Cars line up before a race, and their owners are nervous.
A lot of work and preparation has gone into this moment, and they’re eager to see how they perform against top competition.
The vehicles have new paint jobs, aerodynamic body styling, and success in previous races. And within a few seconds, everyone will see which ones will come out on top.
That scene didn’t happen in front of thousands of fans on giant racetracks. Instead, it happened at Saint Leo University on Saturday morning in front of friends and family, continuing a Cub Scout tradition of the Pinewood Derby that spans more than 60 years.
The Pinewood Derby begins with Cubs receiving a box containing a few simple items: A block of wood, four plastic wheels and four nails. From there it’s up to them to craft a car out of that kit, shaving down the block of wood into a car’s body, adding the wheels and nails and using the excess wood to add back the weight that was lost to improve track speed as it heads downward.
Once the car meets regulations, it’s off to a pack competition, with the winners moving on to the district competition.
The district winners — categorized by age — earned trophies this past weekend, but all Cubs get to keep their cars and the memories that go along with it.
Not much has changed over the years for the Pinewood Derby, including the meaning of the event. At least that’s according to Jason McCombs, committee chair for the Allohak District, which is comprised of 17 different packs and approximately 450 Cub Scouts.
“The main thing is not so much the winning or losing, it’s how you play,” he said. “Your sense of accomplishment is that you did it yourself.”
Parents might help a child put their car together, which provides quality family time. But the Cub himself does the heavy lifting normally, allowing him to customize the car to his liking and finish a project in which his fellow Cubs also are participating.
The event not only is exciting for participating Cubs, but parents and family members who were Cub Scouts when they were younger, McCombs said. They usually see many similarities between the cars they created and the ones competing today.
“A lot of the same designs that we had when I was a Scout are still coming back today,” McCombs said. “The paint jobs are fancier and there are more accessories that you can put on, but the base scale (weight limit) of 5 ounces has been 5 ounces as far back as I can remember.”
Paul Kollak, who earned his way into the event by winning his group in Pack 149, said he devoted a lot of effort to the project.
“I spent a lot of time and I worked really hard,” he said. The 8-year-old created a blue car, adorned with two American flags, with his father. The racing success came in part by creating an aerodynamic front that kept wind resistance to a minimum.
While he was happy to win his pack heats and become one of the approximately 50 participants in the district race, Kollak also enjoys watching other cars race, so he can see what’s working for them and possibly incorporate some ideas into his own cars in the future.
And while earning a trophy is always nice, it’s not the only part of the competition he enjoyed.
“I like racing it, but I also like designing it,” Kollak said. “It’s really fun.”
According to McCombs, that sense of accomplishment and enjoyment in the process is exactly what the derby is trying to foster. Unlike other projects that can be completed and forgotten, the Pinewood Derby allows children to enjoy creating and actually have something to show off when they’re finished.
“There’s something about being in school where you get a project, and it’s great when you get a project done,” he said. “But then it’s done. You don’t see it anymore. When you’re in Boy Scouts and you get a project like that, you’ve got something in your hand when you’re done, and you can see the sense of accomplishment.”
Published March 12, 2014
