Pinewood Derby

Tonight was the Boy Scout's annual Pinewood Derby. Now that Connor is one of the older troop members, he's part of the crew that run the cars from the finish back to the start and also helps set up the cars for each round. He seemed to be having fun with his job.

It's amazing how much all of the boys (and siblings and parents that are present) get into the race. Each race takes about 4 seconds - and every time the boys would count down to the start, there was an air of excitement in the room. (I became a bit bored at some point and decided to put my knitting needles to work on a dress I hope to finish for Helen by Easter - but any time Connor's car was racing, he would come by and make sure I knew.)

Each year brings with it great hopefulness. This year, Ed and Connor studied a video made by a NASA scientist about the optimal Pinewood Derby car. It was pretty interesting, and guided their strategy on the shape of the car. Each year, Connor goes into the competition feeling a win coming on. But except for the first year, when his car won but we were absent so he didn't get to witness it), speed hasn't been his thing.

So he's worked on the design aspect of the card, which comes with an award. Last year, he won for a Lego / Star Wars car. This year, he opted for The Shark.

Each time it raced down the track, kids would cheer for the shark. Except for one run, he was bested by others. But at the end of the night, when cheers would decide the winner, The Shark came out on top.

Congrats, Connor. I know you and your dad spent a lot of time on the car. I'm glad to have contributed the dremel I used to use to grind rough spots from the bottoms of pots I had made. You seemed to enjoy using that tool quite a lot, and your work with it seemed to have paid off.

Elaine