Scouting alive and well with local Pinewood Derby
Feb 22, 2022 09:15PM ● By Andrea Anderson
By Andrea Anderson | [email protected]
Cub Scout Troop 3051 held its annual Pinewood Derby on Feb. 5 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and in a NASCAR-worthy showdown, the heats were indeed a competition of speed and skill.
On the finely-tuned track of Tim and Betty Shaw, their expert crew of officials sponsored a real nail-biter. The track, which records speed within ten-thousandths of a second created an ideal downforce and every car made it through the finish line.
Although many heats were neck-to-neck, the single car track didn't give any one competitor a drafting advantage, although the racers certainly learned the value of weight, aerodynamics and the benefits or issues created by tire camber. Some heats could not have determined a winner with the naked eye. Fortunately, the Shaw track comes with a NASA-level calibrated timer which records time within one-hundredth of a second.
Derby fans from all generations were represented and cheered the boys on, with cars named like “Speed Demon” and “USS Santa.” The top three participants were: 2022 Winner overall, Aiden Henry; 2022 Second Place overall, Truman Prime; and 2022 Third Place overall, Kaiden Hunter.
Scouts thanked their pit crews consisting of parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who helped carve, sand, glue, paint, design, tighten, weigh and design the Derbys, continuing for another year of this long-standing scouting tradition. Jolynn Dickerson is the troop leader.
Girls and boys interested in scouting are welcome to join any time throughout the year. They meet Tuesdays at 7 p.m. at the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 8500 S. 700 East.
