Pinewood Derby

[CubMAsterMICK]

I need some ideas on how to run the pinewood race

[frankj]

I went to the site google.com and did a search on pinewood derby -- it came up with enough links that you could spend from now until Derby Day looking at info on the Web! There is the race itself and the overall event. Regarding the race itself, our pack uses a single elimination method. We race members of one den against one another to identify a den winner. Then these winners come back to race each other to determine the overall den winner. There is a website at http://www/rahul.net/mcgrew/derby/methods/html that explains the different types of elimination methods. We have a registration table set up so that when boys arrive at the meeting they weigh in on the official scale. There is a table nearby where they can put graphite on the wheels if they need to. This stuff can be messy so we try and have an adult on duty in the "pit area" where this is being used.

 

We have used one track as the official racetrack and had a spare track for the boys to race on after they are eliminated. It helps to have enough parents on hand so you can run another activity at the same time the race is going on. The guys who are eliminated won't all want to watch the race.

 

Also, after registration and before the official start of the Pack Meeting, we have all the boys place their cars on tables in the back of the room. Then while we are making announcements and giving out advancement awards, etc. a committee awards each car a certificate such as "best paint job" "most aerodynamic" etc., Every car gets a certificate. Line up lots of parents to help on race day. Good luck.

 

 

[CubMAsterMICK]

Thanks alot the site u sent me was just what i needed

[eisely]

Depending on how many tracks, space, and boys you have, I think some kind of double elimination is fairer and more appropriate. When we did Pinewood Derby, that was all we did for that Pack meeting. No awards or anything else.

 

You also need to award prizes for creativity of design, paint jobs, and anything else you can think of.

[frankj]

reply to eisley and CubMaster Mick: in our "single elimination" event, each car raced 3 times because we have a 3 lane track. The track was pretty old and this helped even out problems if a particular lane was "slow". This year we have a brand new track so all lanes should be equal. Each car raced against two other cars in three heats. Generally, the fastest car of the three won either all three heats or 2 heats. This identified a clear heat winner which then went on to race more. With the new track we will probably still have each car race on all three lanes. As far as "fair and appropriate" the individual pack determines the elimination process -- it should be whatever they are up to. It does all depend on tracks, space, how much time you have and how many parents help out.

 

[Jon L.]

Check out this site:

http://www.wtrfrd.com/pack339/339pine2.htm

 

We used it at our last PWD and it was a great success.

 

A couple of benefits from it: (1)The boys get to race more and aren't disappointed after two races. (2)You can control how long the race takes. (3) You can keep the boys' attention better. the only down side we saw was that nobody knew who placed until the last race (or is that a good thing?)

 

We added a double elimination among the 1st place winners to determine the overall pack winner.

 

If you want more info on how it worked for us, let me know, I'll be glad to share any hindsights I have about this method with you.

 

[eisely]

I don't want to give the impression that I was trying to be offensive. When the expression "single elimination" was used, I took that to mean a single heat per car. It has been four years since I was involved in a Pinewood Derby. As I recall, we usually had a three lane track. We would run three heats for the same three cars, ensuring that each car ran in each lane. This was an attempt to allow for differences in the lanes themselves.