I will always remember the summer of 2002 as the Summer of Gilligan. In between park district programs, summer school sessions, and trips to the community swimming pool (while balancing freelance writing gigs), I was intensely focused on keeping the peace in a small house where my 12- and 10-year old sons and two-year-old-daughter could mix it up pretty good. And not unlike some inner cities that shall remain nameless, the hotter the temps got, the more those sibling battles seemed to erupt. I don’t know how it began, but we started checking out piles of Gilligan’s Island VHS videos at the library, and miraculously, in 30-minute segments, my restless natives became subdued.

I’ll admit I got swept into the silliness of it. Remember the “Beauty Is As Beauty Does” episode where they decide to have a Ms. Castaway Beauty Contest? But because the Skipper is backing Ginger, and Mr. Howell is rooting for Lovey, and the Professor supports Mary Ann, the whole contest winds up being decided by Gilligan––who, in the end, crowns a chimpanzee named Gladys. Who can forget the men’s moments of zany sabotage involving spitballs, glue, and airborne pepper as each lady attempted to perform her talent act?!  

To this day, I contend that the genius behind the wildly original script-writing was the huge diversity of writing talent that contributed to the show. 

Contests––real ones––are great platforms for showcasing great talent and achievements, which brings me to an important one that is currently upon us. And the annual AFS/Casting Source Casting (not to be confused with Castaway) Competition attracts a wide range of talent, indeed: in fact, engineering talent, and creativity, and technical problem-solving from the readers of this publication and their foundry partners. On page 21 of this issue, you’ll find the entry form, and I invite you to step into the ring with your own demonstration of casting ingenuity. 

The deadline to submit your entry (or entries) is December 31––and now’s the time to confer with both your internal colleagues and metalcasting supplier to develop a compelling entry. 

One reason I’m drawn to the contest is that it provides many opportunities all year for us to spotlight casting excellence for your reading pleasure––for example, our cover story this issue that delves into the Best Casting Conversion winner of 2024. The OEM spokesman summed up the collaboration more beautifully than any pageant speech: “We’re in this together.” Please have a look on page 18. And thank you for reading.