Pine Wood Derby 2009!!!

The time has come where the skills meet the pavement/track. After earning their Whittling Chip's, certifying each scout has been trained in knife safety, Pack 4684 honed their carving skills in the creation of some really creative Pinewood Derby Cars.




Judging the artistic merits of the cars was tough considering the level of time, skill, and sweat that went into the production of each car.

Roger loads the cars up for another heat.



Most of the cars flew down the track in under 3 seconds easy. Below they show up as just a blur. Look at those cars go!

The heart-pounding sight each scout experienced as they brought their car for placement on the track.


Truly magnificent pieces of artwork, each car entailed many hours of designing, planning, carving and painting. More than just something to race, each scout produced an individualized work of art.



The weigh-in table. All cars must be below the maximum weight limit of 5 ounces before they can race.







We all tip our hats and salute Roger Anderson (sitting with son Todd) for running an incredible race! Not only did he provide a Pinewood Derby track par excellence, he contributed his phenomenal expertise, software, wit, and software to run a fast-paced race that every scout came away from feeling exuberant! Our collective thanks to you, Roger, for ensuring we all had a superlatively enjoyable race and Pinewood Derby experience to remember!

Armed, but not dangerous

Our scouts recently completed their Whittling Chip under the instruction of Tom Z! The Whittling Chip, when signed by a leader and the scout, certifies a scout to bring a pocketknife to scout-sponsored events and activities (but never to school!). Putting their new knowledge to practice, the scouts carved soap-bars with plastic knives (practice, remember), creating replicas of animals, boats, and even countries!

Knives Are Not Toys!

Here's a recap of the rules of knife use in the Cub-Scouts:

• Close the blade with the palm of your hand.
• Never use a knife on something that will dull or break it.
• Be careful that you do not cut yourself or any person nearby.
• Never use a knife to strip the bark from a tree.
• Do not carve your initials into anything that does not belong to you.

In order to obtain the Whittling Chip, each scout also completed a quiz based on the Cub Scout Pocketknife Pledge:

POCKETKNIFE PLEDGE

• I understand the reason for safety rules.
• I will treat my pocketknife with the respect due a useful tool.
• I will always close my pocketknife and put it away when I'm not using it.
• I will not use my pocketknife when it might injure someone near me.
• I promise never to throw my pocketknife for any reason.
• I will use my pocketknife in a safe manner at all times.

Thus prepared, our scouts were able to receive their Pinewood Derby cars! Let the construction begin!

Pinewood Derby Madness...(4-18-08)

Pack 4684's Annual Pinewood Derby was an absolute success!

All the elements came together for a perfect event.

The leadership kept things running smoothly. (mostly)
The track crew kept racing operations at a quick and exciting pace.
The parents and families of our boys showed their support with plenty of cheering and applause.
And the boys? Well, the Cubs brought some beautiful car designs and plenty of enthusiasm to the races.
No doubt about it, this was one for the history books.

Take a look!

There was a ton of work that went into the PWD before race day.
My job was to rustle up the trophies.

Not too shabby, eh?





On race day, the independent race officials that the Cubmaster contracted set up this way-cool aluminum track that had a spring-loaded starting gate, a cushioned backstop and even an electronic finish line!
Oh yeah, high...tech.








And here was the ringmaster behind the whole circus. I never did catch his name, but he ran a really clean race and kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Nicely done.









The most tedious part of the race was the weigh-in. This brought upon many last-minute adjustments, hot-gluing and hole-drilling. But in the end, everybody got to race.







Finally, it was time to race.
The boys would line up their cars at the gate...







...the audience would chant "3...2...1...GO!!!"











...and the cars would zip down the track to the cheers of the crowd.











Once at the finish line, the boys would pick up their cars and run them to the start for their next run.






I was particularly proud of my little guy. Moreso, I was very proud of the way the other Cubs cheered for him and gave their support.We were one big happy pack family.







One of my favorite parts of the night was watching the faces of the boys as their cars were blasting down the track...










Their looks of anticipation and concentration were priceless!










Finally, the races came to an end and four Cubs rose above the rest to claim the trophies...


4th Place went to M.S. of our very own East Village Den.








3rd Place went to C.L., another East Village Cub.








2nd Place went to M.G.P., yet another East Village Cub!








But a clean sweep wasn't in our Den's future, thanks to the efforts of K.H., who scooped up the 1st Place trophy along with the fastest time of the night. Very impressive!






Yeah, it was definitely a night to remember.
For me, the greatest pleasure I got out of the event was watching the boys not only talk about the values of sportsmanship, but live them as well. And while not everyone got a trophy, nobody went home disappointed either.
Doesn't matter. To me, they're all winners.

Pinewood Derby!!!

***ANNOUNCEMENT***

To all the Families and Friends of the East Village Den,
Tomorrow (Friday, April 18), our Pack will be holding its annual Pinewood Derby race!
It will be held at the LDS Church building on Wasatch Blvd.
Cars will be weighed in between 6:00 pm and 6:30.
Our first race starts at 6:30 pm sharp!

For those of you who have never attended a PWD before, it is a Cub Scouting tradition where the boys race gravity-powered cars they have carved themselves out of a block of wood.
It's always neat to see their creativity at work!
I hope to see you there.