Braemar away weekend 2008

Quiz Night

The teams arrive, eat Pizza and discover that their task for the weekend is to build a Trebuchet . But first it's quiz night, won (after a closely fought battle) by team 1.

Team 1	Team 2
Team 3	Team 4

Building the Trebuchet

After two long hours of intense discussion and planning the teams begin to build their amazing machines. The designs at this stage are rather large, the cutting down of trees was prohibited by Norval and plans had to be scaled back.

Team 1	Team 2
Team 3	Team 4

The machines begin to take shape

Saturday afternoon, the machines begin to take shape. It is a malicious and completely slanderous rumour that the teams indulged in any industrial espionage. Competition was at all times friendly and no string was stolen.

Team 1	Team 2
Team 3	Team 4

The Completed machines

Team 1	Team 2 (now.. what team is James in again?)
Team 3 - there he is again!	Team 4

Test Firing!

The test firing begins - all of the machines work on the first firing. The challenge is now to adjust the release and triggers to increase the range to the optimum - is 40 yards possible?

Team 1 - video clip	Team 2 - video clip
Team 3 - video clip	Team 4 - video clip
Team 3	Team 4

Let Battle Commence!

The machines are ligned up and ready to repel the enemy below!

Ligned up and ready to fire	But who will win?

View from the enemy below (well - Norval and Geoff)

(No Norvals or Geoffs were hurt in the filming of this episode). Team 4 did rather well, firing their tennis ball into the mountain rescue yard some 50 yards from their position. Team 3 were close runners up. Team 1 who were doing rather well earlier on and were favorites to win, unhappily experienced some last second technical problems, but making some rapid last second repairs succeeded in making several good throws, whilst team 2's machine - which was working well earlier had an argument with the fence and... sort of died.

Ligned up and ready to fire	But who will win?

Went the day well?

Well done to all of the teams on their hard work. A really good weekend spent in the beautiful and snowy Royal Deeside.

Braemar 2008 - staff and students

Many thanks to Jan and Iain for providing the quiz, cooking and working out the food lists. Thanks to Charles and Alessandro for the food and organizing the accomodation. Norval for supplying the very important alcholic refreshments and for being our quizmaster, Geoff for going to B&Q to get all the wood and bits and pieces, Bob for supplying the tools and equipment (whoever bent the retort stands will need to make a grovelling appology). Neil's first time on the away and weekend, showed himself to be a natural by consuming generous quantities of Guiness and finally to all of the students who really entered into the spirit of the weekend - well done, and in the words of Mr Grace "you've all done very well!!"