PINE WOOD DERBY TIME

Dear Family,

Spring is here and it is time for all good cub scouts and their Dads to build a Pine Wood Derby car and race in int the local Cub Pack Pine Wood Derby. Winners go to the district Derby race.

Having had eight sons in Cub Scouts and with Mom as a Cub Scout den leader, we had our share of pine wood derby cars. Here is a picture of one of our early specimens before we went pine wood car Spazz.

We lived in Boston where most of the fathers in the church were engineers and scientists. After the very first competition, it was clear that this was not about nine year old boys building cars but mostly about fathers, their manhood and reputation! Our first attempts were primitive. On the second one, Rick and I built a beautiful version of a "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" car with all the accessories and it was gorgeous but it came in second. We then tried to win speed and we ground the wheels to thin discs, polished the nail axles but we could never beat the engineers and their sons.

The move to Michigan was worse as many of the Dads were automotive engineers and put all their engineering skills to produce winners. We kept making cars and it was fun mostly for the Dads.

There are a lot of rules now but once Jim Pack one of Roy's friends participated in a unlimited Pine Wood Derby race for members of the Elders Quorum. One guy entered a little car that when it started down the track, friction ignited a little rocket engine built into its rear. That did not win because it flew all over the place. Jim built one where the car was firmly anchored to a long stretch of surgical rubber tubing stretched along the track. when he pulled the car back, it was like a sling shot and he won the race.

Now the Pine Wood Derby car building has shifted down a generation. Here is a picture of Roy's boys, Adam and Sam with the cool Hummer and race car.

Doug has an eighty page book on the subject and

Mike is gearing up for his kids. So fun to see this happening and the fathers working so hard to make the best car.

Upcoming events include our Missionary Reunion at our home on Friday. There is the Father's and Sons After General Priesthood Meeting Barbecue this Saturday at our house and the Easter Egg Hunt at Mike's on Sunday

Alles Gute and good luck with the cars!

Love, Opa