Augusta Cubs Race Through Winter with Pinewood & Klondike Derbies
AUGUSTA- Sportsmanship, speed and creativity were the words on the lips of every Cub Scout at Pack 603’s recent Pinewood Derby races at the American Legion on Eastern Avenue. Each one hoping that their cleverly-carved car would capture the checkered flag and earn him a trophy.
At Christmas, each Cub was given a block of wood, four nails, and four wheels. The boys, working with their parent or another adult, carved their block of wood into a race car within a few weeks time. “The boys are always very creative,” said Cubmaster Chuck Mahaleris. “I’m always impressed by the imagination of our young racers.” The boys range in age from 7 to 11. They have to follow very specific rules when crafting their car. For example, cars cannot weigh anymore than 5 ounces and they must use only the official kit that they were given. They can’t use one of the fancy store-bought pinewood derby cars. Gravity is the only power source allowed. “It becomes a real challenge for the boys and their dads to come up with the right shape and placement of weights.”
Reid Albison - who isn’t yet a Cub Scout but carved a car and raced it against siblings of other cubs said, “This is sweet!!!” as his car zoomed down the long, wooden, two-lane track. It was his first pinewood derby race. His brother Connor, a member of the Wolf den, came in second overall for speed and said, “Wow, I can’t wait to bring my trophy to school and show my friends!” It was a project that involved both parent and son. Their mom, Rene Albison said, ”Painting the cars was a little messy, but that’s what it’s all about....a fun, family experience.”
According to the National Scouting Museum, the first Pinewood Derby ever held took place in 1953. Pack 280C of Manhattan Beach, California gathered at the Manhattan Beach Clubhouse and made Cub Scout history. The races soon swept across the country and Cubs have been watching cars that they created hurtle down the 32-foot long track ever since.
Each boy races his car at least five times. They race on each lane on the track and against many of the other boys to make sure their cars have had a variety of opportunities to win at least one heat.
Wolf Nathaniel Barbeau rolled away with the “Best Design” trophy. “I worked on it for three nights,” he said. “I liked making the car with my grampy and my “Uncle” John Wentworth
Wolf Matthew Sirois said watching his car race to the finish was like watching a monkey running up a tree for a banana. “Monkeys can climb really fast,” he said excitedly.
Bear Morgan Young was given the “Sportsmanship” Trophy for cheering on his fellow Cubs throughout the race and displaying true-Scout like spirit. “It was like being part of a real race,” he said. “I had so much fun coming up with the design.”
The third place trophy for speed went home with Bear Cub Christian Paulin. Wolf Cub Leland Bailey and Webelos Theodore Mahaleris captured the 2nd and 3rd place trophies in the design category.
The race was held on January 20th. Since then, the Cubs have been busy with other activities such as a trip to the bowling lanes to complete the requirements for the Bowling Belt Loop. The Webelos and Bears took part in the Klondike Derby held the first weekend in February in China. This was a joint event between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. The boys learned about cold-weather survival and had fun in the snow at various stations. Pack 603 showed their grit when they brought home a trophy for their efforts at that outdoor, challenging event that saw them compete against dens from all over Kennebec and Somerset Counties. “The boys really worked as a team,” said Webelos Leader Shawn Gallant. “They did a great job and were very proud to come in 2nd overall.”
Boys who are interested in joining Cub Scouts can contact Cubmaster Chuck Mahaleris at cmahaleris@hotmail.com or 400-9850. More information about Pack 603 can be found at http://pack603augusta.blogspot.com/
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