Cub Scout Pack 443 holds annual Pinewood Derby Race

BRUSH PRAIRIE – On Sat., Jan. 16, Cub Scout Pack 443, chartered by the Rotary Foundation of Battle Ground, conducted their 32nd annual Pinewood Derby Race.

The Pinewood Derby is a Cub Scout tradition where each scout is given a Pinewood Derby kit consisting of a block of wood, four nails and four wheels. The boys, who are ages 7-10 years old, with the help of adults, transform the blocks into small cars and then compete on a gravity track.

Rick Feese, pack master for the cub scout group, said the event included 62 Pinewood Derby cars made by scouts and family members. The cars start off as the 7-inch-by-1.25-inch blank of pinewood, four nails and four wheels and each cub scout works to transform the block of wood into the best racing car he can make. On race day, the cars zoom down a 35-foot track that is equipped with an electrical timing system. Feese said several of the races were very close, with one race being determined by two thousandths of a second.

While racing is fun, the main point of the Pinewood Derby is for the scout to design a car, build it with an adult and then do his very best on race day. Win or lose, it’s all about the scout doing his very best.

Owen Marini had the fastest Pinewood Derby car and took home the Pack Championship trophy for the second year in a row. Zacharey French earned the Pack’s silver medal and Steven Stimson earned bronze. The three fastest cars per rank will race again, against all of the Cub Scout packs in the Fort Vancouver District in April.

Cub Scouts range from 7-10 years old, ranks are according to grade: Tigers (first grade), Wolves (second grade), Bears (third grade), Webelos (fourth grade) and Webelos II (fifth grade).

For more information on Pack 443, visit http://battleground443.mypack.us/. If you are interested in Boy Scouts, visit www.beascout.org.