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author
Charles Brinker
I went to my first pinewood derby when I was eleven years old. I spent quite a few days working on my pinewood derby car. It was very time-consuming to cut out a car with a hacksaw at eleven years ...view moreI went to my first pinewood derby when I was eleven years old. I spent quite a few days working on my pinewood derby car. It was very time-consuming to cut out a car with a hacksaw at eleven years old. I sanded it and took a lot of pride in painting it and giving it the best flat black finish I could. I drew my own fuel and cola decals and colored them with crayon. I glued the numbers and decals on and added a white stripe. I hammered the stock nails and wheels on the added a little person to the cockpit. I found some interesting model parts to use in the cockpit for a steering wheel and shifter. The last thing I did was add the weight to the middle to the car to get me to the five-ounce mark.
When race day came, I was so proud and excited to show and race my car. Then it showed up—a gleaming white pencil thin racing machine with a wing. It was sleek, fast, and beautiful. There was no way I could compete with it. I decided on that day that pinewood derby should be a child-and-parent activity. Parents should help but not do all the work on the car. The pinewood derby should be a fun parent-and-child learning activity. Everyone should learn the skills of designing, building, finishing, and racing along with teamwork and innovation.view less