On May 16-18, 2023, the Cordage Institute held its Annual Conference and Technical Meeting at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The full conference program included a Technical Seminar, Business Meeting, Technical Subcommittee and Task Group meetings, as well as a meeting of the full Technical Committee. During the full Technical Committee Meeting, reports from each Subcommittee and Task Group were provided.

The Business Session included a keynote presentation by Bob Schumann from Plan & Act Pension Advisors, LLC.

The busy program for the Technical Seminar included the following presentations:

• Parametric Model for the Yarn-on-Yarn Abrasion Test Geometry – Forrest Sloan, Kuraray
• Technical Aspects of Mooring Arrangement for Ship Building during Typhoon Seasons Part I – Connection Between Mainlines and Tails – Rafael Chou, Zhejiang Four Brothers Rope Co., Ltd
• Non-Destructive Examination Technology for Fibre Ropes Based on Advanced Vision Equipment and Algorithms – Cristano Bonetti, Joseph Karedan, and John Churchfield – Bridon Bekaert Ropes Group
• Fatigue Analysis of Polyester and Nylon Mooring Lines – Elizabeth Huntley, Whitehill Manufacturing
• Inspecting the Really Big Springs in Colorado – John Flory, Tension Technologies International

Additionally, a special presentation was given by Col. Cory Cooper from the United States Air Force Academy regarding the Fast Rope Insertion and Extraction System Technologies that were developed by students and professors.

The Annual Sim Whitehill Memorial Golf Tournament was a great success and participants looked stylish in custom-made bucket hats thanks to Beth Huntley. On Wednesday night, at the President’s Night Dinner, the CU Buffoons treated attendees to an a cappella performance to kick off the evening. The Richards Technical Contribution Award was presented to Greg D’Elia with Slingmax in recognition of his exceptional work on technical initiatives. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Gale Foster Award of Merit. Kandi Stirman received the award on Rollin Stirman’s behalf for his outstanding contributions to the organization and the industry. She shared Cordage Institute stories, his artwork, and his love for people.

We would like to extend a special thank you to the following conference sponsors:

• Avient Protective Materials
• FibrXL
• Fletcher Industries
• Hailide America
• Herzog GmbH
• Honeywell
• I-Coats N.V.
• Kuraray
• Nexis Fibers
• Robco Engineering
• Teijin Aramid
• TP Industrial Yarns B.V.