TAKING OFF: New Deshler rocketry team makes nationals, looking for sponsors

Until late last year, no one with Tuscumbia City Schools had even heard of the Aerospace Industries Association’s American Rocketry Challenge.

That was until a man named Andrew Heath requested a meeting with TCS Superintendent Russ Tate.

Heath runs a nonprofit called Propel Science Foundation which works to mentor middle and high school students in the rocketry challenge to help ignite a lifelong passion in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“Mr. Tate was totally fired up after that meeting,” said Gene Balding, instructional technology administrator for the school system.

So, Tate called upon Balding, a former fifth-grade teacher with a long history in STEM, to put together a team of interested students.

“My students used to call me ‘Rocket Man,’” Balding said. “As part of my class, students made rockets out of 2-liter bottles powered by water and air pressure, and we would launch them.”

Balding said he sought out two former students of his, now seventh graders Macy Austin and Blake Aday, to be part of the new Deshler team.

He held an interest meeting at the high school, and of the handful of students who investigated the group, ninth graders Zoey Olive and Landon Reynolds stuck with it.

Balding said Olive was looking for an interesting extracurricular, and Reynolds, a member of the Deshler High wrestling team, said he “needed something to do during the spring.”

Once the team was assembled, Tate told the group enthusiastically to “go blow something up,” which humorously runs counter to the intended goal of the launches.

“When I got the team together, I originally thought my job was done,” Balding said. “But I ended up staying on as advisor. The students work with Andrew. He walked us through getting started and worked with them on the software used to design the model rockets. Once they learned it, it was up to them to design and build the prototype.”

The very first launch of the Deshler team’s rocket went much the way many plans do. Awry.

“We went out onto some farmland towards Colbert Heights, and the very first launch ended up in a tree. It took an hour to get it down,” Balding said.

However, the students learned from their initial failure, patched a hole in their rocket, and launched it again.

The goal for qualifying in the American Rocketry Challenge was to launch a rocket exactly 790 feet in the air and have the time from launch to landing take between 41 and 44 seconds.

The rocket also has to safely carry two raw eggs during the flight, so a parachute is used to allow the projectiles an easy landing on the descent.

The farther a launch is from that distance and time, the more points it scores. The objective is to score as few points as possible.

In order to participate in the challenge, Deshler Tiger Rocketry had to complete and turn in results of three qualifying launches by April 7.

Due to the original date being rained out, as well as working around the students’ schedules, the team was forced to hold the launches just the day before the deadline on April 6.

“We did the first launch, and it scored a 26,” Balding said. “Andrew told us that score would have qualified a team for nationals during last year’s challenge. The team wanted a better score, so they made some adjustments, including cutting a hole in the parachute to help air move through.

“Then they had to decide if they wanted to do a test run after the changes. Macy said, ‘let’s go for it,’ so they did.”

The second launch scored a six. The third and final launch scored a three.

On April 17, just five or so months after the idea of a Deshler team was even conceived, the Tiger rocketry team officially qualified for the national competition.

According to a release for the program, the 2025 American Rocketry Challenge saw unprecedented participation, with a record-breaking 1,001 teams entering the competition in its 23rd year. The competing teams are composed of middle and high school-aged students from 46 states and Washington D.C.

In its first year, and even first few months as a team, Deshler Rocketry was one of only 100 teams comprised of students in grades sixth through 12th from across the country to qualify for nationals to be held May 17 in The Plains, Virginia.

Of the nine teams to qualify from Alabama, three — Deshler and two teams from Muscle Shoals — are from Colbert County.

“It’s very surprising,” Balding said. “The feeling is unbelievable. These are young kids with no prior experience who made nationals their first year. Our mentor Andrew trained them well. All I had to do was organize them and get them to stick with it. The kids did it all.”

According to the AIA, the requirements for the National Finals will be modified to introduce a new challenge to the teams. Competition finalists will compete for $100,000 in prizes and the prestigious title of National Champion. The winning team will then represent the United States and compete at the International Rocketry Challenge in June at the Paris Air Show.

Balding said in order for the Deshler team to make it to nationals, they need to raise about $8,000 to cover fees, travel and lodging.

He said he didn’t initially expect to have this problem, as no one guessed that such a new and inexperienced team would qualify in the top 100.

The team is currently looking for sponsors and has set up a GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/propel-deshler-rocketry-to-national-success.

Checks can be made and mailed to Deshler Middle School, 598 North High St. Tuscumbia, AL 35674 – attention Rocket Team.

Any donations can be dropped off at Deshler Middle School.

“The American Rocketry Challenge has been instrumental in fostering a passion for aerospace and engineering among students,” said Jessica Pedersen, AIA Senior Director for American Rocketry Challenge and STEM Engagement. “This yearlong program not only teaches technical skills but also inspires teamwork, problem-solving, and creativity. The impact of this competition is evident in the enthusiasm and talent of participants. I am excited to see how these bright innovators will continue to shape the future of STEM.”

“The American Rocketry Challenge launches not just rockets, but also the careers of the next generation of aerospace innovators and today is just the beginning for our 100 national finalists,” Eric Fanning, AIA President and CEO, said. “These teams from across the country have worked all year to bring skill, creativity, and ingenuity to rocketry design and building, and on May 17, their hard work will pay off as they compete in the National Finals. I look forward to seeing these students shine and crowning our next National Champion.”