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Post date: Feb 26, 2018 1:37:23 PM
Just a reminder that there is a little over 10 days left until our pinewood derby!
A few notes:
The weigh in will be in lieu of our normal Pack Meeting this Thursday, March 8 at 6:45pm. Weigh will be held at the First Methodist Church not Mill Pond.
Please make sure to have the scout's name and den # on the bottom of the car. Also write the scout's name on the shoebox.
"Masters Division": Parents, if you were a scout dig out your car and bring it to the derby! We will hold a special race just for these cars.
We have lots of volunteer slots to fill for the Thursday night weigh-In and Saturday Race Day. Please visit the signup genius to volunteer for a slot.
ALL cars competing in the derby MUST be complete and registered at the weigh-in. (Even if you have cars competing in the master’s division) We will not accept any unregistered cars the day of the derby!
***New this year**** Once your car has been inspected and registered we will be taping your shoebox and giving it back to you. Please bring your box on race day. If there is evidence of tape tampering it will be up to official’s discretion to disqualify the car.
Rules and tips are listed below as a reminder.
1st Time Derby Racers: our track is raised in the center. (See attached pictures) Please keep this in mind if adding weights to the bottom of your car! If the weights are not recessed your car will not move down the track! We have a limited supply of tools on hand the night of the weigh for emergency repairs but we don't have anything to make recessed openings!
Timing / Important Dates
· The official car check/weigh-in is Thursday, March 8th @ 6:45pm at the Methodist Church.
· The car check/weigh-in will take the place of our ordinary Pack Meeting for March.
· All cars that will participate in the PWD must be checked and weighed-in at this time (including sibling/family cars--see below).
· No further changes to cars are allowed after the car check/weigh-in.
· Race Day will be Saturday, March 10th at the Mill Pond Cafeteria. Races start @ 12 noon; doors are tentatively scheduled to open @ 11:30am. More details will follow as Race Day approaches.
Rules
The 2017 rules sheet is attached. We follow the rules for our Cub Scout District race. The rules are largely the same as in past years.
In addition to the rules sheet, there are a few additional important requirements/highlights/clarifications that apply to the Pack 33 PWD:
DO NOT:
· Do not use any "wet" lubricant or the "white" style graphite. Dry, powdered graphite is acceptable and is gray/silver in color.
· Do not melt lead.
· Do not use different colored wheels -- only use the wheels that come in your official kit. Wheel width cannot be changed/narrowed.
DO:
· The Scout's name and den number must be written in permanent marker on the bottom of the car
· The car is to be brought to the car check/weigh-in in a shoebox that also has the Scout's name and den number written on it.
· In between the car check/weigh-in and Race Day, we store all the cars in a very small closet in the church, which is why we ask you to use a shoebox. If you do not use a shoebox, please use the smallest container possible.
· The car cannot weigh more than the official pack 5 oz. test weight.
· The car must fit inside the size box as defined in the rules. (See attached pictures for an idea.)
· All Scouts, Siblings and Parents are required to have fun!
Awards
· Race Trophies will be awarded to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd fastest times overall, the fastest Tiger Scout of the Pack and the 1st place for each Den (provided they are not already in the above categories).
· The top racers and the fastest Tiger Cub will move on and compete at the District race to be held in April. This is a big deal, with dozens of scouts from surrounding towns competing for some serous trophies.
· Many Scouts are less concerned with speed than looks. Some go for both. In addition to racing the Scouts' cars, we display them and have all attendees votes on certain "looks" categories. This year we plan to award the top vote-getters in the following categories, and the judges will retain discretion to add more come Race Day:
o Best Paint Job
o Most Futuristic Looking Car
o Most Realistic Looking Car
o Fastest Looking Car
o Most Patriotic
o Funniest
o Most Creative
o Judge`s Favorite
o Most Decals
o Shiniest Paint Job
o Best Cub Scout/Pack 33 Spirit
o Most Independent (i.e., looks like it was done with the least amount of adult help)
o Best Character from the Movies/Literature/Video Games (e.g., some recent cars have looked like Minions, Muppets and Minecraft characters)
o Most Old-Fashioned/Classic/Antique Looking Car
o Most Alive-Looking
Resources & Tips
· If your car is less than 5 oz. you should be OK. We recommend that you use a kitchen food scale to weigh your car, or bring it to the post office and have them put it on their scale. There is still no guarantee that this will meet the test weight requirement, so we also recommend that your weight be adjustable. If you use pennies or screws for weight, you can add and remove them to adjust weight. Don't get too complicated with parts that might fall off during the race. You cannot put anything back on once the racing starts.
· If adding weights to the underside of the car, please make sure they are recessed (not sticking out). In the attached pictures you will see what the track looks like. If the weights are not flush with the wood they will not clear the track.
· What should the Scout do vs. a parent?
o Parental involvement is key and, from a safety perspective, vitally important. The level of parental involvement will and should vary from Scout to Scout, and will likely diminish over the years for each Scout (i.e., from Tiger Cub to Webelo). Use your own judgment.
o Here are a few take 'em or leave 'em suggestions:
· Most Scouts can "design" their car. Should it be a race car? Look like a rocket ship? Have a Lego guy on it? Etc. Help them draw it out.
· Most Scouts can paint their cars. Paint pens are a great idea for younger Scouts and for detail work.
· The "first-cut" of the wood block and affixing the axles to the car often requires more parental involvement.
· Parents can really help with understanding and complying with the rules, and dealing with any weight issues.
· Almost all sanding = Scouts
· Decals = Scouts, all the way
· Some good places for PWD tools and materials are:
o Scout stores and Lowes (in town) or Home Depot.
o Michael’s in Northborough has good craft stuff.
o Don't forget Bob's Wooden Toys Workshop (@ Trombetta's) if you need help getting your cars built/cut. They have 50 different patterns, weights, paints, and a scale and will make the cutting part of the job fast and easy for you. Use of patterns, hammers, and scale are free.
Race Day
· Parents, we will be looking for volunteers for both car check/weigh-in and Race Day!
· We will have volunteers run an area selling hotdogs, popcorn, drinks, etc., during the races.
Race Day has a really exciting, carnival-like atmosphere. There is a lot going on everywhere you look. It is a great family event, so please bring the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and anyone else who might enjoy the races!
The pack will send additional reminders as we get closer to Race Day. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact myself, Kristina, Scott or Damien.
Have fun building!
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