Pinewood Derby 2014

A couple of weeks ago we went to the Pinewood Derby race for Ethan's cub scout troop.  If you're not familiar with the Pinewood Derby it's an annual racing event for The Boy Scouts in which each scout is given a kit that includes a block of wood, four tires and four nails.  A car is built from that kit usually with the help of a parent and then it's put to the test at the Pinewood Derby.  This is what the kit looks like.

A few weeks before, Joe and Ethan did some research online to  find a design that Ethan wanted for his car.  This is what they decided to go with.

 

 Joe added some weights in the back to make the car heavier so it would go down the track faster.  Then we sanded it down.  Once that was done, Ethan and I started talking about colors and decals and what he wanted his car to look like.  We went with blue (since that's his favorite color right now) and he liked the idea of flames down the sides so that's what we did.  Joe put on the wheels and we were ready to go.





  

When you get to the derby the first thing you do is have your weighed.  Derby cars cannot weigh more than 5 ounces. Then your car is put with the other cars while you wait to race.

 





This is video of Ethan's first race of the day against his friend "K".  They were both so excited!

 

Ethan didn't win this year but was excited to get his derby patch and he's already looking forward to next year!