A Pinewood Derby Win

This is my son's first year in the Boy Scouts.  Last Saturday was the Pinewood Derby.  It's ....kinda a big deal around here ...big enough for Dan to fly home early from Cancun to attend.

Dan one first place for the whole derby when he was in the second grade.  That's him at the end of the track with his arms above his head and the huge smile on his face.  Like I said.... kinda a big deal.

The pack leader hands all the kids a kit that they are supposed to assemble into a derby car with minimal help.  When we asked more specifically about how much help they can have, we were given the estimate of 80% parent help to 20% scout participation.  

After cutting and sanding the wooden block to match Riley's conceptional drawing, Dan and Riley drilled holes in the under side of the car.  They filled the back with fishing weights and wood putty, leaving the front holes open.  Their goal was for the back to be much heavier then the front, but to stay under the 5 ounce limit.

The derby cars have to all be weighed in the night before the race.  Once turned in, they are not to be touched by anyone other then the leaders running the race until the racing is complete. We arrived at 8:45 in the morning and were uber impressed by our competition.

The tracks were all digital and hooked up to a projected computer for everyone to view.

For ultimate fairness, every car raced on each of the three lanes once until the finals.  All scores were averaged and the cars were re-raced for the finals.

After everything was tallied, Riley was awarded a trophy for third place in his den.  While receiving his trophy on stage, his comment was, "Why not second?"  Overall he is happy but very motivated to make his car even faster next year.