ETA: Oh, and here's a Mini (bad) movie clip of the gate in action (with CHEESY SOUNDTRACK, TOO!). Apologies for the fact that it's a windows media video (WMV) format. That's the tool I've got.
Everyone loved our gate; unfortunately we didn't win anything. But that's for another post. In short, chalk it up to cultural differences.
Next stop: Silicon! (with a new and improved frame so it can really stand up)