it wasn't always close either - it often appeared as though people had simply not read the rules. I suppose that frequently happens for invitational tournaments - has this been the experience of other people?

And Aia, I'm very curious to see what you come up with after all for this popsicle stick bridge... sounds fascinating!

Yeah, at the invitational I was at this last weekend, there were a ton of bridges out of spec. Out of 27 teams, I think the top tier was only about ten. One guy even used the height requirements from last year and the length from this year (I think length changed - I only did SO for one tournament last year, so I could be wrong). He was pretty pigeon, too. Talked up a 60g bridge he built last year that could hold a person standing on it. It was kind of funny. A lot of them were close, though. The other bridge builder on my team (guy who stayed up all night with me helping me build my very first bridge) ended up getting second tiered because he had a gusset plate hanging down just a little bit too far. I felt kind of bad when I got first. That's life, I suppose.

I was wondering, is everyone on here going with trusses, or has anyone had luck with arches (crazy spiral bridges aside, that is)?

[13bridges]

Wow. I'm surprised. I though invitationals would be a lot more competitive. But, I have watched some people try building bridges with arches. They don't seem to work that well this year, just because the clearance is so large (well, for divi. C). I saw that most of the breaking occurred in the middle of the bridge.

[Allirog24]

Our bridge is getting around 600, is this good? We don't know what to compare it to, will anyone say what they are getting?

[nejanimb]

Our bridge is getting around 600, is this good? We don't know what to compare it to, will anyone say what they are getting?

I mean, that's what a lot of the discussion thusfar has been about... "good" is relative. Where are you? What are your tournament aspirations? Here in SE PA, for regionals, I can tell you that I have a feeling the Gold Medal for Division B will be about double that, if that helps your evaluations.

If you remember what you or your school was getting this time last year, that's a pretty good reference point. Scores this year are not much lower.

[Allirog24]

Alright, that is really helpful, thanks!

[asianinja]

How do you make your bridges so light? I try to aim for 12 grams but the minimum i made was 16. What kind of wood do you use?

[evbassboy13]

How do you make your bridges so light? I try to aim for 12 grams but the minimum i made was 16. What kind of wood do you use?

Balsa. You want to vary the density. Use high where you think you need it, and low where you don't. Changing up thickness helps cut weight, too.

[sewforlife]

My regionals was Tuesday, I'll be posting up pics later today
My partner/my bridge got a 1st place! I'm incredibly happy.
the efficiency was 923.
we'll be trying to improve on it later

[Allirog24]

Wow! Great job!