The year was 1967. I was in the second grade. I was in class wearing my spiffy Cub Scout uniform, along with the other classmates who were members of the local pack. We had a den meeting after school that day, and we wore our uniforms to school.
But this afternoon's meeting was a special one. We were to receive our Pinewood Derby kits!
The denmaster had been talking about the Pinewood Derby for weeks, building up our anticipation to nearly the breaking point in the process. I mean, what could be cooler than cars screaming down a track, with the winning entry getting a real trophy?
The concept of cars screaming down tracks is a natural thriller for young boys. That's why Hot Wheels was such an instant hit. But Hot Wheels wasn't around yet in 1967. So we Cub Scouts were able to get our speed rush via the Pinewood Derby.
That afternoon, we were finally given our kits, along with instructions to have our fathers help us transform them into screaming machines driven by gravity alone.
Interestingly, nearly every boy in the room had fathers AND mothers living in the same home back then. Today's instructions no doubt mention visitation circumstances.
Anyhow, we ran home as eagerly as we could with our prizes. And as soon as dad had some time to spare, we went to work.
Dads got as big a kick out of making the cars as did the kids, as I recall. The big blocks of wood would require carving, cutting, sanding, painting, waxing, and strategic weighting. These activities were far over the head of a seven-year-old, so help was essential.
The key for dads, though, was knowing where to draw the line between "helping" and handling the whole process themselves.
My dad did great. He handled the carving parts, but let me do the sanding and spray painting (my car was a jet black, a color we just happened to have sitting on the garage shelf). I nailed the wheels on, and dad screwed fishing sinkers to the underbelly. I would say that he did exactly as the originator of the program, Don Murphy, was hoping for in 1953 when it all started.
The derby itself took place in the lunchroom of Nichols School in Miami, Oklahoma. The tables and chairs had been folded away that Friday night, and the magical track was set up in the middle of the room. It was the most gorgeous thing I'd ever seen.
The room was full of excited kids and parents as the competition began.
My beautiful jet black racer was unfortunately not very fast. I remember winning one heat on the two-lane track, and getting blown away in the second round. Trophies were awarded to the top three finishers in each division (Wolf, Bear, Webelos). Everyone else got a ribbon. Needless to say, I was a ribbon winner.
But I still have fond memories of that night. And it did indeed bring a father and son closer together. I discussed that Pinewood car with dad many years later, and he still remembered it.
In researching the Pinewood Derby, I found several sites that offer guarantees of winning cars if you buy their plans, or you get your money back. But I like to think that there are still a few fathers out there who have the time to spend with their sons to build a racer completely from scratch, using only the designs in their collective heads, and possibly even beating out cars that are "guaranteed" to win.
Comments (2)
How about Soap Box Derby? My brother built a couple of them, one year won the "Hard Luck Trophy"
Posted by Linda Carrico | April 20, 2007 12:37 PM
Posted on April 20, 2007 12:37
Cub Scout Pack 700 checking in! Pinewood Derby Day! I must say, I was not very good at this! At least making them! I couldn't for the life of me see how to cut a trim speedster out of a block of wood with a dull official cub scout knife??? Now looking back, I am sure my friends who had the neat purfect contured racers were having helf from Pa or his tool kit? Dad did help me out one year! The nailed on plastic tires were just that! No frills! The neat part was how people painted them up and decaled them! I remember with friends cutting little compartments in the bottom and placing lead chips in them to get qa heavier weight! Little did we realize that heavier meant more drag!My racers always seemed to not go very fast! The wooden tracks were always brought in for the derbys! I guess BSA furnished them? My racers tended to look like blocks of woood compaired to my friends sleek racers! Never won and trophys! But that's ok, it was fun anyway! Something that also escaped my cub scout experience was the rocket racing. Remember the rockets on a long string that were propelled by a propeller in the rear? We never did that? However, I did win award for my exposition of World Explorer stuff! Too Cool!
Posted by Rivers End | January 6, 2009 9:56 AM
Posted on January 6, 2009 09:56