Pinewood Derby

This weekend Was my sons pinewood derby race with Cub Scouts. The pinewood derby is one of my lingering memories from my years in Cub Scouts. I would love to say that what I remember is the long hours of one-on-one time with my father (of which there was plenty) or the creative genius that went into each and every car that I made (I thought there was lots at the time) but know what I remember most was the fact that despite the above not a single car that I ever made won a single trophy.

For those of you who don't know, the pinewood derby starts with purchase a $5 kit from the boy scouts that contains a rectangular block of wood with pre-cut axle grooves, 4 nails for axles, 4 plastic wheels and a set of numerical decals. That's it. Nothing else...no templates, no guides, just the block of wood and the wheels. From that your are, as a parent, required to create an Enzo Ferrari complete with working headlights. Oh and it can't weigh more then 5 ounces. Once this is complete it is raced against the Ferrari's, Lambo's, and Porsches created by the other parents with varying degrees of assistance from their children.

Pinewood derby is taken very seriously in some circles. There are even regional and national championships if one is so inclined. A lot has changed since I was a boy. My troops track was wood...TJ's packs is metal. My troop had someone stationed at the end of the track to determine the winner...TJ's pack has an electronic/computer timing device that is sensitive down to the ten thousandth of a second. Yes you read that right, we are talking 4 decimal places...more then even is registered in olympic swimming and NASCAR. One thing hasn't changed and that is the amazing enthusiasm that the kids put into race day. It is truly wonderful to see 40 or 50 scouts yelling and screaming and cheering each other on.

Anyway, this was TJ's second year doing the derby. My goal is slowly transition the work from me to him. Last year he designed the car and put the final paint on. This year he designed the car and put on all the paint and decals start to finish. Last year while I was cutting out his whimsical design with nothing but a copping saw, he took one look at it and said, "Dad, is that the best you can do?!". This year, he said "Thanks Dad! I am really having fun with you!". I think we are making progress. Oh and did I mention that he won a certificate for most futuristic car...definitely progress.