Above: Pinewood Derby winners are determined by speed. But Cub Scouts get to choose pack favorites – so it’s also a great showcase for personal style. (image edited from photo by Joao Melo)
This weekend is one of the annual traditions in town that my family loves – the Cub Scouts’ Pinewood Derby. Making it even more fun – this year, Girl Scouts are joining the races.
In past years, the only non-Cub Scouts allowed to participate were parents and “Chipmunks” – siblings of pack members. This year, Girl Scouts are competing in their own slot.
If you aren’t familiar with the derby – Scouts started off with a simple wooden block and wheels on pins. They were encouraged to cut, shape and decorate the wood (and optionally add weights).
Tomorrow, cars will “gravity race” down a sloped track in several heats by age groups. Winners are determined by average speed over 6 heats (one in each of the track’s lanes.)
Cub Scouts can advance to pack finals, Town finals, and eventually district finals.
As part of the competition, Cub Scouts, Chipmunks and Girl Scouts all have to adhere to guidelines for weight, dimensions, parts, and some design restrictions.
(Those restrictions aren’t necessarily enforced for parents, who have been known to create some wild designs for their exhibition races.)
If you’d like to watch the fun and cheer on the “racers” you can head to Pilgrim Church’s hall this Saturday. Here is tomorrow’s schedule:
- Pack 1 – 8:30 – 10:30 am
- Pack 926 – 11:00 – 1:00 pm
- Girl Scouts – 1:00 – 2:30 pm
- Town Final – 2:30 – 3:00 pm
[Note: Racers, don’t forget that your registered cars need to be weighed and turned in tonight from 6:30 – 8:00 pm!]
