One of the biggest events in Cub Scouts is the Pinewood Derby. The boys build their own cars (with parental help) and then race them! It's a ton of work but a lot of fun.
The boys got started working on their cars at one of our pack's derby workshops on a chilly, rainy 37° day. Gene did most of the work with the bandsaw but the boys assisted with sanding, drilling holes, and doing some calculations on weight.
It was really cold!
After making four cars (two speed cars and two demolition cars), the next step was painting, applying decals and a top coat, and finally naming and registering our cars. Here's Henry on Derby Day!
The cars: Henry's speed car, Mr. Fasty
Will's speed car, Starfire
Henry's demolition car, Fireball
Will's demolition car, Skull Crusher
The Tigers raced first. Mr. Speedy came in first in the first heat, but didn't make it to the top three.
Boom! Fireball was the winner for the Tigers!
So excited that his car won!
Next up were the speed races for the Bears.
Starfire was good, placing second in each of its heats.
Finally, it was time for the Bears' demolition derby. This was the biggest group of cars to race.
Will's car, Skull Crusher, was actually knocked out of the first race, but it came back to win the loser's bracket and compete in the final round.
Skull Crusher lost a wheel (see it in the upper right hand corner?) right before the last race.
Somehow, even with only three wheels, Will's car won the demolition derby for the Bears!
Who knew we could make such good demolition cars? (We didn't!)
The very last race of the day was the top four demolition cars. Will's three-wheeled car was knocked out and he placed fourth overall, but Henry's Fireball beat the other boys' cars to win the pack championship in the demolition derby! Our pack leader said that this was the first time a Tiger had won first place. And, even though Gene helped a ton with the cars, the boys chose their own designs, and Henry was especially particular about how he wanted his cars built.
Award ceremony -- Gene was the emcee for the event and did an amazing job. Will got the fourth place trophy,
and Henry won first place.
We've had a few friends ask for demolition derby tips, but I'm not sure we have any. There was definitely fair bit of luck involved, but I think it's safe to say we'll be using very similar designs next year!
My demolition derby trio.
That's a wrap on Pinewood Derby 2015!
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