Cub Scout Pinewood derby totaly out of control now

Wining the Pinewood derby has now become almost every dad’s mission in life…

I was amazed after watching my nephew’s pack race last weekend the dad’s had more intensity to win then the kids. I couldn’t help notice the complexity of the design of these cars supposedly built by 9 year olds. Rumor has it the winning car who won by 6 car lengths was bought as a complete unit online. I have a degree in Engineering and doubt I could build a car faster than the top 3 cars.

My nephew’s car came in 5th place out of 23 cars but he did almost all of the work himself. His uncle only helped him cantor the axles and verify they were at the correct angle (using trigonometry and a caliper). Everything else he did himself. I did make sure he understood what makes a fast car like potential energy (using weights) and friction being your enemy. Identifying where friction occurs and how to reduce it.

Yep you wanna ruin something for the kids just get the parents involved.

Still have a couple of the cars I ran back in those days. Nothing better than sitting down with that hunk of wood and widdling it yourself. One of the few times Mom didn’t yell at ya for making a mess with sharp objects in your room.

You want intense parents, go watch peewee hockey sometime. Crack up when my daughter lays out their boys and see them get huffy puffy. Princesses can get shockingly mean when picked on

yeah hockey parents are the worst, as a father and a coach i have seen some parents that enjoy the game and support all of the kids, but every now and then i have seen moms and dads get on thier kid because he didn’t go after a puck or didn’t score enough points in a game. i mean this is supposed to be the fun age and the game is supposed to be fun. to many parents trying to relive childhood memories or live through thier children.

This was at Olivia’s wrestling meet a couple days ago. She is sitting about 5 rows directly above this – scroll down to the vid

http://fox6now.com/2015/02/07/adults-behaving-badly-high-school-wrestling-match-sparks-crowd-fight/

That’s why I’m giving up tourney fishing. Once egos are involved the fun disappears. One bad apple spoils a whole bushel.

Randy Wieland wrote:

This was at Olivia’s wrestling meet a couple days ago. She is sitting about 5 rows directly above this – scroll down to the vid

http://fox6now.com/2015/02/07/adults-behaving-badly-high-school-wrestling-match-sparks-crowd-fight/

I saw that, what a shame. Being a graduate from a Lutheran HS and seeing how public/parochial schools mesh it didn’t surprise me though.

Yup,

Been my sons Den Leader since he was a Tiger Scout and he currently is a Webelos 1. I have been amazed at the length parents will go in the design and engineering of the cars to make sure their kid “wins”. Who is the race for anyway? You should hear the discussion of all the tools, youtube tips, kits on line with guarantees on the time to finish you can buy, graphite overdose, super lubes, cantoring the wheels etc…. Very frustrating as a Den Leader to hear the comments and watch the dads take over. I personally have my son design what he wants the car to be. Then we figure out how to cut the wood (don’t have all the cool tools you guys have). Found it to be the best with just a ruler, chisel, a hammer and some sand paper. That is it and we get it done. He didn’t win his rank division last year but won a heat and he was pumped. It is very cool when the kids cheer for their friends to win a race and if they don’t they are still having a ball.

My favorite was one year a guy came in with a triple layer paint job with clear coat hoping to wind the best design. For us the kids also vote for best looking car per scout rank as well timed winner for each scout rank. Lets’ just say they did not even place in the race or the design. This is a kid event, remember.

My son then won second in best design. We made a sword car. It wasn’t the prettiest but the kids liked it. Keep it simple and let the kid decide what they want therefore they own the outcome win or lose. Good lesson in life.

Derek

Gregg, I completely disagree with the interaction of religious schools and public having anything to do with it. I went through a Lutheran school from 1st grade to 11th before I was asked (told) to leave. Bad people attend both – there are great people in both. Comes down to a ridiculous amount of stupidity

Ish. This is the kind of crap that I’m not looking forward to. Whatever happened to letting kids be kids?

Although one doesn’t have to look far to find this kind of behavior I sure like to think (hope) That there are way more good parents out there.

Randy Wieland wrote:

Gregg, I completely disagree with the interaction of religious schools and public having anything to do with it. I went through a Lutheran school from 1st grade to 11th before I was asked (told) to leave. Bad people attend both – there are great people in both. Comes down to a ridiculous amount of stupidity

Agreed, they’re all over but really seem to stick out at times like these. I didn’t say which kids instigated the ruckus. It usually wasn’t the public school kids. Seems the, shall I say “Christians” were often out to prove they can be bad to the bone or worse. When I was a kid it was often the pastor’s kids that partnered with the devil.

I’m sure that guy at the wrestling match must feel about 6″ tall this morning after getting plastered all over the news but why do they withhold the names of those involved when airing stories like this? I’d think people would learn faster being public examples of stupidity.

my bosses kid has a car in this. He does all the work here at work on the cnc machine, lathe, custom wood shop and what not. Kinda sad. I remember the days when all I had to make the car was a pocket knife and sand paper and we had a great time doing it. My last year I was really excited when my grandpa cut some big chunks off my car with a band saw to help me speed up the process.

belletaine wrote:

Although one doesn’t have to look far to find this kind of behavior I sure like to think (hope) That there are way more good parents out there.

From my 7 years with a local youth basketball group, I’d say it’s about 50-50. And you can’t pick out the good from the bad based on any pre-conceived assumptions.

Now that my kids are done with hoops, and I still talk to parents of current HS players, both in my community and elsewhere, I truly wonder if these families have ever once enjoyed the process.

Sad.

ET

This has been going on since I was in Cub Scouts. There’s always going to be “those parents”.

My arch-nemesis in Pinewood Derby 30-odd years ago was a kid whose dad turned the wheels of his son’s car on a lathe, making them nearly perfectly round. He also did the same for the axels. I finished 2nd every year.

I’ve heard that a lot of Cub Scout packs have tried to counter the problem by having an “Unlimited Class” for fathers. Anything goes, no rules except total weight. No idea if this helps temper some of the “win at all costs” competitiveness, but that’s the idea.

Grouse

They build the cars with hand tools at the meeting with their den leader. Leader signs off that the kid built the car. Done

And that would go over like….

Randy Wieland wrote:

They build the cars with hand tools at the meeting with their den leader. Leader signs off that the kid built the car. Done

And that would go over like….

… a fart in church.

Got your back Randy.

Randy Wieland wrote:

They build the cars with hand tools at the meeting with their den leader. Leader signs off that the kid built the car. Done

And that would go over like….

I couldn’t agree more. Sure there would be push back, but is this cub scouts or dad scouts? I am all for Dad’s being involved in their kids, but this is a kids activity, not a who has the best dad activity

When i was in cub scouts, our den leader made us perform at least a portion of the work during our meetings. If we did them 100% at home – no go. Yep, he was a jerk about it. But it forced the issue of doing things yourself.

Same goes for soap box derby cars. I know a lot of people that won and moved on to the races in Ohio….never did a thing more than drive the car. As a father, I get more satisfaction out of seeing my daughters “fail by trying”, yet learn much more than you can imagine. What does a kid learn by having daddy do everything??? Nothing but wait and get a hand out.

I couldn’t agree more. Sure there would be push back, but is this cub scouts or dad scouts? I am all for Dad’s being involved in their kids, but this is a kids activity, not a who has the best dad activity
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In most cases it’s dad scouts. Lithium greased axels, nails grooves sanded down, wheels roughed up, etc. I hate to say it but it’s become a dad activity in most cases.

Let me start by saying, sometimes you do things that after the fact when you get older you look back and would do thing different. When my step son was in cub scouts the dads in there where hard core with Pine wood derby and after a couple of years of the arrogance I felt it was time to shut them up. I threw down the money a purchased a Pine Wood Derby premade car, and for a pine car it was NOT CHEAP. This thing had titanium nails for axles, balanced and matched tires with the left front axle slightly higher so contact wasn’t made with the track but looked like it was when you looked at it. Between the front and rear axle it was hollowed out. From the rear axle to the back of the car it was drilled out for the tungsten weights to be placed to bring the car up to race weight. (all weight had to be behind the axles). It came with graphite for the axle/wheel lube and special paint with clear coat for the final finish. You get the picture, it wasn’t even close. VERY UNFAIR RACES. The sky is the limit on what you can WASTE if you want to CHEAT at it these races. Sure the kid has a trophy for his races but you guys that take the time and do it the RITE way are the ones that really win……

My buddy is a machinest, drag racer and all around car guy. This is the one his kid put together. I asked him and he said it was approved by the powers that be.

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I carved my own when I was a kid. Not only did my Dad insist on it but I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing it. Very plain looking but won 1st or second. The idea that cars are being purchased online or created by fathers is sickening. Just another example of no accountability in today’s world.

Wade Boardman wrote:

My buddy is a machinest, drag racer and all around car guy. This is the one his kid put together. I asked him and he said it was approved by the powers that be.

Individual packs can make up their own rules, but the car shown is illegal under the official rules. Unless the rules have recently changed, wheels cannot be modified in width from the official kit. Diameter also cannot be reduced below spec.

Grouse