Team from central Wis. wins Rube Goldberg contest

MENOMONIE, Wis. — A high school team from central Wisconsin has won a lighthearted contest that rewards creativity over simplicity.

The 10 Clark County students were competing in the Rube Goldberg Machine Contest, sponsored by the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

The competition challenges students to create a machine that turns a simple procedure into a process that involves at least 20 steps. This year's challenge was to inflate a balloon and pop it.

The winning students were from Owen-Withee High School in Owen. Their machine involved 28 steps, including a catapult and a dragon that pops the balloon with its teeth.

The students advance to the national tournament March 17 in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The competition is named for the late cartoonist Rube Goldberg, known for drawing overly complicated devices to perform simple tasks.