Pinewood Derby

Today was the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. For those unfamiliar with scouts, this is a Big Day in the life of a Cub. Several weeks before the big day, the boys get a car-making kit – a block of wood, some axles and wheels, and they (um, and their Dads) design a car to race. There are some exact specifications that must be followed. The only one I am sure of is the 5-ounce weight limit.

So James (with lots of help) made his car; I think Cris had as much fun as he did. Last night they had to take them to the meeting place to be weighed and impounded for the night. This was to prevent any funny business to make that car go faster down the ramp.

James’s races was scheduled for 11 am today. We arrived shortly before 11, to be told that they were running a few minutes behind. At one point I realized I’d forgotten to remind him not to cry or get mad if he lost. (If you know James you understand this.) At another point Cris (ever the optimist) realized he’d forgotten to remind him not to gloat if he won. At noon his den’s turn came. He won all 6 races!  Which meant he advanced to the finals.

Talk about mixed emotions. Eleanor was bored. (I admit it – I was too.)  We had lunch waiting at home. And a dog, trapped in the house.

Oh well, the hotdogs were cheap and everything was going so late we didn’t have much longer to wait. The finals came up. James made it through the first round. Now we could see he was getting tense.  The final round was not like the others; there was no clear winner showing up. Then there had to be a tie-breaker! Oh, the suspense!

Finally it was all over. James had won third place! He was very happy and very relieved. He has a nice little trophy and, of course, his car. He and Cris are going to build a special shelf for it. (That’s because his dresser and bookcase are all covered with stuff and it just seems easier to build something new than clean them up.)

Four hours later we got home to a very happy (and ready to go outside) dog. James is tired but happy.