Funmurphys: the Blog

Pinewood Derby

Saturday is my pack's Pinewood Derby. So I've spent the week getting ready for it. We bought a new track this year, and a new timing system to go with it, and new race software too. When the track was delivered by UPS to the head of the derby, one of the boxes was damaged, and bolts were leaking out. So we started the assymbly of the new track with a little fear in the belly that perhaps something important was lost and we would be using the old track again. That wouldn't be too bad, but we'd already thanked the boys for their fundraising on behalf of the new track and told them because of their efforts we would be getting a new one. As it turned out, only some bolts were missing. The real problem were the instructions. For both the track, timer, and software, the manuals were sorely lacking. The biggest problem was that they just started in with step one without providing any kind of overview. We worked Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Monday and Tuesday night to get it all put together and tested. Wednesday we had our final help session, and tonight my son and I finished up the car. Whew. I just finished the final touches on the planning for the pack meeting to go with it, and tomorrow night its off to school for the weigh in and taking the track apart and moving it to school to set up again so that bright and early Saturday morning we can race at the school and not in sombody's basement.

Our race committee chair recommended we purchase a plastic track (SuperTrack?) with it's timer (Super Timer) and software. The pack committee prefered an aluminum track due to durability concerns, so we wound up buying an aluminum track (Best Track) but stayed with the same timer and software. The companies that sell this stuff are mom and pop operations (I think a couple of buddies is more like it) and when you call their support lines you get the feeling you are talking to somebody at home watching the football game. And believe me, we had to call -- a lot. We'd look at the manual, read the website, look at the pictures, discuss, and then call. Sometimes somebody would suggest jumping to making the call right away, but our manly pride wouldn't let us. The most confusing was the timer because the two of us trying to install it had no idea that it provided for a remote control start, and so couldn't figure out what the solenoid was doing in the system. The help we got from the timer guy was pretty much "You should have bought my track." In hindsight, I think he was right, but the advice came too late and didn't do us any good. It was a painful process, mainly due to ego bruises, but we did manage to put it together and it is pretty neat. Now we have a track that the boys can start the races and the track announces the winner and lights up the winning lane.

Every year our car (yes, I'll admit that it is a joint project) gets better looking. I think our first one ran better than the second, but it was a shock when we showed up for the impound the night before and saw what the other kids (and parent) built - mainly in the paint job. This year somebody told us about a web site (Maximum Velocity) that gave us an idea of what to build, and other parents shared their finishing techniques. So I think the car looks pretty good and I hope will run pretty good too. I'll just be glad when it's over so I can have some free time again, so that I can get cracking on getting the annex all squared away. Then it will be time for Blue and Gold, and hey, two more years after that I won't be Cubmaster anymore. Somehow, I don't remember my parents being this busy when I was a kid.