Pinewood Derby – 2018

On 3 April 2018, OR 1531 had their first ever Pinewood Derby.  After the opening ceremony and a brief discussion about sportsmanship, the evening was dedicated entirely to fun!  It was a double elimination and the competion was fierce.  The track was admittedly homemade, but this only added to the intensity and injected a certain amount of unpredicability, with vehicles occasionally careening off the track if the vehicles rubbed wheels.  A station was placed near the track to make any needed repairsor adjustments for the next race.

After the winner bracket was completed, the Trailmen took a break to enjoy some pizza provided by a parishioner who donated some Domino’s gift certificates.  He appreciated the boys cleaning St. Barbara’s cemetary and the tombstones of the veterans buried there, including his father.

The boys then proceeded to see who would challenge the “Dart” in the final match-up.  Each match-up was a best of three series with the boys alternating tracks.  At the end of the evening, the semi-final was brother against brother, the “Speed Waver” against “The Fin.”  The older brother won the match-up in a 2-1 victory to meet the undefeated “Dart.  Despite the Dart’s derailment on the first run, he came back to take the next two and was hailed as OR-1531’s first Champion of the Pinewood Derby!

Of course, the boys weren’t done and continued to race until parents peeled them away.  It was an evening of pure joy at seeing eachother do well and tinkering with their car to improve it’s performance.  It was also a great capstone for the boys’ exploration into hobbies, woodworking, and power tools.