Monday, January 30, 2012

Start Your Engines...Pinewood Derby Style!

There is just something about building a Pinewood Derby car that I really enjoy.  It allows me to keep my over active mind on something while at the same time spending precious moments with my 8 year old son.  I enjoy talking with him about car designs, names, and paint schemes.  We cut out designs, sand them into shape and hopefully build a car that he is proud of when we are finished.  Reid is in his second year of Royal Ambassadors (RA's) and this will be our second race in which are competing.  We won two design trophies last year, with his Georgia Southern themed Eagle car, but were beaten handily on the tract by much faster cars.


This year we have decided to try and build for speed, without giving up the design phase that we also enjoy.  Being the kind of person that I am with a motor that never stops, I currently have three different cars for him to choose from that are completed and ready to go.  He has helped with each one and I kept his attention long enough during the sanding and painting stages that he didn't even ask to go play video games.  Why would I build three different cars at one time?  Why not???  I think it's a blast and after we race, Reid will have a stable full of cars to play with.

So how do you build a fast car that also looks good?  I'm still not real sure, and my confidence is running fairly low on the "speed" issue due to our last year's performance.  I mean I know all of the things that you are supposed to do in order to make your car fast, I'm just not sure if they are going to work for us.  I have seen a lot of winning cars go down the track in the past few years and some have been tweaked to perfection, while others have been bone stock with just a little graphite on the tires.  Some have been well designed with great paint jobs, while others are just short of ugly.  I just want to help Reid build a car that he can be proud of whether he decides he wants a speed demon or a trailer queen.  So he has some choices...

Built for speed with precise weighting and balance, or...
something a little more stylish!!!

So to get ready for the race that will take place in two weeks, I will be in the shop polishing axles, sanding wheels, moving weights into the correct position and answering the many questions that will come from my son.  I will be giving a full report on the race in the coming weeks and I will let you know which car Reid decided to take to the competition.  We really do have a great time with all of the boys at this race, and as one of the RA leaders I wish them all the best of luck, but deep down I'm the competitive sort and would love nothing more than for Reid to win the grand prize!  He deserves it because he has worked hard on his car and has spent time in the shop with me, which means I have already won my grand prize!  One I'll take every year!!

Let's get a sweep for the family!!  Race on son!



5 comments:

CHERI said...

So glad you realize time spent with your child makes you a winner every time! Of course, you've always liked being a winner, so GOOD LUCK!

DWQ said...

Every good race team has at least one back up car in the trailer, and a few at the shop, great job Dad!...They look awesome...Good luck Reid!...can't to hear how it goes, and as Cheri stated, time together makes for a winning team trophy or not (thumbs up)!

Alex said...

Great memories there! I look forward to doing this with my oldest son very soon!

LB @ Bullets And Biscuits said...

Oh WOW! It's been a year already? I remember last years post about this race. Good luck to Reid!

Ian Nance said...

Good luck!!