Families Gather for Pinewood Derby at Terra Centre

A long-running tradition in Cub Scouts continued this year as the young members of Pack 1345 gathered to race cars they built themselves in the annual pinewood derby.

 “This is a little slice of Americana,” Cubmaster Sam Conner of Pack 1345 said. “It’s essentially the same way it was fifty years ago.”

According to pinewoodpro.com, the pinewood derby was first developed in 1952 by a Cubmaster who wanted to create a new father-son activity he could do with his son, who was too young to race in the soap box derby in the area. The derby was rolled out to Cub Scout packs nationwide over the next decade. The rules for the pinewood derby still remain close to the original regulations written back in the ‘50s. Each Cub Scout is responsible for carving their car out of a wood block and decorating it within the regulations.

This year’s Pinewood Derby was particularly exciting because of the large number of Scouts involved, as the pack has grown to almost 60 students from schools in Burke, mostly from Terra Centre. Conner said that because of the large number, they increased the number of trophies and awards given out to include 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place in both speed and “best in show,” a category encompassing design.

“My favorite part of the pinewood derby is watching my kids when they see the car they’ve finished,” Conner said. “When they see that piece of wood that they’ve taken from start to finish and it’s ready to run. That’s the biggest thrill I get out of it.”

A computer generated the pairings of cars and kept track of race times throughout the day. Webelos I assistant den leader Lynn Becker ran the track and the computer system in the derby. He said the technology helps get more precise results.

“When I was a Boy Scout, there were two parents at the end kind-of looking to see which one won,” Becker said. “They might have said who was first or second but they didn’t measure the time.”

Webelos I den leader Marc Goldman acted as the master of ceremonies at the derby.

“I’m also the announcer for Georgetown basketball at the games, so any chance I get I grab a microphone and encourage the kids,” Goldman said. “[I] help give a positive message today so they’re all rooting for each other and not just being super competitive.”

The races started with the Tigers, the youngest den in the pack. It continued with Wolves, Bears, Webelos 1 and Webelos 2 at the end. Boy Scout volunteers from Pack 1345 helped check in the cars and carry them to and from the track.

Pack 1345 used to run the race as a head to head double elimination policy, but changed this last year to a more even-handed policy. Conner explained that they realized if one track was better than the other, it could lead to unfair advantages. Since cars could be eliminated after only running one or two races, the boys involved were also much more competitive.

Now, each car races four times, twice on each side of the track. The lowest score is dropped and the rest of the times are averaged to determine the winner.

“We actually don’t run any more races with this method than with the double elimination,” Conner said.

A concession stand run by parent volunteers sold a variety of drinks, hot dogs, and homemade baked goods. All proceeds went to Friends of Scouting.

A family atmosphere pervaded the event, as siblings of scouts helped cheer on their favorite car. Others worked away in the back of the room at the arts and crafts play table. An impromptu game of tag also was struck up in the courtyard of Terra Centre at one point. Becker also allowed one boy, too young for Cub Scouts currently, to race a blue and red car he made himself on the official pinewood derby track.

The winners for fastest car and best of show in each den will go on to district competition on March 5.

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Results

Tiger Den:

Place/AverageTime/First Name/Last Name
1st 2.9287  Henry Conner
2nd 2.9857 Ben Farren
3rd 2.9870 Ben Mattice

Best in Show (Tiger Den) : Noah Coplon

Wolf Den:

Place/AverageTime/First Name/Last Name
1st 2.9150 Zachary Morris
2nd 2.9487 Pierce Beima
3rd 3.0080 Aiden Leslie
Best in Show (Wolf Den) : Devin Collins

Bear Den:

Place/AverageTime/First Name/Last Name
1st 2.9383 Jason Underwood
2nd 2.9647 Brian Srock
3rd  2.9653 Chris Jacky

Best in Show (Bear Den) : Ethan Mitchell

Webelos I Den:

Place/AverageTime/First Name/Last Name
1st 3.0053 Phillip Beima
2nd 3.0070 Harry Chaklader
3rd 3.0083 Eric Becker
Best in Show (Webelos I Den) : Eric Noe

Webelos II (Pioneer) Den :

Place/AverageTime/First Name/Last Name
1st 2.9447 Nicholas Underwood
2nd 3.0870 PK Cocolis
3rd 3.0987 Ian Sutcliffe
Best in Show (Webelos II Den) : Ryan Santiago