Pinewood Derby: Crafting Art Out of Wood With Dad

Many of us guys remember making a Pinewood Derby car, and for most of us, I'd wager it's a happy memory. The best part for me was getting a little one-on-one time with my old man in his basement shop. Depending on your dad’s personality, maybe you got your hands on some of those coveted tools, maybe you didn’t.

I had the opportunity to relive a small piece of my childhood over the past week with my boy, because Tiverton’s Cub Scout Pack 10 had their race on Sunday. I think I was pretty good about letting my son use the hand tools, but the table saw is a little too much for my 7-year-old. The culmination of the derby is the race of course, and I do remember that I came in third, and I got a ribbon for “most original.” My mom told me that original meant that it looked the most like a real race car, you know, like the original. That still makes perfect sense to me. It
isn’t where you place in the race that is the most important thing, then or now.

My boy came in fourth place, and he was a little disappointed. It was a good teaching moment, I got to explain how winning isn’t everything and all that sort of thing. The time I spent with my Dad leading up to the race it is one of my happiest memories of him. I can't think of many things better than lovingly crafting a work of art out of a chunk of wood with your old man.