Pinewood Derby!!!

Hello, friends! 

Last week, Cub Scout Pack 481 in Omaha held it's annual Pinewood Derby. We had 23 competitors build cars that we raced throughout the morning, including cars built by Thaliea and Ezra. Thaliea got the bronze medal and Ezra was just one point off the prestigious Turtle Award. It was good times had by all. 

Well, mostly all... 

I will be absolutely honest. The Pinewood Derby is not one of the most favorite things that the Scouts do. Growing up, I was never good at the Pinewood Derby so I don't have fond memories from that. In fact, the only memory I do have is cutting my finger so badly while trying to carve my car that I had to go to the ER. I still have the scar. 

Of course, I'll keep doing the Derby because the kids want to do the derby. I do love seeing their faces as they pick out a car design and get to use a band saw and power sander (with adult supervision of course). It's fun watching their visions come to life, even if it's super stressful for me as a dad because I want their cars to be perfect and for them to feel good about what they've accomplished, while full well knowing that I don't have the woodworking skill to actually put together a winning car and that ultimately, they'll probably be disappointed at the end of the day. 

This year, Ezra's car was much harder to put together than Thaliea's. He went with a really cool sleek and aerodynamic design that would have been great except that I didn't have the tools or the supplies to add any weight to the car. Coming in at just under 2.5 ounces (the limit is 5 ounces), gravity was not going to be his friend. 

Thaliea's Barbie inspired car didn't have that problem. Hers was boxier which meant I could carve out part of the body to put some weights in it. Apparently, we did something right because she did take third place. 

All in all, I have to remember that it's about the kids having fun. I've come to peace with the fact that it would take more money and time than I'm willing to spend to make their cars perfect. I'm hoping that at the end of the day, they remember the good times of the Derby and not the underlying stress of car making. 

Have an excellent day! 

~Adam