Landing Party

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Landing Party was a Star Trek gathering that took place outdoors.

1990: Con Report

If there's going to be more like this, sign me up! LANDING PARTY '90 was a huge success and roaring fun. Three days at a camp with other ships of STARFLEET proved to me that we know how to party in this organization. LANDING PARTY is the annual sleep-away trip of Region 1 of STARFLEET. This year's trip was at the Betsy-Jeff 4-H camp near Reidsville, about 30 miles above Greensboro. It wasn't actually 3 days long. It started after 3 pm on Friday and went until 12 noon on Sunday. I finally wandered out at about 1:30 pm on Sunday. There were lots of goodbyes to spread around, so I took my time.

If 3 days can be filled with fun, this is a prime example of how to do it. The activities included star gazing, Star Trek and science fiction video viewing, computer fun, volleyball, tug-of-war, basketball, horseback riding, skits, an auction, a dinner, and a dance. You could also wander nature if you were inclined to do so. The only thing that wasn't done was canoeing. Our water safety instructor didn't have his card so that was out. David Vosper and I found it ironic that with almost 12 years combined naval experience onboard some of the world's largest military vessels we couldn't take a canoe out on a pond. OK, so maybe we didn't actually want to be out on a body of water again, it was just silly to us that we couldn't be.

Things started off right. We were told that the camp would be easy to find. I was driving alone in my Isuzu Monster, so of course with no navigator I got lost. Not very lost, because I actually spent only about 20 minutes more looking for the camp than I should have. Driving from the Raleigh area I got there later than most people, so things were quiet. People were still settling in. After dumping my bags off in one of our four A-frame split-level 25-person cabins, I set up my computer in the rec hall. After that David enlisted me to help with his astronomy workshop. We dragged his 8-inch SC reflector up on a hill and spent the rest of the night looking skyward. I saw three of Jupiter's moons, the first time I had since being 12, and we viewed several star clusters, including M13 in the constellation Hercules. Between the cold night air, the clouds, the trees, and it being after midnight we didn't get to see the moon but rather retired to our beds. There were some late night antics (which I took part in, sorry, Dave) but the XO finally quieted us down and we all got some sleep.

Saturday started off with early morning bantering between the occupants of our cabin (something which became habit) and shuffling and hustling into and out of the showers. After this things were kind of disorganized until the volleyball competition started, so I wandered to the rec hall and helped some people play with my computer.

The volleyball got off to a good start Lots of people came down to the field. After goofing around we finally chalked the lines in and got down to the real thing. Each ship organized impromptu teams, "Hey!, who's got the list of Bonaventure players? Come on, we're on next!", and took to the field. Confidence was high on each team, but something got in the way. That thing was the Shuttle Wasp. Not only did no one beat them, no one even scored more that two points against them! Oh yeah, Bonaventure, with it's star player from the Shuttle Kitty Hawk, Ed Brady, scored the two points. Nasty rumors circulated that the Wasp was using Klingons in disguise, StarFleet Academy collegiate team members, Data-clones, and even triox compound; but nothing could be proven. The Wasp was handed the championship, and lots of heads, on a silver platter. During and after the volleyball massacre the Fleet Admiral was giving rides on her horse on the nearby riding field. For some reason I totally ignored this, and after the match wandered back to the rec hall for some more computer time. All three were tied up, so japanimation became the default activity. At 2 pm it was back to the play field for the volleyball championships and the tug-of-war. After some mumbling and groaning the volleyball fell through (Wasp by default) so the tug-of-war was started. The USS Yeager and the Wasp started things off. [much snipped]

The day had been for play, but the night promised fun. It started off with open mike night. Between crazy skits and a rowdy audience almost two solid hours of laughter followed the MC's opening comments. What would YOU do if YOU were sold a dead parrot, or even worse, a dead tribble? Just how many bastard sons of Kirk are there out there? If William Shatner declared himself a god, would his toupee rate as a divine being? And is juggling really impressive if there's no potential for serious injury? To find our these and more astonishing answers to the mysteries of the universe, you'll have to wait and see the Landing Party video! We're working on it!

Attending open mike night was worth the rest of the trip put together. That's good enough reason to go next year. The dance was the second best part. OK, so you say you don't dance. Neither does half of STARFLEET but that didn't stop us. For two hours we burnt off calories to music from the beach, from the country, from the mountains, from the psychedelic LSD 60's, and from the 70's and 80's. The mix couldn't have been better. As the Fleet Admiral said to me as things were winding down, "I liked the beach music but I also enjoyed the stuff you can wiggle to." That summation was eloquent enough for me!

After the dance it was time for SAREK! A crowd formed on the rec hail's upper level. Somehow we managed to quiet down for the credits and the opening act and that was enough. After that there were 50 people with their eyes riveted to the tv for a solid hour! The standing ovation at the end proved that the STNG bunch had pulled off another classic television coup. Sorry, no details here, but then you'll have seen it by the time this is out. Star Trek and STARFLEET LIVE!

Sunday morning began again with much laughter and goofmg around, most of it revolving around the previous night's activities. Dead tribbles everywhere, figuratively speaking. Soon it was time for the auction. The auction was fun and scary. Where else could you get a prized desire and battle someone else with your checkbook for it? I took a while to get my financial fears suppressed, but with the help of a quick mind meld from a nearby Vulcan, I joined the battle. After that I think I got TOO MUCH into it; I was acting like Imelda Marcos in a shoe store. The bank account took a fierce beating but the shields held. I escaped with much booty and the Romulan empire will never be the same with the secrets I got away with. The auction raised about $1100 for the Greensboro Food Bank. Rest assured that the Shuttle Kitty Hawk pulled its weight in the endeavor, because between David, Sii7Anne, and I the Kitty Hawk contributed a solid 20% of that, if not more. How much are you in the hole, Dave? Landing Party members also gave 320 cans of food to the same effort, not counting the six cases of cans one person had in his truck. (Why move it? It was just going to Greensboro anyway.) After the auction, Landing Party '90 started breaking up. I shoved and stuffed my clothes into my seabag, packed up my computer and VCR, and then, ready for the road, I procrastinated. It was difficult to leave. I had made a lot of friends in less than 48 hours, and I don't think that any of us wanted to part. The camaraderie of STARFLEET had come through too well and the parting was not to be sweet. So after saying goodbye to my new friends; the Fleet Marines and members of the USS Chesapeake, the killer volleyball team from the Shuttle Wasp, the middleaged mutant fist-fighting rock monsters of the USS Yeager, and others I can't recall now, I got on the road and Landing Party '90 was over. Hey! Gone but not forgotten! Landing Party '91,

here I come!

1991: Con Report

This was my first Landing Party and I had a real good time. To those who are not familiar with Landing Party, it is a camping trip sponsored by the U.S.S. Bonaventure in Reidsville, N.C. Many ships from the surrounding states attend for a weekend of horseback riding, canoeing, games and general outdoor activities. I rode up with Pat Heinske on the back of his motorcycle and don't think my backside will ever forgive me. The Kitty Hawk contingent stayed in cabin 4 with several members the U.S.S. Powhatan out of Virginia and even some Klingons showed up. And contrary to what some members of our ship think, the Klingons are not the so called "criminals of the galaxy", but our neighbors in the universe, even if some of them do snore very loudly. And plus, there might even be a Klingon or two on our ship that have yet come out of the closet about their personas. Perhaps some people have forgotten that our XO is a Romulan.

But anyway, back to Landing Party.

This was a great opportunity to meet up with old friends and make new ones from other ships. One event of note was the Saturday night Laser Tag game that Pat and I participated in. I had goofed around with Laser Tag a little in college, but had never seriously played the game. Luckily for Pat and I, the U.S.S. Powhatan consisted of mostly Laser Tag players. The game started around 9:30 p.m., when it was dark out, in the woods. Two teams were pitted against each other. Pat and I had never competed before, but I must say we did pretty good for our first time. We "killed" four people before we got blown away. Unfortunately it started raining and the game was called off. That left the dance to go to. Once again, the Kitty Hawk closed down the party (memories of Oktobertrek, Teresa & Pat?), even if it was only 1:20 a.m. That left Pat, me and a member of the Powhatan (yes, Troy, that's you) to wander the campsite, talking and playing frisbee until 4 a.m.

On Sunday, the auction was held and approximately $1700 was raised for charity. And for the first time, I actually bid on something and won. After the auction, everyone packed and left. And once again my backside protested after riding the motorcycle. All in all, I had a really fun time at Landing Party and I hope to go next

year.

The weekend of May 31 - June 2 saw the invasion of a small 4-H camp outside of Reidsville by a combined force of STARFLEET personnel from various ships for a couple of days of serious relaxation. The Kitty Hawk was not remiss in sending its contingent to this onslaught. I rode shotgun for First Officer/Medical Officer Teresa in a new shuttle (rank has its privileges) while Television Producer Kristen and Chief Engineer Pat spearheaded the attack on a warpcycle. Reinforcements arrived in the form of Elaine, Jeff, and Debbie, with Captain J.R. arriving on D-Day + 1 with his pet pseudo-beard (isn't that Commander Riker?!?). These 4-H'ers are pushovers! From the moment we got there, they treated us like we were their guests. There was no resistance at all to our complete takeover of their little outpost. Then again, maybe it had something to do with the detachment of Klingon commandos that rounded out our force.

This type of operation is my favorite STARFLEET duty. After getting settled in, we were not required to do anything the rest of the weekend. Being able to do whatever I want for two whole days is a luxury I rarely get and just plain loafing, the Kitty Hawk gang made a poor showing at the intership tug of war. In short, we sucked pond scum (which fortunately was readily available). Despite our best efforts, the entire team set new records for long distance dragging and deepest foot furrows. Had we known about the clydesdales on the other team sooner, we would have brought more cars.

The high point of the weekend for me was the dance Saturday night. While Pat and Kristen (a.k.a. Rambo and Rambette) got LaserTagged, Teresa, Elaine, Jeff, and I cut a mean concrete slab to a diversity of performers ranging from the cast of Rocky Horror ("The Time Warp", of course) to Barry Manilow (go figure). The four of us managed to shut the place down (actually, the D.J. wimped out at 1:15 a.m.), upholding a long-standing Kitty Hawk tradition. I would like to thank my other three partners for sticking with me, and I only hope I didn't embarrass

them too much with my four-hour flail-athon.

1992: Con Report

STARDATE 9205.31 - The Away Team: Pat Heinske, Jeff Habrych, Elaine Royal, Larry Pischke, Andy Sink, John Miller, and Pete and Donna Hansma, with a brief appearance made by Andy's parents, who dropped him off and picked him up. (Thanks! We were glad he was able to come! But don't be afraid to ask for a ride, Andy!) The Beam-Down Point: Betsy-Jeff Penn 4-14 Camp in Reidsville, N.C., Earth, Sol Sector. I arrived first at 2:00 p.m., followed by Jeff at 3:00 p.m. We secured the loft (the WHOLE loft this time) of Cabin #8, a.k.a. Risa. (Damn! I knew I should have brought my Horgan!!!) For the most part, we just stayed in the cabin to prevent squatters from jumping our claim. Then, about 5 hours later, the rest of the team arrived. After properly securing our gear, we converged upon Golden Corral to indulge our empty stomachs. Then we returned and met a few others. Later on in the evening, Larry, Andy, and I played a round of Laser Tag in the dark and rainy woods. (I know, C.M.O., not smart, but it was fun, and we lived.) Andy and I took a few potshots at each other, but we didn't see Larry at all, so we decided to go hunt him down. I discovered him by accident in the bushes by the lake waiting for us to walk by so he could mow us down, but he was having equipment problems. After we went back to the cabin, we got John interested in coming with us to watch the next presidential team of the U.S., Ran & Stimpy. We watched a few episodes in the Rec. Flail before going to bed at 3:00 a.m. Two hundred and ten loud minutes later, we dragged our weary selves out of bed and went down to eat breakfast. As it was, we were early so we sat and drank coffee until they began serving the food. As usual, the kitchen staff did a wonderful job. After breakfast, some showered, some sat, some did other things. Elaine went to a filksinging gathering and premiered my filksong, "It's Still Classic Trek For Me" and from what I heard, it went over well. Eventually, it came time for the Volleyball Tournament, and due to rain outside, we played it inside the Rec. Hall with a "Universe Ball" (it's a Landing Party thing - you wouldn't understand.) The six of us (the Hansma's lent emotional support) were immediately up against last year's champions, the U.S.S. Chesapeake. I'll keep it short: we whupped their butts. Then, it was supposed to be the U.S.S. Wasp vs. Dragonhawk (teams from the Celestial Dragon and the U.S.S. Hawkeye) but things dragged on for so long that we went on to other things. Finally, it came to be Region 7 vs. a conglomeration of Region 1 people. Region 7 won, and that made it Region 7 vs. the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk. I'll keep it short: we got reamed. I don't know what it was - we played a good game - we just couldn't score any points. So, congratulations to Region 7 - 1992 Landing party Volleyball Champions. Later on, after a brief respite, we assembled down at the outdoor Volleyball court for the Tug-O-War competition (it wasn't raining at this point) and the court was 1/2 mud and 1/2 dirt. We couldn't fairly play like that, so we thought we'd play on the grass. Not so. The U.S.S. Hawkeye (last year's champs) wanted to play in the mud. Or at least across the mud. There were three teams, the Hawkeye, the Kitty Hawk, and another conglomeration of other people. The Kitty Hawk took on the conglomeration and WON. Then we took on the Hawkeye and WON. (Roll up your pants legs, 'cause this is where the B.S. starts.) The Hawkeye wanted to make it two out of three because they said there was a "lack of traction'. After some deliberation, we, being the good sports we are, agreed. We switched sides and discovered that there was indeed a "lack of traction" due to out pulling the feet, butts, and faces of the opposing teams into the mud. (Gee, isn't that how you play tug-o-war?) So, to break the tie, we moved the match away from the mud and into the grass. Imagine that. We moved the match into the very same grass that we had wanted to compete on to start with. Well, due to a number of things, including the fact that this was our fourth match in a row with little or no rest, we lost. The crew went back to the cabin tired and some were more than slightly upset, and I stayed behind to assuage the situation. Anyway, after that, we ate dinner and then got ready for the dance. My thighs were almost in spasms after the day's activities, so I sat most of them out. I did, however, involuntarily 'walk like an Egyptian' and I of course did the Time Warp at midnight. Afterwards, I went back to the cabin and talked to Jeff for a while, then later, everyone else came back from the dance and went to bed, and Larry and I played another round of Laser Tag.

The next morning, we got up for breakfast and once again beat everyone else there. Then we packed up our stuff and congregated in the Rec. Hall to watch the Star Trek: Next Generation episode that they had on tape. Definitely one of the best yet!! Then came the auction - they had next to nothing this year! If I remember correctly, the highest price was $75.00 for an autographed Impel card of Deforest Kelley. I was unfortunately next to broke. Jeff brought 25 cans of food for the raffle, but someone on the U.S.S. Chesapeake won the prize - a the-cast Next Generation Enterprise! Big deal!! After that, we said out good- byes and headed for home.

Yes, I had a good time. Yes, I'll go again next year (if there is one). And most importantly, I learned something - next year, the hell with the rules! Let's take what we can get, guys! Heh, heh, heh... oh, uh, hi, Cap'n Fisher. Sorry! Gotta go!! My, uh, engines are calling me!

Bye!

This year's trek to the wilderness of North Carolina held much promise and anticipation in the hearts and minds of the away team from this fine ship. Unfortunately, all of this fell into the mud and slop of a rainy May weekend. When the arrival confusion settled, the Kitty Hawk contingent consisted of myself, Elaine Royal, Pat Heinske, John Miller, Jeff Habrych, Peter and Donna Hansma, and Andy Sink. This year, we were cohesive enough to take over the entire loft of a cabin, instead of the paltry half loft of the previous year. After a refreshing meal at the Golden Corral, Pat, Andy, and spent most of the soggy evening playing Lazer Tag. We played alone, as the other ships wimped out. The next morning, the rain continued. In a way, it was relaxing, just sitting around the cabin reading and talking. In a way, it was maddening being cooped up all day. At least there was the recreation hall to go to mingle with the rest of the campers. Later on in the day, the competitions began. The details of the events don't bear repetition, but the Kitty Hawk settled for second prize in both volleyball and the tug- of-war. All in all, we had a pretty good time. The organizers did their best under the circumstances, and that's all you

can ask.

1993: Con Report

LANDING PARTY '93 - May 14, 15, 16 - Subtitled "Hey, where were you guys?" My scout shuttle docked at Penn 441 Camp right on time, only to find that we were obviously early, because no other ships were in orbit or in the bays - "Oh, well, they'll be along shortly..." After a few hours, we looked around and noticed that the only ones that showed up at all were from the Kitty Hawk!

We unpacked and got comfortable (I even remembered my Horgon this year!). Then I decided to take a walk around the lake. When I got back, people were already turning in, so I did the same.

We got up the next morning, had a light breakfast (very light!) and got ready for the games... First up - volleyball! It was incredible! We won!... Well, okay, it was by default, but we won. Next up - the tug-of-war! We did it again! Much, much easier than last year! I guess it's because we've all been working out.

Finally - laser tag! Wow! You guys sure know the art of camouflage! But, ha! I never got hit once! In fact, the whole Kitty Hawk team won without a single shot being scored against us! Damn, we're good! Well, the rest of the weekend is kind of a blur, but I'm sure you'll be able to read more about L.P. '93 in other submissions in this newsletter, so maybe that will fill in some of the blank spots. Well, see you in Reidsville next

year at Landing Party '94!