Cub Scout Pack 14 held their annual Pinewood Derby on Saturday, February 1st at First United Methodist Church in Brownwood where scouts showed their car building skills as their creations raced to the finish line.
First place in the event went to Zachary Ellis with his car The Bolt, second place was earned by Blake Miller with Dragon Fire, and third place went to Travis Miller with Swat Mobile. There were 34 cars entered in the derby, and following the derby, the open race had 11 entries.
Additional awards were presented to many other cars, such as Best Cub Scout Theme, Most Realistic, Most Aerodynamic, Best Wedge Shape, Most Animalistic, Best Paint Job, Best Vehicle Not a Car, Most Colorful, Most Decals, Most Patriotic, Most Futuristic, Most Original Design, Most Likely Made by a Parent, Most Likely to Get a Ticket, Most Humorous, Most Box Like, and an annual favorite, the Cub Master’s Slow Poke Award.
Cubmaster Steve Ellis was the announcer during the race. He explained to the participants the history of the Pinewood Derby as well as outlined some basic rules.
First, the importance of learning craft skills—to make a vehicle. Second, each participant was asked to follow some basic rules such as building a vehicle to the event specifications having a certain weight and size. Third, the lesson of sportsmanship—how to behave both before and after the race, no matter how the participant placed.
“Do your best, that’s what it is all about,” said Ellis to the scouts entered in the race.
As a long held tradition in the Cub Scouts, the Pinewood Derby teams an adult coach and a Cub Scout as they design, carve, paint, weigh, refine, and race the car. The races were held in lame rotation and the winners were based on time, with the top three cars winning trophies. Several categories of awards were given for the design of the cars as well.
The cars raced on a special track made possible by a grant from the E.P. Woodruf Trust, in time for last year’s event. The trustees of the Woodruf Trust gave the money for the pack to be able to purchase this track which is used not only for Pack 14 but for others; it is also used in the district event each March.
The first Pinewood Derby was held in 1953 by Cub Scout Pack 280C of Manhattan Beach, California, operated by the North American Aviation Management Club. It was the brainchild of Cubmaster Donald Murphy. The derby, publicized in Boys’ Life in October 1954, was an instant and enduring hit. The magazine offered plans for the track and car, which featured “four wheels, four nails, and three blocks of wood.”
While the exhilaration of the actual race lasts only moments, the Pinewood Derby experience lasts a lifetime. The benefits for Cub Scout and adult are discovered through the derby process itself: strengthening bonds, sharing responsibility, developing teamwork, learning new skills, exercising creativity, building sportsmanship, and making new friends.
Pictured above are the top winners: Zachary Ellis (1st Place), Blake Miller (2nd Place) and Travis Miller (3rd Place). Please see photo gallery below for more photos of the event and winners.
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