ROBERTSDALE, Ala. — Speed, coefficient of drag, and friction are the everyday language of Formula One race car designers. Their job is to make multimillion dollar cars go as fast as possible around a track.

It’s not a job for middle school students.

Or is it? Six members of the Technology Student Association at Central Baldwin Middle School will be going against a national group of competitors, all trying to make their model Formula One race car scoot down the track faster than anyone else’s in Denver Colorado June 28–July 2. As of now, 13 students, including winners of the state TSA competition, parents and Sponsor Tiffany Plato will be flying to Denver.

Eighth graders Travis Eubanks, Drew Lindell, and James Mack and Seventh-graders Logan Mitchell, Tony Kucera and Kaleb Coleman will be representing this area as “Team Blackhawk.” They are working with a variety of state-of-the-art software to create their race car.

According to Tiffaney Plato, a Career Technology Enrichment teacher at the school, the following students will be going to Colorado as well as Team Blackhawk: Shariden Lord, Prepared Speech; Cody Pittman, Devin Stringer and Hunter Welsh, TSA Cup: Marine Design Challenge; Travis Vaughn, CO2 Dragster; Ocean Odom, CO2 Dragster and Cole Williams, Flight Challenge.

The students listed above earned their spot by taking first place in state competition.

Team Blackhawk was selected at the school.

“We were selected by our teacher, Mrs. Plato, out of 52 members (of the school’s TSA club), explained Coleman.

“We test types of design on the computer and then with a model,” said Eubanks.

The rewards of winning the competition can be enormous.

“We want to win. We want to go to the next level, the international competition. If we win there, we get a full scholarship to Oxford, England,” said Mitchell.

Plato, the group’s moderator, and a teacher at the school, said that she has not heard where the international competition would be.

Mack is focused on the here and now.

“Right now, we are trying to modify the design of the car,” he said.

In addition to creating a car with the right combination of wheels, shape and other design elements that will make the car go fast on the track, the students also have to present a board with ideas on how to advertise the car.

Team members were quick to say that any mention of fuel efficiency was not going to be on that board.

“This car is supposed to be hot and speedy,” said one team member.

Team members would also be interviewed by the judges, so all team members had to be up on the design.

The team is coming off a sixth-place finish out of 25 competitors in TSA competition last year, the first year the school entered a team.

“We were named ‘Rookie of the Year’ then,” said Plato.

This year, the team is made of half seventh-grade students and half eight grade students to make sure there is continuity from year to year.

There is a lot of state pride riding on these young men’s shoulders.

“This is the only team from Alabama representing middle school, to compete in the competition,” said Plato. “This year we have some big shoes to fill.”

While Plato and the students are keeping the atmosphere light, Plato says “We have a lot of hard work, a lot of extra time after school.”

One thing that is easier — the car is being designed and tested right at CBMS. Plato said the school has purchased a 75-foot metal track like the one used at the competition, and the students are using the same sort of software professional designers use to build and test their cars.

“The students have to understand the relationship between science, technology engineering and mathematics for them to produce an efficient F1 car.,” said Plato. “They’re using the software systems that are now common in manufacturing and industry, so that’s a link to the real world.”

Plato added that Team Blackhawk was looking for community sponsors.

“We will apply decals to the car, board, and binder,” she said. It does not matter how much (a company donates) We want the community involved in this.”

To donate, call Plato at 947-2327.