On Jan. 28, Syracuse's Cub Scout Pack 3828 held their annual Pinewood Derby at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church.
There were excited Cub Scouts everywhere as they watched their cars fly down the wooden track for nearly two hours. The finish was close, but most importantly everyone had fun.
The Pinewood Derby has been a tradition in Cub Scouts since Don Murphy founded the event in California in 1953.Murphy said, "I wanted to devise a wholesome constructive activity that would foster a closer relationship with father and son and promote craftsmanship and sportsmanship through the competition."
Cubmaster Bill Dixon shared the same reason for having this competition. He said that the activity is designed to provide opportunities for boys and their fathers or grandfathers to spend time together building relationships and cars. Dixon said this is a long-standing tradition in this area. He noted that the track used in the event is the same track he raced Pinewood Derby cars on when he was a boy.
Tiger Caleb Van Lue said that his favorite part of the event was racing. Bear Tyler Young said he enjoyed "making and weighing" his car. The cars for the event could weigh no more than 5 ounces when finished.
Just before Christmas, each Cub Scout was given a kit containing the parts for a car: a block of wood, four nails four axles, four wheels and some stickers. Then the boys took their kits home and worked with adults to design and build their own cars. Some boys spent more effort on looks, while others concentrated on speed. Boys said they worked with their moms, dads, grandfathers or mothers' boyfriends.
On Jan. 21, the Cub Scout pack had a worknight where boys could weigh their cars and get help, which really helped the boys who didn't have anyone to help them at home.
A group of six to eight adults and their families assembled the track, which Webelos Michael McCulloch said was his favorite part of the event.
At 5 p.m., the Cub Scouts began arriving for the official weighing-in of the cars. If the cars were too heavy, the Cub Scouts (with the help of adults) removed weights or drilled holes in the bottom of their cars to take off weight. If the cars were too light, Dixon advised the Scouts to add weight by putting lead in the bottom of the car or by adding coins.
Then at 6 p.m., the Pinewood Derby began. The Cub Scouts led by Josiah Waltz posted colors. Israel Waltz carried the American flag, Austin Bickel carried the state flag, and Dominick Sanderson carried the Scout flag. After the colors were posted, the racing began.
Beginning with the Wolves' cars, two cars were placed on the track and allowed to roll down the track powered only by the force of gravity. After all the Wolf Den had their opportunity to race in the double elimination race, the Tigers, Bears and Webelos followed.
Medals were given to the top four winners of each den. Every racer received a badge.
The first-place winners in the den competitions were Devon Dewitt (Wolf), E.J. Kirkpatrick (Tiger), Derek Dunithan (Bear) and Michael McCulloch (Webelos). Jared Wilczinski (Wolf), Jared Pritchard (Tiger), Tyler Young (Bear) and Logan McGuire (Webelos) placed second in their dens. Third-place finishers for each den were Korbin Sanderson (Wolf), Christian Wood (Tiger), Ian Gardner (Bear) and Maurice Waughfield (Webelos).
The winners of each den's race then faced off for the Pack championship. Tiger E.J. Kirkpatrick received the fourth-place trophy. Webelos Michael McCulloch walked away with the third-place trophy, while Wolf Devon Dewitt earned the second-place trophy. The overall winner was Bear Derek Dunithan.
After the final race, Dunithan said he felt very good. "It's very exciting because I like to win," he said.
Winners from the Syracuse pack will advance to the district competition in North Webster in March. Winners from districts will go on to the council competition in Fort Wayne in April. Other Scouts may choose to redo their cars and compete again in these competitions.
