Pinewood Derby

We recently attended our first Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts and we brought home a trophy. He was really proud of himself and I’m glad it went well. The last thing I wanted was a repeat of my failed experience as a cub scout myself from when I was a boy.

My father had cut the template out of a block of wood for me earlier at his workplace. I remember being a little upset that he had taken it upon himself to decide what shape it needed to be (LOL). I did add a red coat of paint, a number, and a skull and crossbones. I thought it looked pretty cool and was excited for the tournament.

When we finally arrived at the derby, my brother and I surveyed the other cars and discovered that we were under prepared. We noticed that other scouts had bolts and screws onto their cars to make them heavier. When I asked another scout what advantage the weight made they looked at me like I was an idiot. Who would have thought that in a gravity race weight is key to winning? Evidently we were the few who made that mistake and we would pay for it dearly in terms of hurt pride and disappointment.

I can remember how the race played out clearly to this day. My car didn’t even make it down the track. I could overhear laughter at my expense and I was thoroughly embarassed. I just wanted to go home.