Forget winning, let son build his own derby car

It’s time to get down and derby again. Every year for the last 10 years we have gone through the Cub Scout rite of passage where we turn a block of wood and four plastic wheels into a racecar. I loved doing it when I was a Cub Scout and still enjoy it with my boys. It’s that idealistic time when a father and son work together on a project with the father instructing his young Scout in the proper use of knives, saws and other tools as the youngster plies his new skills to craft his masterpiece. Scratch that. Let’s get real. This a time when overly-eager and overly-protective dads plug in the power tools and shape racers with the accuracy and detail of a profession machinist. All the kid can do is watch, which is boring, so he runs off to play while dad loses himself in the whir of power tools and sawdust. Making a pinewood derby car is more science than art – at least if you want a decent chance to win. A couple weeks ago I was knee-deep in that obsession when a neighbor kid came over to play with my sons. When he asked what I was doing, I told him I was working on the pinewood derby cars. His response nailed me fast to the pole of guilt. “Oh yeah, my dad is making mine, too.” There I was, a former preacher of kid-built derby cars doing what I had done every year for a decade. It must be genetic, as my father did the same to me and my brothers. At least I made my boys sand and paint their cars. I wasn’t allowed to touch mine until the race was over. Two of my three boys have now gone through Cub Scouts without ever having made their own cars. My youngest son still has two derby seasons to go. As he will be a Webelo, I intend for him to build most of his car next year and all of it the following year. It will be the father-son bonding experience it’s intended to be. I’ll probably have the older two make their own cars as well for the Pack’s sibling race. The derby car experience has always been about the journey, not the destination. Making the cars is much more fun than watching them zip down a wooden track in less than three seconds. If you think about it, you spend many hours building a car that will only be used for about 10 seconds or so. When it comes to Scouting and pinewood derby cars, I would love to see the emphasis put back on the spirit of the competition. Each Pack gets to set its own rules, within certain parameters. I’d like to see most Scout units create a rule or racing division for cars that are mostly kid-built or made without the use of power tools. I’d like to see the emphasis for the trophies switched from the races to awards for design and craftsmanship. I think that would help teach the boys how to properly use tools and to create with their minds. I think the sense of pride and accomplishment increase the more the boy can claim ownership in his own project. Children learn better from experience. Watching dad work isn’t much of a learning experience. Working with dad, however, is an experience you will treasure the rest of your life. No doubt that everyone wants to win come race time. The winning is so much sweeter for the boys who make their own cars versus those who had theirs handed to them. Those victories really mean something. Several years ago a limited-run movie came out called “Down and Derby.” It was about a competition between dads to make the perfect derby car. While the dads go to extremes to one-up the other, the boy and other relatives discover the real winning spirit of the pinewood derby race. It’s a fun film if you can find it. I highly recommend it for all Cub Scouts and their parents. All that being said, I do have to report that my middle son Luke finished his derby career with something no one else in my family has ever had before – a first place trophy! I give all the credit to him. After all, he sanded and painted the thing all by himself!