By Jon Peck
When it comes to Scouting and Pinewood Derby Racing, the competition is fierce across the country and the rules are unwavering. Divided into divisions by age, each Scout is given an Official Grand Prix Pinewood Derby Kit with a block of wood, some wheels and an eye-watering amount of guidelines regarding weights and materials.
With a level playing field, winning is based on engineering, creativity and a usually healthy dose of parental support. For 8-year-old Elisa Ruby Peck, a second grader at Hosmer Elementary and a proud member of Watertown’s Cub Scout Pack 30, the secret to beating the pack winners from 12 surrounding cities and towns was leaving the adults in the dust.
Peck shunned her mom and dad’s help at every stage of the build. Despite their willingness, she insisted on tackling the project alone. Aside from a bit of necessary safety assistance on a band saw from a Scout supervisor, and some sage guidance from her Cubmaster Chris Lamie, the winning car was entirely her own creation.
At the local pack race, held at the end of March in the basement of Sacred Heart Church in Watertown, the stakes were high. After hours of measuring, sawing, sanding, gluing and painting, cars were officially measured, weighed, tagged, and taken from their builder. Sent once down each of three side-by-side tracks, from a height of four feet, speeds were measured by laser to the ten-thousandth of a second. Using official race software, racing officials averaged each heat time across three to ensure no advantage of one track being faster. Slow-motion cameras were at the finish line due to a history of high intensity disagreements over who truly built the fastest car. Only pack winners would move on to the Sons of Liberty Pinewood Derby District championship.
After winning the Wolves division, Peck’s next stop was the District finals where she faced off against the winners from Waltham, Belmont, Cambridge, Arlington, Somerville, Medford, Malden, Everett, Chelsea, Melrose and Revere, and again emerged victorious with the fastest car amongst tight competition.
She noted “It’s not really about speed. It’s more about having fun.”
Pack 30 Cubmaster Chris Lamie notes that while the derby is famous for being a great family bonding experience, the real magic happens when the kids take the reins on the building process.
“The Pinewood Derby is a longtime Cub Scouting tradition dating back to 1953, but the scouts get so much more out of it than just a race,” said Lamie. “They learn about tools and building, and science, like gravity, friction, and kinetic energy. They get to be creative, and most importantly, they get a chance to learn and practice good sportsmanship.”
Elisa certainly learned a lot this year — and as for her proud parents, they learned that sometimes the best way to support your kid is to just step back and watch them fly.