Bolling Cub Scouts from Pack 343 keep a close eye on the mark as their pinewood cars speed down the track at Naval Reserve Center at Anacostia Naval Station Jan. 26. Cub Scouts all over the nation participate in the Pinewood Derby.
Carved, sanded and painted to adolescent perfection, the handmade wooden cars race down a three-lane track. One spectacularly aerodynamic car is so speedy it flies off the end of the track and smacks into the chair at the end. Scouts sporting blue and gold and proudly displaying their badges cheer and squeal with sheer delight. The pack leader, who doubles as the derby announcer this day, hails the winning car’s creator.
It was the annual Cub Scout Pinewood Derby, held Jan. 26 at the Naval Reserve Center. This day of racing scout-made wooden cars is observed by almost every Cub Scout pack across the nation and has been a staunch tradition since the ‘50s. And for young boys, this is what it’s all about.
Navy Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Carl Marshall, who is also assistant cub master, has fond memories of spending time with his father constructing his car for the event when he was a child.
‘‘I was a Cub Scout when I was young and it was a big thing (for) me and my dad. I still remember some of those cars I built with him. Anyone who has ever been involved in scouting knows about the Pinewood Derby. It’s the one big, yearly event every Cub Scout knows about.”
‘‘It’s designed to teach the boys how to work with wood, tool safety, how to build things, and a little about competition,” said Tech. Sgt. Phil Tracey, pack cub master.
Before the holidays, Bolling’s Pack 343 received their car kits to begin creating their designs. Each kit included a car-shaped pinewood block, four wheels and four nails. Although the rules vary from pack to pack, the general idea is to construct the car from all the pieces in the kit.
‘‘The kids design it, they cut it, shape it, paint it, and everything. We held a couple of workshops on base where the scouts were able to go in and wood shop employees were there to cut them and show them how to sand it and shape it,” said Marshall.
Scout derby cars are subject to weight and size restrictions. Cars must weigh no more than 5 ounces, must fall within the measurements of 7 inches in length, 2.75 inches in width, and must fit on the track used by the scout pack. The restrictions are mainly in place to ensure the car fits on the track. An official weigh-in was held on the Friday prior to the derby, where the cars were inspected in order to qualify for the race. Cars featured designs ranging from Transformers to the Energizer Battery to the Washington Redskins. The next morning, the fun began.
‘‘We try to encourage the event to be a parent and son thing. We had a lot of parent volunteers for this race. It’s an all day event and it’s a big effort to put it on, but it’s worth it because the kids always have a lot of fun with it,” said Tracey.
Cars are raced in sets of three, or heats, powered by nothing more than old-fashioned gravity. The shape, length and height of the track may vary, but is generally a consistent design. Three cars are set on the starting point, the high end of the track and released. The judging is done visually. Cub Master Tracey remembers that previous attempts at computerizing the races proved bothersome.
‘‘There is a sensor at the finish line that tells you which car crossed the finish line first, but we had some glitches with our software last year,” he said. ‘‘It just held up the event and the kids got bored and antsy. We try to set it up so there’s as little downtime as possible.”
By process of elimination, the slower cars are weeded out. Each car races each car entered.
Marshall explained, ‘‘Say there were five cars. Well, we only have three lanes on the track, so in order for those five cars to be equal, they have to race in each lane on the track, as well as against each other. The race for those five cars could take up to 20 minutes. We would eliminate the slowest, then the second slowest and then go on to the finals.”
Winners from Pack 343 continue on to compete in a district Pinewood Derby.
‘‘We’ll take our four winners, but if we have someone who missed our Pinewood Derby,” said Tracey, ‘‘they can go to the district and compete there.”
While it’s natural for the young boys to enjoy the competition, Tracey is careful to keep the focus on fun.
‘‘We try not to focus on winning,” said Tracey. ‘‘The boys do that enough themselves. While it’s OK to be competitive, we try to make it more about (the experience).”
E-Mail This Article
Print This Story