just a week late....

Sorry it has taken me so long to post a Pinewood Derby update...so much for getting it done that same weekend. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part.

The Pinewood Derby has been on our minds since Mid-January when Broderick began to work on his car. For those of you who don't know, each boy is given a block of wood, 4 nails, and 4 wheels, and is to design a car of their choice. After a trip to the Scout store, Sears for some tools, the craft store for decals, along with countless hours of sawing, sanding, painting, and accessorizing we finally had a completed car.


Cars had to be turned in the week before the race and were officially weighed and measured. The car could only weigh 5 ounces and there were also requirements for length, width, and height, as well as spacing of the wheels and axles. Broderick's car was 4.99 ounces and although it was a little too long, he passed his inspection and his car was determined to be 'ready to race'. The den leaders held the cars in the "garage" until race day.


Race day started out with each boy receiving their pit pass, refueling tickets (for hot dogs, chips, and soda), and being taken to the pit area (where only Scouts with pit passes were allowed). The boys then went on a parade lap around the building waving flags before the race began. Broderick was a little overwhelmed and wasn't sure what to think, but very quickly warmed up to the excitement of it all.



Broderick was so excited during his first chance to race on the track. His car was neck and neck all the way down the track and was the second to finish his first race. He was elated and came straight over to us to tell us he got second-we assured him that we saw the whole thing. Even Camden was so excited for him!!

The track was 40 feet long and all computerized. That was a good thing, since many times you couldn't really tell whose car won. Everything was projected on a screen (from boys name, rank, and car's name---Broderick's car was "Dragon", to the finishing times and places for each race). Throughout the day each boy was able to race on every lane of the track and everyone had a chance to press the starting button. All of their times were then averaged to determine final winners. This was time consuming, but the fairest way that it could have been done.

Broderick's overall time was 5th in the Tiger den, and 11th in the pack. We were very proud of how he reacted and how he cheered on the other scouts. He was most proud of getting the "Best Driver in the Car" award (he glued R2D2 and a Lego guy on his car). His car wasn't the prettiest out there, but you could definitely tell that he did it. John and I did very little in the building of his car.



They even let the siblings who had made cars (which Camden did) have their own race. Camden had a little more help on his (which may be why his car was a bit faster than Broderick's). Camden's overall time beat Broderick's by about a 1/2 second. Camden came very close to winning his race. His car was only 0.001 second slower than the winning car (in the sibling race). Great thing it was computerized! His race was definitely too close to call!

The event lasted for about 3 1/2 hours and even Adalynn did great. As long as we continued to feed her and let her roll around on the dirty floor, she was happy. It was a great day and we all had a lot of fun!