2003 Photo Story

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Sunday, June 22, 2003 – The Endurance Competition and Awards Ceremony
	« Each morning began with a skipper’s meeting. This morning the sun was shining for the Endurance event. The weather was perfect for the start of an Endurance heat. »
	« The parade lap for the championship heat was led by ETS, who covered the most distance in the morning. The Columbia boat appears to be pointing the way to victory. They won the Endurance competition by edging out the Milwaukee School of Engineering and ETS, who had some technical difficulties in the championship heat. »
	« During the awards ceremony, George Ettenheim (the Energizer bunny) was honored for his 10 years of service running SOLAR SPLASH. He received a variety of gifts from his many friends he has made over the years. George received a standing ovation from the participants of SOLAR SPLASH 2003. »

Saturday, June 21, 2003 – Sprints
	« The morning was rainy, so the sprints were delayed until afternoon. The first heats were held in a light rain, but the rain stopped by mid-afternoon. Many of the teams left their boats in the water between heats. »
	« The three fastest boats – South Carolina, Arkansas, and New Orleans – await the start of the finals. New Orleans edged out Arkansas for the victory. »




Friday, June 20, 2003 – Qualification, Slalom end, Sprints begin
	« All teams qualified and completed the Solar Slalom in the morning. The U. Buffalo entry is waiting to make a run. The first round of sprints were run in the afternoon. »



Thursday, June 19, 2003 – a rainy start but a sunny finish
	« Despite a rainy morning, Geneva College (PA) was the first team to complete inspection, qualifying, and the Solar Slalom Event. Members of the Rice University spelling, er, Solar Splash team. »
	« For the second year in a row, Columbia University has brought an “air boat”. This year the boat is performing much better as it completed the sprint qualifier while riding on a cushion of air. »





Wednesday, June 18, 2003 – registration, inspections, swim test, mixer
	« Teams began to arrive and register in the morning. Each boat must pass a mechanical, an electrical, and an on-the-water inspection before being allowed on the Qualifying course. »
	« Each skipper must be able to swim the length of a 25 meter pool. The swim test was held on the Buffalo State College campus. The evening mixer had participants from different teams working together to tie various types of knots. »
	« T-shirts commemorating the 10th annual Solar Splash are for sale. Many Buffalo area volunteers help make the event run smoothly. »
	« The local NBC affiliate interviewed the Columbia skipper live on the evening news. A sense of humor can liven up a boat’s dashboard. »



Tuesday, June 17, 2003 – ready to go!
	« The two tents are in place to serve as the “paddock” area. The docks are in place, the high line is strung, the scoring tents are pitched, and decorations and banners are hung. »

Monday, June 16, 2003 – a day of preparation for the event
	« The weather is sunny and beautiful in Buffalo as preparations for the event begin. Highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s are expected (and hoped for) for the rest of the week. Pictured (from left): John Montague of Buffalo State College, George Ettenheim of Advanced Energy Competitions (the event organizer), Nan Nix (also of AEC), and Laurie Dann (the local Buffalo coordinator of the event). In the background are the docks which were installed later in the day. The docks will be used for SOLAR SPLASH and will be used the rest of the summer for other events on Hoyt Lake.

June 2-6, 2026

2003 Photo Story

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