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Fauquier's Fantastic Four
A group of Warrenton friends has found a unique way to mix fun, flight and the Fantastic Four with a little summer adventure as they head to Tampa, Fla. to compete in the July 19 Red Bull Flugtag.
With pilot Steve Schrank, 19, leading the way as the Silver Surfer, the Fantastic Four ? Julie Utterback, 19, as The Invisible Woman, Scott Utterback, 20, as The Thing, Nick Schrank, 21, as The Human Torch, and Mike Samia, 20, as Mr. Fantastic ? will join nearly 40 other participants vying to make their human-powered flying machines soar.
Started in 1991 in Vienna, Austria, the beverage company's flugtag competitions draw huge crowds and adventure-seekers from all walks of life. German for “flying day,” flugtags are crafted by participants and can take on any variety of shape and size, though they must be less than 30 feet wide and weigh no more than 450 pounds, including the pilot.
Chief engineer Brandon Jenkins, 22, has been instrumental in creating Team Fantastic's flugtag, which combines a small pull wagon adorned with styrofoam to keep it afloat (one of the requirements) that will serve as a launching pad for a shiny surfboard.
The flight crew will use their super human power to push and/or pull the wagon loaded with Schrank and his silver surfboard off the edge of a glorified dock. Then Shrank's job becomes staying atop the board and in flight for as long as possible.
The team is banking on Schrank's balancing skills as a wake boarder, skier, and surfer to keep him in the air, said his father, Jeff Schrank. “If there's something crazy to do, they'll do it,” he said.
The team has designed costumes to represent their characters from the 2007 movie, Schrank said, noting that Mr. Fantastic's stretching ability will be represented by swimming pool “noodles” while other team members will sport spandex costumes.
After learning about the flugtag competition from a television commercial, the group of long-time friends ? all but Jenkins graduated from Fauquier High School within a year or two of one another ? decided that “we didn't have anything else to do all summer” and submitted a drawing of their prospective flugtag. They were thrilled to get accepted into the contest and have worked on their project, tweaking the design, for about a month.
“We're pretty excited,” said Schrank, noting that the friends will leave for Myrtle Beach, S.C. Friday, July 11, then travel on to Tampa, arriving by July 18.
Though the event will not be televised, it will be video taped and clips from the event can be accessed through Red Bull's web site at www.redbullflugtagusa.com .
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