TOPIC: Beating the Cheaters

Well, this year was my son's final Pinewood Derby. We ran it yesterday and had a great time. It was our fourth year and we have learned a lot, especially my little buddy. Not just about building something good, but also about what you shouldn't do as a competitor. Our little race as been a clean one every year but this one.
We had two new scouts transfer to our pack 2 weeks before the little race. I didn't know them, but I remembered one of the dad's from last years big district race. (our first year to make it that far)
At the district race they had blown away the competition with cars purchased from the internet.



So this year they show up our pack race with the exact same cars (even still had last years date on the bottom) from the district race from last year. (Still had the inspection sticker on the bottom also.)

That's 2 major rule infractions:
scout helps build a new car every year, not buy one and reuse.

But the good news was this...

My son's little hotrod edged them out at the line nearly every heat and won the trophy. Man, were they pissed.

Congrats Andrew. Some people get very ate up about these races. Of course it's mostly the dads. Our Pack back in Oklahoma use to take care of this by having a dad's race with different classes. Pretty much took care of that problem. The winner in the unlimited class was a mostly solid chunk of lead made to look like a #2 Pencil, paint and all. Ended up pushing the pillow stop at the end about a foot every time! LOL

Bob

Waterwings wrote:

Congrats Andrew. Some people get very ate up about these races. Of course it's mostly the dads. Our Pack back in Oklahoma use to take care of this by having a dad's race with different classes. Pretty much took care of that problem. The winner in the unlimited class was a mostly solid chunk of lead made to look like a #2 Pencil, paint and all. Ended up pushing the pillow stop at the end about a foot every time! LOL

Bob

I wish someone would just care enough to enforce the rules already in place. Problem solved.

Oh I hear ya. They did that too but also figured if you give the dads their own race group it might help deter them trying to cheat anyway. Stop them trying to relive their childhoods through their kids so to speak.

Bob

Way back when my son was in Cub Scouts, I helped him build his Pinewood Derby car. Actually, I helped too much. Anyway, we put a cut-off Star Wars storm trooper in the drivers seat, added 1/4" stainless tubing for lake pipes, weighted the bottom with lead and I even cut the wheels to run on a sharpened edges. It was painted bright red and we graphited the wheels/axles. It weighed exactly as much as it should have. It was beautiful. It was slow. The winner of the meet and the eventual winner of the whole county was the "Bombmobile," the worst looking, flat black glob of pine wood on wheels you've ever seen. The 10 year old boy owner/builder made it entirely himself and it looked ridiculous...but it rolled down that ramp at warp speed every time. Old dad learned a lesson that day. My son built the following year's "Greedo-mobile" himself.

Its amazing that people will buy a $100 car and run it over and over. Where are the leaders? Asleep?

I tried to join the scouts as a kid and a small group from where we were from were not allowed to join. We were from a notoriously bad reputation part of town.

But when my oldest boy joined way back in the 80's I was working all afternoon,and all weekends a month but one and could not go with him. They more or less told me if I could not attend with him not to have my wife drop him off and pick him up. I told them where they could shove their scouts. This is not to be a rant but I have no room for the organization in my heart. Screw me as a kid and all was forgiven but do it to my son and you exceeded my grace.

robert-lorigan wrote:

I tried to join the scouts as a kid and a small group from where we were from were not allowed to join. We were from a notoriously bad reputation part of town.

But when my oldest boy joined way back in the 80's I was working all afternoon,and all weekends a month but one and could not go with him. They more or less told me if I could not attend with him not to have my wife drop him off and pick him up. I told them where they could shove their scouts. This is not to be a rant but I have no room for the organization in my heart. Screw me as a kid and all was forgiven but do it to my son and you exceeded my grace.

Nearly all Cub Scout troops have a hard and fast rule about parent participation. I believe this is more about protecting the kids and themselves from liability than excluding kids. It's a shame your son and you had bad experiences.

Andrew that's awesome! Big congratulations to your boy.

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Jan, post us some pics of the "Greedo-mobile" if you have any! It's amazing how the ugliest little cars and be the best ones sometimes. My our first attempt looked bad and was so slow we had to wait for it to cross the finish.

Duncan1960, your right, amazing that anyone would drop a $100 plus to NOT spend the time with there kid.

Robert-lorigan, I'm so sorry to hear you the have bad memories. You both missed something that can be special if done the right way.