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Hare & Hound: Hunting Balloon-Style
It takes a bit of imagination to understand where this competition gets its name.
Modeled after the English sport of freeing a rabbit, giving it a head-start
and then unleashing a pack of canines to hunt it down, the balloon sport is
a considerably less dire for the hare. Having two balloons act as
the hare is wonderfully representative of how different the two
similarly-named sports are.
In this instance, the hounds are the 100 or so balloons and the hares are
two balloons sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank. The first hare launches
before all the other competition balloons. This hare will make its way to an
undetermined target area. Approximately 15 minutes later, the second Wells
Fargo Bank hare balloon will launch. Each hare places a separate target for
the hounds to pursue. All of the other mass ascension balloons, or hounds,
begin the hunt only after each pilot is signaled by the launch officials to
begin.
After landing in a safe area, the hares place targets on the ground for the
balloonists to navigate toward. When a hound reaches a target area, the
pilot throws a marker as close to the bulls-eye as possible. The closest
toss to the center of the target at the end of the day, receives the most
points for that day. This is the end result of a balloon-style hunt.
The Hare & Hound competition continues in the same manner throughout the event.
Each day the pilots compile points. After the last day, the pilot with the
most accumulative points wins! This is where keen navigational skills come
into importance. Wind currents usually change between the time the hares
launch and the time the hounds launch. A miscalculation can result in a miss
by miles!
Skill is the key to a victory and a share of the $20,000 in prize money. As you watch the
competition, observe how the pilots carefully shift their altitude, seeking
directional wind currents. The Hare & Hound race occurs each day of the
balloon races. Our thanks to Wells Fargo Bank for sponsoring the hares and
the Mass Ascension.
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